Shawnee Love   •   May 4, 2018

HR used to consider it wise to have only one way for candidates to apply.  That way, you could easily track and manage candidate applications as they came in AND it was also a half decent test for whether or not candidates could follow the application instructions contained in the advertisement.  However, things have changed now that the supply of jobs exceeds the supply of candidates.  In the current talent marketplace, employers are wise to create a great candidate experience and part of that is to connect with candidates where they are at (the subject of last week’s blog).  If you are connecting with candidates where they are, the next logical step in enhancing the candidate experience is to accept applications how they come in.  So savvy employers are accepting applications any way they can:

Pick Your Method:

• Walk in resume drop (rare but still happen),
• Mail in resume drop (also rare),
• Video interview or presentation (rare, but happening more and more),
• Portfolio submission (common in marketing and design),
• Personal website (i.e., the candidate’s resume online),
• Email resume.

Pick Your Media:

• Online application through the careers page (my personal favourite because you can ask questions and request a full resume),
• Job posting sites (even if resumes don’t come in the desired and complete format- for an example consider applications submitted through Indeed),
• Social Media (e.g., facebook, linked in  or twitter applications or inquiries),
• Text (often a referral but not always),
• Mobile friendly! Surveys show that candidates increasingly want to search and apply for jobs from their mobile devices, so ensuring your website (especially career opportunities page) is mobile friendly is a critical step. Want to know if your site is mobile friendly? Just look it up on your phone and see if you can easily scroll through the key points.  Mobile typically means a pared down version and mobile friendly job postings enable candidates to apply using their phones.

Don’t be Too Picky:

Companies also want to be a bit more accommodating when it comes to some criteria which don’t really matter.  For example, I used to be a sticker for spelling and grammar.  E.g., I would discount cover letters or resumes with bad spelling. Now, if I am not hiring for writing or communication skills, I can go a bit easier on that front.

Being flexible in how you will accept applications increases the volume of applications you are likely to get and more importantly candidates like it when you accept them (and their applications) how they are.