Recruiting

When you’re tasked with creating a job application form it can be daunting, and knowing where to start can be difficult. You need to be able to attract the best and brightest if the business is going to grow, but at the same time, you don’t want the HR department to get a reputation for unintelligible forms. Striking the balance between ease of use and capturing detail is what really matters here, so let’s take a look at how you can make it
happen.

Why is the application process going online?

In today’s interconnected world you can do just about anything you want with the palm of your hand. The days of phoning up recruiters, waiting for callbacks, and then getting CVs to the post are long gone. These days, applicants want to be able to search for new opportunities in the evenings, or on their lunch breaks, and that means your application process needs to be online.

Will your applicants be put off by online submissions?

Absolutely not, in fact, you’ll find quite the opposite. Applicants want to be able to take care of their submission at a time and place that suits them, and online submission gives them near-total freedom. By going online you’re opening the business up to more applicants than ever before, which is only going to increase your chances of hiring the best and brightest. Let’s take a look at the best practices of creating online job application forms.

Use a standard template to get things moving

Now that you are ready to get started, a quick search for some standard templates is the way to move things forward. There are plenty of them out there, so don’t spend ages trying to figure out which one is perfect for you. You’re going to have to make some modifications and refinements to anything you find, so accept it, and move forward.

Include a field for the applicant to attach their resume

You want to make it clear that the online form is the one-stop-shop every applicant has been looking for. A prominent drag and drop box where it’s clear the resume or the CV needs to be placed in is the way to achieve this. Then they’ll instantly know the only other thing they have to do is fill out each of the required fields on the rest of the form.

Highlight mandatory fields so they’re never missed

Mandatory fields are obviously important, so make sure they’re clearly highlighted all the way through. You can set the form so it cannot be submitted when any such fields are left blank, and that’s certainly something you need to do. There’s nothing that will slow the recruitment process down than having to have a few of your members of staff chasing for key details from incomplete applications.

Keep everyone in the loop

Keeping everyone involved in the hiring process in the loop is one of your key jobs as the HR manager. By setting each complete application to be automatically forwarded to the emails of everyone involved, you can make it easy for everyone to collate applications as they go. Ideal if you want to avoid any last-minute panics the night before the interviews are set to take place. If you use a decent Applicant Tracking System (ATS), this should automatically keep your recruiting team informed.

Create a style that fits the audience

There’s no use adding lots of complicated and technical language if it’s unlikely to be understood by the type of applicants you’re looking to attract. Keep your language simple, and your choice of words relevant, and you’ll be able to create a text that connects with everyone.

Specialized fields like multiple choice questions are worth a look

If you want to have a simple screening process built into your application form, why not add a couple of subject-specific questions near the end? Ask for definitions of a couple of key terms and you’ll be able to weed out anyone who has clearly applied for a role they’re not well suited to. Remember, this is just a little bit of screening, it doesn’t have to feel like an exam.

Make sure there are logical flow and structure in your form

Ask any of the paper writing sites out there what the best way to confuse people is, and they’ll tell you all about the pitfalls of a poorly thought out structure. If your form chops and changes every 2 lines then it’s going to be hard for any applicant, no matter how bright they are, to make sure they cover all the bases. Think about how to make it simple and easy to follow, and it’ll make it easier for other staff to look over the applications too.

Avoid unclear sentences that cause confusion

Given the topic of this subsection, we could just leave it at that. The point here is that the fewer words you can use to get your point across, the better.

Proof everything so there are no grammatical errors

There’s nothing worse than realizing you’ve been sending around a document that’s riddled with errors and typos. Taking time to check everything you put the company’s name to is the right way to go here. Make sure you show it to someone else as well. They’ll have that little bit of distance from your work which will make it easier for them to highlight errors and inconsistencies.

Avoid overly personal questions that will put some candidates off

There’s no reason to try and get to know someone at this point — that’s what the face-to-face interview is for. Avoid questions about relationships, hobbies, and lifestyle choices. All they’ll do is make your form put off some of your most able candidates.

Include key dates and deadlines to add clarity

One of the great things about online submissions is applicants feel like they’re making progress. Add the key dates and deadlines to the bottom of the form so they are ready and waiting to take your call, and you’ll find you have far more people turning up for interviews. It’s such a little thing to include, but you’d be amazed at the number of businesses that assume candidates are happy to wait indefinitely.

