Why You Aren't Getting Good Candidates

Julie Shenkman
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Many companies use job ads to find new employees, and many fail to attract the right type of talent. Consider some of the reasons why a job posting falls short in attracting prime job candidates.

A Bad Job Ad

A job ad serves as a marketing tool to help a company find the right job candidates. Unfortunately, many companies use bad job ads to find new job candidates to fill positions. Analyzing your job ad is essential if you want to employ the best workers. Job ads must be engaging, clear and honest to garner more attention. If the job ad is poorly written and lacks significant details, it may appear to be a bad employment opportunity for professionals looking seriously for work.

Poor Job Ad Placement

Consider posting your job ad in areas where professionals visit regularly and seek work. Although the newspaper can help you find decent job candidates in small towns, printed job ads are not effective in reaching a wide audience. Setting up a booth at a job fair can connect you with eager job candidates who may be worth hiring on the spot. However, posting a job ad online can help a company find a number of excellent job candidates quickly. Using a talent agency to find more suitable job candidates may be helpful in filtering through a sea of applications.

A Uninformed Human Resources Division

Sometimes, a human resources department that constructs job ads is uninformed about company culture and values, and this often makes the job listing less effective. When a human resources worker places a generalized job ad in front of job seekers, it attracts a general crowd of job candidates who are less than perfect for the role. Consider asking supervisors of open positions what types of characteristics and skills they recommend for a suitable candidate. This is especially helpful in finding candidates who will fit in harmoniously with the current workforce.

Excessive or Low Qualifications

If the qualifications in the job posting are too open, you are going to attract more job candidates who are average or unequipped for the role. Requesting appropriate qualifications in the job ad is essential if you want to have better candidates applying for open positions. On the other hand, stiff job qualifications can bar a lot of solid workers with less experience who possess high potential to grow in the position.

Offering Poor Compensation and Benefits

Some of the top talent in your industry wants competitive compensation and good benefits. If your job ad suggests low compensation and lacks additional benefits, you can bet that the most qualified candidates will seek employment somewhere else. Research how much the average job seeker in the area is paid for a typical position to decide on a fair salary range and adequate benefits.

Changing the way that your job ads are constructed, seeking talent through a variety of venues and offering fair compensation can be extremely helpful in capturing the interest of the best job candidates. Revamping a job ad is necessary for any company to lure stronger job candidates to the hiring table.

 

Photo courtesy of hywards at FreeDigitalPhotos.net


 

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  • Nancy Anderson
    Nancy Anderson

    @Daniel you could be right. I was watching the news the other night and they were interviewing a company who had over 100 jobs open but couldn't find qualified candidates. I hear this all the time that companies can't find suitable candidates so the current employees are having to pick up the slack. I find it hard to believe that with all of the people still out of work, these companies can't find qualified employees! So you are right - someone somewhere isn't telling the truth. Sometimes I think it would be great to just go back to the old fashioned way - putting an ad in a newspaper and we send in a paper resume and cover letter via the mail.

  • Daniel C.
    Daniel C.

    That is more reason so many companies are not getting the best work force and in turn are folding up their operations. Thank you.

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