Finding a job is already a difficult and monumental task for most. If you make it even harder for a job seeker once they land on your application, obviously, you risk losing that potential hire.
It’s normal for a person looking for a job to start a search on Google, Bing or another search engine. From there the person usually ends up on a site like Indeed. Indeed formats job descriptions fine. They work well from both the desktop and on mobile. But even Indeed points the person to your application process in the end.
Considering that most applications reside on an ATS, you can see why it would appear daunting. The ATS format is outdated and made for recruiters, not applicants. The problem for many is an application that it is made to view only on the desktop.
Mobile job seekers are gaining in number to an already high percentage of desktop applicants. It is not so far away that these numbers will reach parity. When an applicant has to pinch and expand a page on a phone to enter information into your application, it makes the already laborious exercise of applying even more difficult.
Forget about the time it takes to complete an application. You can always trim things back requesting only pertinent information that qualifies a candidate – another topic entirely – but the process itself is what turns most folks away.
Just look at your ATS application. Look at the tiny fonts that make it hard to read. There’s too much information packed onto one page, too many calls-to-action and a large amount of instructions spread throughout the content in no cohesive order. It provides a dysfunctional search engine that is confusing to understand and slow to load results. And it doesn’t fit onto a phone screen in a readable way.
None of that makes for an appealing exercise, whether from a phone or a desktop.
The goal of your application is to have it completed. Facilitating the ease of this is paramount to qualifying better hires. Understandably, you are limited in how you can approach this from the candidate’s perspective using your current ATS.
Thankfully, there are cost effective options that don’t require you to replace your ATS.
An overlay that integrates your branding in a seamless transition to your ATS application is one affordable way. Installing an overlay requires little setup time and doesn’t interrupt the apply process.
You can achieve a perfect balance of candidate friendly apply features with the same data collection on the back end for your recruiters. Nothing changes for recruiters, but everything changes for applicants.
1. Seamless integration provides a smooth transition from your career site, if you have one, into your application process without missing a beat. Candidates won’t realize they are on your ATS. And if you don’t have a career site, applicants will still enjoy a refreshing experience compared to what your ATS application offers.
2. Multi-device functionality imparts a new dynamic to your apply process, one that makes it easy to view your application on the desktop, tablet, or phone. Responsive design is not new, but it is something that can easily convert your application into something favorable among applicants.
3. Multiple screens offer an easy way to break up the monotony of filling out a long one-page application. After a page is completed that information can be saved so nothing is lost along the way. Also by offering a sectioned application, applicants can choose to fill out sections as they see fit. This is particularly helpful for someone on the go who may not have all of their information available.
4. Secure applicant accounts provide a way for information to be stored for future applications. Part of the headache of filling out multiple applications with the same company is entering the same information over and over. An applicant account allows for personal information, education and work history to be safely stored and prefilled on all subsequent applications.
5. Multiple upload options for resumes ensure that information is readily available to attach. An overlay can provide an upload from the device or from third party storage sites like Dropbox, Google Drive or another cloud service. These, too, can be stored in an applicant account for future use.
6. A cross-device experience is something your candidates will appreciate even more than simply accessing your application from any device. This is another benefit of having applicant accounts. An applicant can start your application on one device, leave it, and come back to it from another device, picking up at the last page completed.
7. Your recruiters still receive all the data collected by your ATS, plus additional data that doesn’t get collected. A custom overlay that supports applicant accounts provides as much prequalifying insight into an applicant without increasing the information requests on your application.
There are many ways to address the front end of an ATS without replacing your system for something more candidate responsive. An overlay is probably the easiest on your recruiting dollars and the most beneficial to your employer branding in the long run.
You can appeal to both desktop and mobile applicants with an overlay that provides a beautiful experience and ease of use for a process that has long been a disaster. Our own overlay, RightJobNow, is one that provides a compelling experience for all applicants.
Bottom line is putting a fresh face on your application process makes you more appealing to applicants.
An overlay is a powerful yet inexpensive way to outperform your competitors and draw in more talent by making yourself more accessible across device platforms.
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