Keep everything up to date on a rolling basis

The final thing you need to do is keep everything up to date. There’s nothing more self-defeating than an application form that’s out of date. Periodic reviews are the best way to combat redundant files, so schedule one in the moment the application form goes live.

Final Thoughts

Now that you’ve heard all about how to create an online job application form that will work in the best interests of the business, it’s on you to make it happen. Bring the other members of the HR department up to speed with what you’re trying to do, and they’ll be able to help you achieve it. Perfect if you want to enhance your reputation as a professional that can really make a difference to your company.

Daniela McVicker is a career coach and an editor at Top Writers Review. She’s also a business communication coach, helping future job applicants and employers to write effective business emails.

At some point in time, most companies will need to expand their team and build out departments. Reasons for expanding and hiring new employees vary. Whether the company is becoming more innovative with team culture,  looking to bring in new and refreshing management styles, or the business is simply growing, new hires are a necessary part of the process. It is very common for hiring staff to put an enormous emphasis on picking the candidate with the best personality. Instead, recruiters and management teams should invest the time and dig deep in order to attract top talent within a respective industry. Regardless of the position, there are certain qualities that management should look for when considering onboarding a new team member.

Understands Company’s Mission 

When job seekers are looking for employment, applicants are quick to glance over a company’s core values on their About Us page. Sure, including buzz words from a company’s mission statement will sound great on a cover letter, but by no means does that equate to the applicant actually possessing the company’s core values.

New applicants should be mindful of a company’s values and be able to explain how they plan to apply them to daily duties and responsibilities. Instead of managers simply asking applicants to which company value is their favorite, managers should push these types of questions a little further. Challenge the applicant by asking, “Which value would you anticipate struggling with the most and how would you plan to mitigate these issues?” Managers should look for applicants that are not only willing to engage with a company’s core values but are also clever enough to use them to complete their work regularly. 

Be Consistent…and Humble.

A manager’s dream would be to have all their employees understand their individual tasks and be able to produce consistent results time and time again. While also providing consistent results, a real standout employee will have humility as one of their main qualities. 

When entering the interview process, applicants think it is crucial to look their finest by only providing examples of their best work. While highlighting one’s accomplishments is great, some applicants can come off too strong when only describing their successes and not touching on any areas in which they could improve. This indicates they may get caught up in their individual accomplishments rather than the success of the company as a whole. 

Almost always, there is a way to spin negative experiences into positive lessons to learn from. All applicants have gone through difficult work turmoil. Instead of opting out and throwing in the towel, much can be learned by working collaboratively with others. Humble employees will speak more to the contributions from others and how they were able to overcome a difficult time together. 

Be Approachable and Reliable

Being curious about others’ success is a great quality to look for in new employees. The more willing new employees are to volunteer their own time to their colleagues’ success, the more approachable they will become. Having this vital support will help to alleviate work stress and make for a more cooperative environment. Colleagues will be intrigued by this type of involvement within the workplace and be inspired to do the same.

It is safe for new employees to be soundboards for their colleagues, but employees should never turn this opportunity into a time for gossip. When professionalism is maintained, employees will begin to look to each other as reliable resources to turn to for advice and support. However, some employees might want to lean on leaders an excessive amount. It is advised to know when to pump the breaks and keep the positivity flowing so no one gets worn down. 

Works Autonomously

Who doesn’t love a go-getter with a can-do attitude? Just give them the right resources- and off they go, solving every problem that stands in their way. Working autonomously means cutting out unnecessary communication and taking the lead with minimal guidance. Managers love to see this quality in new employees when done correctly. 

If new employees can prove they have worked autonomously successfully in the past, they should then have free rein to act on their own authority. This is if and only if they can accurately compute their workflow data back to managers. 

Managers want to know how to track their employee’s success and how employees plan on tackling projects. If employees are able to maintain their drive while also documenting their process, they should have no problem with executing their own success.

High Sense of Self-Awareness

Being self-aware is not only beneficial to have outside the office, but great employees bring this trait into their professional life, as well. Having the quality of being self-aware is a balance of both patience and confidence and is critical for an individual’s reputation, growth and daily progress in the workplace.

