How to increase job applications from your job ads

Together with our partners, Beamery, we’re excited about our new tool that helps everyone create better job pages and get better quality job applications. Job Page Grader looks at a whole host of metrics to provide a fully-rounded audit of the quality of your job pages so that you can best set them up for success. It’s a free tool and you can use it as often as you like. Think of it as our little gift, to make the world of talent attraction that bit better and get you the candidates you need to succeed.

So, in this series of blogs we’ve been looking at some of the things that Job Page Grader audits, giving you a little bit of insight into each one. When you use the tool you get a full report, so these are blogs are just a brief overview to inform your thinking, and in this one, it’s all about the three critical success factors that will get you more quality job applications.

What do we mean by quality? We mean candidates that buy into your culture and values, that are aware of some of the harsh realities that may be part of their role, that are up for the challenge, and are ready to start adding value from day one.

So, without further ado, let’s dive in...

Make your content sing

When you visit a great online retailer, it’s not unusual to see a massive amount of information about the items they want you to buy. They’ll have engaging descriptions, great images, detailed specifications, and offer alternative items that may be of interest to you. Often though, the same retailers have very bland job pages which are little more than a list of vacancies, which themselves are not much more than a list of responsibilities and requirements. Boring, boring, boring.

Instead, make sure your job pages are packed with great content. Use the Hollywood formula below to create a killer job description, and break up the content on your page with images of your business in action, with quotes from people that are already with you, with videos that show a day in the life at your business or that help people get a feel for the location or sector you operate in. Be creative. Be engaging. Get people excited and get them applying.

Use a Hollywood secret to write quality content

There’s a formula we use for job page content that’s proven to be successful and provides a rich and engaging experience for candidates. In a nutshell, it’s all about leading with empathy, creating curiosity, adding in some surprising details, weaving in specifics about the role and responsibilities, and ending with a strong call to action. We covered the formula in much more detail back in the first of these blogs, so check that out and give it a try.

Make it easy to apply

Everything we measure with the Job Page Grader tool plays a part in making sure your job pages are doing all they can to communicate your employer brand and, crucially, that they get great candidates applying to join you.

We all love a challenge, but when it comes to applying for a job, there’s nothing worse than making candidates having to jump through hoop after hoop. Having created a high-performing job page that’s successfully engaged a great candidate, communicated your culture and values, whetted their appetite to be part of your business, and 100% ready to apply, then why start putting barriers in the way?

Make sure your candidates can apply for your available roles directly from your job pages. If they have to click away from the page then you run the risk of losing them. If the application process is complicated and needs a large set of instructions then you run the risk of them losing interest. And if they have to duplicate information or can’t upload their CV or other documents you run the risk of looking disorganised and unprofessional. Keep it simple.

So there you go, three critical success factors to increase job applications from your job ads. It’s not brain surgery, but it does need a bit of thinking about, and practice makes perfect of course. Head over to Job Page Grader now and see how your pages are performing, and you’ll get a comprehensive guide to give you all the help you need.