It’s branded as a helpful feature. Your CV is online. You search. You scroll. You click. You’re in the mix.
Online job boards make applying for jobs a doddle, and fast. LinkedIn offers Easy Apply; you don’t even need a CV!
But is this good customer service, good for hiring, or is it encouraging bad job-hunting habits?
Speed and convenience might be an easy sell to clients and candidates, but without quality hires…., no-one wins.
So what are the positives…?
Speed and ease of process inevitably will lead to more applicants.
Recruitment agencies can be avoided. Job websites, with lower fees, are targeting companies directly.
Online job boards and easy-apply functions are smartphone friendly.
LinkedIn, in particular, makes it relatively easy for ‘passive’ candidates to apply – if they’re using the job function.
So what’s the flipside…?
Because it’s easy to apply, people often don’t read the advert properly and they’re less encouraged to research the business and submit tailored CVs and cover letters.
What are they hooked on? As a result, you get more unsuitable applications and more candidates that subsequently vanish.
Easy apply, and the job advert process behind it, encourages a focus on skills, qualifications, and keywords – not real people. A successful hire will be someone who shares a business’s values and connects with its purpose, not a robot.
Our advice…
Candidates…
Think before you click. Add a sense of purpose. Ten quality, thought-out applications will be more likely to land you an interview than hundreds of rapid-fire applications.
On LinkedIn, don’t just click apply, network. Ask for career advice and tips. Connect to people doing what you do and what you want to do, not just people above you.
Tailor your CV. And if you’re applying direct, include a cover letter. In this age, more than ever, you’ll stand out positively.
Businesses:
What are you making it easy to apply to?
Many companies go wrong by advertising a job description, not a job advert.
A description is cold in tone and driven by duties and is requirements focused.
An advert is candidate-focused and sells your company – why you do what you do, why it’s good to work for you, and what you value.