Self-aware employees are likely to be open-minded and embrace new thoughts and ideas. These characteristics help to smooth out any bumps that can occur while implementing new processes. Employees who are more self-aware are more sympathetic and willing to work with and help improve other colleagues’ shortcomings. 

Considering the perspective of other’s takes time but is vital if new employees desire to build their synergy. Simply taking the time to understand where another colleague is coming from will help implement more self-awareness in the workplace. 

Hard Working and Enthusiastic 

Managers want new employees who are ready to work and remain positive and enthusiastic even while tackling challenging tasks. All too often, managers are tempted to hire mediocre employees due to a minimal number of applicants. When interviewing, hiring managers should see that applicants that have astounding can-do attitudes while also hitting deadlines and consistent results. 

In positions that may require employees to be remote much of the time, like property management, hiring someone willing to work hard will give you confidence knowing the job will get done without having to give constant direction.

Bottom line, hard workers are ready to roll up their sleeves and get to work. Positive attitudes are an amazing asset to have around the office, but hard-working employees are essential. When deadlines are approaching quickly, some colleagues feel obligated to help at the last minute. Instead, you need someone who will be enthusiastic to take on the work when first assigned and who won’t give up until it’s completion.  

Conclusion

When recruiting staff, companies should put a greater emphasis on seeking out professional qualities over personality or technical skills. Management should take the proper amount of time to seek out the top talent in the industry. The qualities described above should help managers consider the best candidate in their hiring journey.

It’s no secret that recruiting talent isn’t easy.

Top talent won’t always find your job listing first. Heck, they might already be employed and not actively looking.

So, how do you make sure awesome candidates know about your job opening in the first place? Well, often they don’t — which is why it’s important to get creative when browsing candidates and reaching out.

Then comes the hard part: Actually getting top talent to take action and apply.

The good news is that it’s totally possible to get a good response — and yes, even from top talent… people who are normally SWAMPED with emails from companies wanting to hire them.

If you want to recruit top talent, read on to discover the top seven recruitment best practices (so that you can hire the best for your company).

1. Ask your employees for referrals.

Employees who have been referred by other employees are not only extremely productive workers, but they’re also less likely to quit.

I don’t need to tell you why that’s good for your company in the long-term…

Fewer employees quitting means less time, money, and training spent finding replacements down the road.

And chances are, your high-performing employees will know many other great people.

Next time you post a job, make sure your employees know you’re hiring (and what skills you’re looking for in a candidate). You can even ask them directly if they know anyone who might be a good fit.

Plus, your happy employees will be some of your best advocates. These are the people that won’t hesitate to tell their friends all the reasons why they like working for your company.

If you’re not already asking current employees for referrals, go for it — you’ve got nothing to lose!

2. When sending messages, mention the candidate’s accomplishments.

Who doesn’t like feeling special? Yes, it sounds cheesy (I can see you rolling your eyes), but one thing’s for sure: It’s true. People like to feel unique.

They’re not going to feel as good about the opportunity if it looks like your message wasn’t crafted specifically for them (or if it looks like you sent the same exact message to hundreds of others).

When reaching out to a potential hire, be sure to do your research by checking out their LinkedIn profile and work history. Take a look at their specific achievements.

That way when you do message them, you’ll be prepared. You’ll be able to highlight specific accomplishments and tell them WHY you were impressed.

If you do this, you’ll be far ahead of other companies who are recruiting. Most companies don’t take the time to personalize their messages.

Even worse, they often make the mistake of writing only about their company (not the candidate) and then pasting the job description.

If you don’t draft a message that speaks to the candidate, the message will come across as cold and impersonal.

People want to feel special and appreciated — NOT like one candidate in a sea of hundreds.

3. Keep your 1st message super brief.

The #1 mistake most people make when recruiting is that they provide way too many details in the first message.

It’s easy to think that the more you tell a candidate upfront, the more helpful you’ll come across.

It reality, it actually results in overwhelm and information overload.

Instead, provide them with just enough to peak their curiosity so that they hop on a call with you to learn more.

If you send a cold email to a candidate that drags on, they’ll stop reading.

Assume that anyone you contact is busy. Resist the temptation to go into too much detail. This will show them that you respect their time.

