Author: The Content Team, CV Library
In 2022 three out of four (75%) UK companies reported they were having difficulties finding the candidates they needed (ManpowerGroup Employment Outlook Survey, Q3 2022). To help combat the ongoing talent shortage, it’s important to actively attract jobseekers by any means available.
Here are five tips to help you attract more candidates in 2023.
Job posting hints and tips
It might seem obvious, but your recruitment strategy will be as effective as a damp squib if your job posts simply fail to attract jobseekers. Here, it’s the basics that count:
Give your job posting a searchable job title.
It’s tempting to go for something clever or amusing (we’ve all seen the ‘Sales Ninja’ example), but simple is best. If you need a sales manager, put Sales Manager in the job title, because that’s what interested jobseekers will be searching for.
Keep the job title short.
Research reveals that job titles under 20 characters receive 40% more applications than roles with over 30 characters.
Include the location.
Jobs that display a post code, town and county can receive 47% more applications than those that leave out the location. Remote working is a growing trend but it isn’t for everyone, and it’s not a possibility for all jobs. If remote workers are exactly what you’re after, put that in.
Salary matters.
This is a hot topic of discussion but all the available data indicates that adverts that include the salary receive 28.5% more applications.
Post at the right time.
Post your adverts to align with when your target jobseekers are most likely to be looking. Jobs posted on Mondays or Tuesdays typically perform best.
Use a job board with an extensive CV database
It’s important to look for candidates in the right places – job boards, social media and other online platforms. The ‘right place’ for you might be different for someone else, so take the time to investigate the unique offering of each type of platform.
There are many benefits to using CV databases, because they offer a huge and constantly replenishing pool of talent. This enables you to fill positions quickly and it’s a cost-effective way to recruit.
A good job board will also enable you to search its database for promising candidates in a flexible way – for example, you can filter candidates according to role, skills, location, expected salary and much more.
Ultimately, this could prove to be extremely helpful for hiring the best candidates.
Use banners, eshots and other premium tools
Many job boards offer a range of premium tools that help boost your job post and attract candidates. For example:
- Premium featured ads boost jobs to the top of search results
- Videos and images help increase engagement with your ads
- CPM display advertising allows you to target specific audiences and show banners to promote your company profile and jobs
Other tools include pay-for-performance, featured jobs, banners, display advertising, and tools that enable you to add an engaging video to your jobs and showcase your company culture.
Regularly review your job boards
Not all job boards are created equal and things can change over time. It’s worth regularly checking to see that the job board you’re using serves your purpose. For example, what are they doing to attract jobseekers to their site and your job posts? Where are they advertising? Is there a high level of awareness for their brand? Do they offer candidates accurate email alerts? Are they offering you a range of tools to maximise exposure to your ads?
Check that you’re getting the maximum return on your spend and, if you aren’t, consider taking your business elsewhere. Top tip: 96% of CV-Library’s clients say they wouldn’t change a thing about the service they receive!
Simplify the application process
Research shows that 90% of jobseekers abandon their application if they are redirected to an external site during the application process – ie from the job advert on a job board to the application form on your website.
The problem is compounded when one considers that 64% of jobseekers apply for jobs on mobile devices – and very few people have access to their CV when they are out and about.
Using a direct apply integration removes barriers by importing the candidate’s information from their CV on the job board directly into the application form on your site. From the jobseeker’s point of view, this happens seamlessly – the result for you is 9 times more applications!
Integrating your job board with your ATS also means you can search the CV database directly from your ATS – that’s access to millions of CVs in one place. Even if you aren’t signed up with certain job boards, you may still be able to see a redacted version of CVs in the database through the ATS platform.
There’s good news if you’re a customer of CV-Library & Idibu as you’ll be able to take advantage of this direct apply integration. Contact your Account Manager today to get this activated.
Summary
Attracting candidates in today’s market involves far more than posting your job advert and waiting for the applications to flood in. But there’s a lot you can do to find the best candidates. Remember:
- Pay attention to what jobseekers are looking for and tailor your job adverts accordingly
- Use a job board with an extensive CV database
- Take advantage of all the products on offer that will boost the visibility of your advert
- Regularly assess what you’re getting from your job board
- Consider using an ATS integration to simplify the application process and potentially receive 9 times more applications.
Unless otherwise stated, all stats quoted in this article are taken from CV-Library’s research between 2021 and 2023.
CV-Library is one of the UK’s largest online job sites. It has a database of over 18 million CVs and attracts over 4.3 million unique jobseekers every month. CV-Library is a proud integration partner of Idibu.
No Comments Yet
Let us know what you think