5 Reasons Why Job Seekers Abandon Your Application

It is no surprise that job seekers hate applying for

jobs. In a recent survey, 12% of job seekers said

that they would rather get a root canal than apply

for a job online.

The process is frustrating for employers too.

Despite spending lots of time and money to attract

qualified candidates, employers only capture

about 10% of the job seekers that first enter their

recruiting funnels. A number of factors lead to

the 90% drop-off, including increasingly complex

tools, poor process design and time-consuming

and burdensome candidate experiences.

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DoubleLogin

Too muchdata required

Not enoughtime

Too manyscreens

ATS usabilityissues

No mobileapply

Only 10% make it through!

Events

SEO

SEM

Networking

Career site

So why exactly do job seekers drop-off and how can you make the apply process better to increase application completion rates?

#1: Too many or too few screensA typical apply process can force an applicant through many screens, including job search, multiple login,

and candidate profile pages. Jamming many fields onto fewer pages can be an equally poor experience.

Long form pages that require a lot of scrolling to get to the end also experience higher drop-off.

Solution: Find the right balance between number and content of screensLook at minimizing the number of screens in your apply process. Then assess the experience per screen,

inserting logical page breaks to improve the applicant experience.

#2: The dreaded double login (aka “the brick wall”)

Solution: Eliminate the double login Making the apply process less cumbersome is one

of the best ways to reduce applicant drop-off.

Many employers require that job seekers create an

account to log in to their career site and then another

account to apply through their ATS. The double login

creates a high barrier to conversion.

#3: Too much data required To facilitate the recruiters’ job, many employers ask

job seekers to retype their work history directly into

the ATS field, even if this information is available in

the attached resume. In other cases, employers

request information, such as references, up front

even though this information isn’t needed until

later in the hiring process. Though convenient for

recruiters, this redundant effort is time-consuming

for applicants and can lead to abandonment of

the application.

Solution: Scrutinize every step of the apply flow Minimize the data gathered up front, especially if it

can be obtained later in the hiring process or from

other sources.

#4: No mobile apply Nine out of ten job seekers use mobile to research

jobs; when they can’t apply via a mobile device,

more than two-thirds rarely return to their desktop

to finish. If an employer’s site isn’t mobile-

responsive, job seekers are forced to squinch and

pinch their way through an arduous apply process

(the “40 screens of death”) on a mobile device.

Solution: Go mobile! Make it easier to not only search but also apply for

jobs on a mobile device.

#5: Poor design, even if mobile Even if you have a mobile-optimized experience,

there are best practices in design to improve

the candidate experience. Implementing these

changes can improve conversion up to 15% in

some cases.

Solution: Make design simple and intuitiveIncluding elements such as intuitive iconography,

larger font, and “fat thumb” navigation will make it

easier for job seekers to search and apply for your

jobs on mobile devices.

Job Search

Intuitive Menu

Row-length Selectors

Geo-Location

Clear Naming and Field

Structure

Bonus #6: Putting all candidates through the same apply process It is common recruiting practice to collect all information from all interested candidates before deciding

which ones to move through the next phases of the hiring process. What if you could increase the efficiency

in this process? What if you could quickly secure complete candidate profiles for the individuals your

hiring managers are the most interested in and push these candidates into your ATS while automatically

enriching the profiles of those not immediately selected in your CRM?

Solution: Bifurcate the apply processBifurcation means “forking” or splitting a process.

Instead of asking for all information up front, which

can lead to candidate drop-off, bifurcate the CRM

and ATS process. This makes the apply process

a better experience for candidates while allowing

employers to collect the necessary information

during the right phase of the hiring process.

In a single 10-second step, a job seeker can

provide essential contact information to the CRM

up front. The system automatically keeps the

candidate engaged, sending emails to collect

additional information to enrich the candidate’s

profile. Meanwhile, recruiters can cultivate a short

list of candidates, share these with hiring managers

to collect feedback and move finalists forward.

Candidates not moved forward remain in the

company’s talent pool while finalists are pushed

into the ATS.

Sources: Jibe, 2014; Findly, 2014; Glassdoor, 2014; CareerBuilder 2014.

These tips were taken from Findly’s webinar “5 Reasons Why Job Seekers Abandon Your Application.”

To view the full webinar, including more tips for improving application completion rates, please visit https://www.brighttalk.com/webcast/12037/133453.

To learn more about how Findly talent acquisition solutions can help you improve the apply process and attract new talent, visit www.findly.com.

Application Process 10 Seconds!