Many people think that during the recruitment process, it’s the companies recruiting that have the easy ride – they advertise their job vacancy and just sit back waiting for the applications to come rolling in. It’s easily presumed that the hardest part for employers is dealing with those who apply that don’t quite meet the pre-requisite skills. What people do forget however is it’s not only the recruiters that experience a host of peeves during this process but also the jobseekers.

Candidates want to know what employers can offer them (beyond stable employment of course) – particularly why they should work for your company should they be given the chance. It’s about selling your business as an employer as much as selling yourself and your skills as a potential employee. The whole recruitment process can be expensive so, as well as making sure you get the right candidate for the job, it’s worth spending some time ensuring you sell your company well.

Here are 10 things to consider when trying to sell a vacant position to jobseekers:

Vacancy overselling

Vague job descriptions may add a bit of intrigue to a role in some industries but being thorough helps ensure you get the right calibre of candidates applying. One potential sticking point of this though is vacancy overselling. Using over technical words to sell a role involving basic tasks and menial work can make the role appear amazing but you could end up with a disgruntled employee on your hands once they start and are immediately disillusioned. Honesty is definitely the best policy, tell the job exactly how it is.

Vague job descriptions

A particular annoyance for any recruiter is bad applications. It’s also a similar situation for job seekers faced with a job descriptions that are too vague and offer no insight into the role available. It makes it much harder for them to fit the bill when they don’t really know what bill they’re supposed to be fitting. The end result could be a waste of time for yourself and the jobseeker – If you advertise jobs in the right way, with the right language you’re more likely to get a more refined list of applicants.

Not disclosing salary

‘Competitive salary’ can mean different things to different people, so spelling it out wherever possible is definitely wise. Most jobseekers usually have a figure or salary range in mind when looking for a new role, particularly if it is a career step to a more senior position. Having a bracket to aim for will ensure you have the right balance of candidates.

Using the wrong form of contact

If you are going to go to the trouble of asking candidates how they would prefer you to contact them, you might as well then go to the trouble of listening to what they say. A number of jobseekers look and apply for new roles whilst already within a role so phoning them (particularly during office hours) when they asked you to email can be very frustrating.

Unexpected interview challenges

Although employers are well within their rights to set candidates challenges or tasks for their interview, ringing them up the night before and telling them that you’d like a ten minute presentation is not the best course of action and would more often than not leave the most head strong of candidates nervously fumbling together a few slides that don’t show off their full potential. Giving the right notice period and what’s expected of them in preparation ensures that the interview is neither a waste of time for the employer or the employee.

Not researching them properly

Applicants are expected to research the company they are applying to and often to demonstrate their knowledge before they get the job. So it should make sense that recruiters research the applicants too. It doesn’t take long to find an individual’s details online, particularly with the medium of LinkedIn and it could help you to formulate better questions for the interview.

Not reading their application

Interviews allow the employer to be inquisitive and the candidate to elaborate on specific things they have written on their CV or application in more detail – It can be especially disheartening therefore when asked basic questions that should have already been explained during the initial evaluation process. For instance, asking them if they’ve ever worked in HR when they’ve highlighted their experience within HR to date is not a good way to go.

Intimidating the interviewee

Most recruiters like to put candidates on the spot and figure out their train of thought and how they handle pressure. One annoyance from a jobseeker point of view however are questions that are deliberately designed to catch them out.

Not getting back to applicants

One of the biggest bugbears of jobseekers is applying for a job and then never hearing anything back. It’s understandable that if 300 people have applied for one vacancy, it might be a big ask to reply to all of them, but a ‘thanks but no thanks’ email wherever possible is courteous if nothing else, after all the candidate took the time to apply as much as the employer took the time to review the application.

Not contacting unsuccessful interviewees

If it’s annoying when you don’t hear back from an application, it’s even worse when you don’t receive any feedback or even hear back from an interview. If someone has taken the time to learn about your company and prepare for an interview but then didn’t get the job, a courtesy call to let them know the decision is an absolute must for recruiters.

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This post was submitted by Joe Griffin.