4. Let them know what’s in it for them.

If you’re in touch with a top performer, chances are, they’ve been talking to other companies too (as much as we’d like to think they’ve been talking exclusively to us).

You’ve got to set yourself apart because other companies are trying to sell them on their vision just as much as yours.

Or if a potential candidate is already employed, you’ve got to make a convincing case for why they should go out of their comfort zone and join your company.

You have to figure out what’s in it for them, and let them know what your company can offer them that others can’t.

It all comes down to this: You basically need to sell a total stranger on your company… then convince them why they should dedicate their career to your company.

Sure, it may not SOUND like sales, but in reality it’s a form of sales in its own way. You’re selling them on your company, after all.

When telling a potential hire what’s in it for them, be honest and upfront. Don’t offer them something unrealistic just to get them into an interview.

If you genuinely don’t think you can offer them anything better than what they have, it’s time to look elsewhere.

So, how do you find out what drives them?

As you can imagine, being able to properly answer “What’s in it for them?” involves a lot of active listening and creative questions.

To do this, the key is to find out what really motivates them. What do they value, and what can your company do to give them that? Maybe they want to be able to work from home. Maybe they’re looking for a salary increase or an awesome vacation package.

Whatever it is, the sooner you know, the better.

Hint: A lot of people tend to switch jobs when they feel there’s no room for advancement in their current role.

If the position you’re looking to fill would be a big step up for them in terms of career advancement, then by all means, let them know the importance of the role.

Tell them about the position and why you think they’d be a great fit based on their skill set and experience (and get specific).

Bonus points if you can point out a specific experience that’s unique to them, and why bringing that experience to your company would be a game-changer for you.

Whatever it is, be upfront about these benefits if you want to delight your candidates. Show them you’ve been listening and that you care.

5. Create a sense of urgency.

Urgency can sometimes be the push people need to take action.

It doesn’t hurt to add a little bit of urgency to your messages. Be upfront by telling the candidate when you plan on filling the position.

Not only will they appreciate the honesty, but they’ll know they have a limited amount of time to consider the opportunity.

It can be as simple saying something like, “Our goal is to fill this position by the end of the month.”

When someone knows a deadline is coming up, they’ll consider making a decision right away rather than putting it off.

6. Build an awesome careers page.

There’s no way around it: People are going to feel much more excited about applying for a job when a company looks, well, fun.

Create a careers page that reflects your company’s personality.

And by “personality” I don’t just mean using your company’s branding and official colors — I’m talking more about using your company’s voice.

Candidates want to know who you are and what you’re all about. Make your careers page personal and welcoming.

Talk about your company’s mission and don’t be afraid to write about your values. It’ll help your company get attention from the right candidates.

Luckily for you, many careers pages tend to be sterile. As you know, a robotic approach won’t attract great candidates (unless you’re looking for cyborgs).

You can use this to your advantage by creating an awesome careers page for your company and really separating yourself from other businesses.

7. Follow up with a CTA and continue delivering value.

If some time has passed and a potential candidate still hasn’t responded to your initial message, consider sending a quick follow-up email to show them you’re still interested.

Sometimes a candidate may be curious but undecided, and other times they might’ve read your message and let too much time pass by. Send another message a week later to express your interest again.

Remember that in your follow-up email, it’s important to deliver value.

Here’s one way you might add value: Remind them why you think they’d be an awesome fit for the role, and a few things that your company can offer them. If your company offers some great perks, highlight them.

Always be sure to keep your follow-up email shorter than the original message (no need to write a novel). If they’re interested, you can chat more over the phone or in person.

Another way to increase your likelihood of a response is to lower the commitment.

In short, don’t go in with a big ask. Avoid saying things like “let’s schedule a 60-minute chat.” A prospect will find it much easier to say yes to 15 or 20 minutes (at least initially).

In your sign-off, include a strong call to action or question.

This is vital.

If you don’t end your message with a call to action of some kind, they may not feel that a reply is urgent.

Here’s an example of a call to action that is likely to get a potential candidate’s attention:

“Are you up for a quick 15-minute chat to discuss? (No pressure, I’d just love to tell you more about what we can offer you).”

This call to action includes a question, delivers value, and doesn’t ask the prospect to commit too much time upfront.

Over to you: What’s your best recruiting tip?

Do you have a recruiting tip to share? Share it with us in the comments below!