Why is Your Business Having Trouble Attracting Job Applicants?

It’s easy to see why so many companies strive to attract talented job applicants. After all, in the absence of knowledgeable, dedicated, hardworking employees, any enterprise is liable to encounter major problems. So, if your company has had trouble attracting applicants as of late, it’s imperative that you nip this issue in the bud. The longer certain roles remain unstaffed, the more difficult things are likely to be for your existing workforce. In the interest of bolstering your recruitment efforts, carefully consider the possible reasons as to why people aren’t applying for open positions. 

You Aren’t Offering Relocation Assistance 

Any company that expects applicants or existing employees to relocate for their respective jobs would do well to provide assistance. Although big moves can be exciting, they can also prove immensely stressful and shockingly expensive. So, if you’d be willing to take care of moving fees and temporary lodging costs, jobseekers are likely to be far more amenable to the idea of relocation. This is particularly true in the case of international relocation. If your company expects new applicants or existing team members to move to another country, providing international relocation services is the least you can do. 

Your Company Has Received Negative Feedback from Employees 

If your company has a less-than-favorable reputation with regard to employee satisfaction, you’re liable to have problems generating interest from jobseekers. After all, why would someone knowingly apply to work for an entity that couldn’t care less about the well-being of its workers? So, if former and/or current employees have left scathing feedback about your company or its practices online, this stands to hinder recruitment efforts. 

With this in mind, you should make employee satisfaction one of your foremost priorities. The happier your team members are, the more loyalty they’re liable to feel towards your company, and the more productivity they’re likely to display. This will also help your company garner a positive reputation and become known as a favorable place to work – which can be a boon to recruitment efforts.

Additionally, to stay abreast of your company’s general reputation, take care to regularly pursue and utilize search engines, social media and popular employee feedback sites. This will provide you with a solid understanding of what you’re doing right, as well as areas in which changes are needed.      

You’re Not Offering Competitive Wages 

It’s hardly unusual for companies to practice frugality in a number of areas. Employee compensation, however, should be one of these areas. The desire to conserve financial resources is perfectly understandable, but if you aren’t providing your team members with fair compensation, why should any of your workers put forth their best efforts – and why should jobseekers show any interest in your company?

Before posting new employment listings, take some time to research how much people in these roles make at other companies. You’ll also need to take cost of living into careful consideration. For example, if your company is based in an area with high rental rates, home prices and property taxes, it stands to reason that you should offer higher salaries than entities based in smaller locales.  

Your Job Descriptions Are Too Vague 

Jobseekers find few things more frustrating than employment listings that contain vague, unhelpful job descriptions. In the absence of sufficient descriptiveness, prospective applicants are liable to be unclear on what certain positions actually entail. While there are certainly exceptions to this rule, many jobseekers won’t bother applying for positions that are ill-defined. 

So, in advance of posting new employment listings, make sure that they contain detailed job descriptions, lists of duties and preferred qualifications. Furthermore, make a point of including salaries and hourly wages. If job descriptions don’t list compensation, applicants are liable to think that companies are attempting to short-change them. In addition to attracting more applicants, this approach will help ensure that the number of applications you receive from unqualified candidates is minimal.  

It’s only natural for businesses to actively seek top talent and strive to fill open positions with the best possible applicants. However, if jobseekers aren’t being sufficiently incentivized, you’re liable to see your recruitment pushes fall flat. Companies that have noticed a considerable drop in applicant numbers would do well to look inward and reflect on ways they may be hindering their own efforts.