Searching for a new job is stressful enough, so making sure you can cut down on any pain points for candidates will help see your application rates rise and ensure you’re getting the top talent into your available roles.

Below we’ve highlighted the five top bugbears that candidates have when searching for a job, and while you won’t be able to resolve all of these, making some slight changes where possible can help improve the candidate experience of your recruitment process.

1: Lack of response from recruiters (56.9%)

The problem: Candidates want to know what’s going on with their job application, it’s an emotive and potentially stressful time in their lives. Not hearing anything back from a recruiter is only going to leave them on tenterhooks, not sure whether to hold out on hearing back or move on to the next job vacancy. This can lead to some of the top talent that may have applied for your job leaving to go elsewhere because they haven’t heard back from you.

The solution: F4P let candidates know how long they should wait to hear back, and we stick to what we promise. If we say you should hear back in 24 to 48 hours,  we make sure we contact you within that time period – even if we have no update. Maintaining a constant level of communication is going to make it clear to a candidate that they are very much still in our mind and won’t feel like you’ve pulled a disappearing act on them.

2: Long application process (48.8%)

The problem: Long application processes can be tiresome for a candidate, when they’re looking for a new job chances are they will be applying to more than just one at a time. Having an elongated application process is going to put many a candidate off your job vacancy and they may turn elsewhere.

The solution: Of course F4P want to make sure a potential applicant (you) is the right fit for the company, so gathering as much relevant data on you will help. The golden rule here is: keeping our application process clean and simple. Here at F4P we offer candidates a 1-Click apply feature, making it easier for them to apply for their dream job without having to run through reams of forms just to get to the interview.

3: Tailoring their CV and cover letter for different roles (30.2%)

The problem: Some candidates can get bored of tailoring their CVs, it’s just a simple matter of fact. Unfortunately, this isn’t one that you can likely change the outcome of. Candidates who are truly interested in your job are going to want to tailor their CV to you to ensure that they sell themselves to you. The ones who don’t? Well, they probably aren’t the right fit for you team anyway.

The solution: This really is more of a candidate issue than us. The only thing we can do is ensure that we are really selling the vacancy in our job posting; the more excitement F4P can generate from the job posting, the more chance we have of attracting the right candidates, who will be willing to tailor their CV and cover letter to an F4P vacancy.

4: Finding a role in their local area (20%)

The problem: The majority of candidates will be very keen on working in a certain location, normally near where they currently live. While some candidates may be happy to up sticks and move to a new location for the right role, many of them simply won’t be looking that far afield.

The solution: Again, this isn’t something F4P can really counter, our business operates where it is located in Guildford, and while a candidate may be happy to move closer, it’s nigh on impossible that we will be moving a company closer to you. F4P always including the location of the vacancy in our job posting, this will however make it much easier for you in the area to clearly identify our business as a potential application.

5: Vague updates from the recruiter (17%)

The problem: Candidates want clear communication from a recruiter, it’s no use being told “we liked you”, what does that tell the candidate? Are they going to be considered for the role? Will there be another round of interviews? When will they hear back from you? Being vague is only going to turn a potential candidate off your job.

The solution: F4P are clear and concise every single time we communicate with our candidates. We tell you specifics about how the interview went, what the timescale is for a decision and what the next steps will be.

Sourced from CV Library.