It's not them, it's you. Why people aren't applying for your job.

The job posting and outreach to the market aren't generating applicants. It's time for some reflection and a  change of approach. 

Why it matters: Without candidates to interview it's pretty difficult to hire. Addressing the tough reasons candidates aren't interested in your job opening is critical.  

Good news, it's you, not the candidate. Ultimately, you can control this dry spell in your favor. The dry spell is a symptom of misalignment with the market, which can be diagnosed and addressed.   

Elements to review. Low candidate volume is tied to being out of alignment in one or more of these items: 

• Title of the position 
• Compensation & benefits 
• Work schedule (standard, flex, rotational) 
• Work location 
• Remote, hybrid or in-person 
• Job duties (too broad or too limited) 
• Team culture  
• Structure of role (W2, 1099, part-time, full-time, seasonal) 

What is your competition doing? Researching how your competition is handling similar positions can help you identify your unique value proposition to candidates. Get creative on ways to stand out. We suggest considering some of the biggest trends at the moment like flexibility and training/upskilling.  

Double-check the ease of applying. A recent survey from Greenhouse found more than 70% of job seekers would not respond to job applications that took longer than 15 minutes to complete. Keep it brief and simple, people!  

Mobile-friendly applications are essential. This year, almost 67% of candidates used mobile devices rather than desktop computers to apply.  

Go deeper: 

• Recent survey results from hiring software firm Greenhouse found that more than 70% of job seekers and workers would not respond to job applications that took longer than 15 minutes to complete.