We all want a good selection of candidates to apply for the jobs we advertise, and more importantly, we want high-quality applications. If you’re not getting the results you need, have you ever wondered if your application process is right for you?
There are three main processes recruiters tend to use nowadays (not including the use of recruitment agencies), these being:
1. Submission of a CV and cover letter
This is probably the easiest and most common practice for recruiters. Candidates can just submit their latest CV, include a cover letter and try to sell themselves to you in their own unique way.
It’s easy for candidates – so long as they have an up-to-date CV, and can easily type out their cover letter, then it takes minimal effort.
2. Completion of a bespoke application form
Application forms are still being used and by a surprising number of employers. Typically, they are emailed to candidates and can sometimes ask for pages and pages of information, such as detailed career history, personal statement, competency-related work examples, equal opportunities info, referees and so on. Some employers do still ask for the completion of a paper-based form, and some require completed forms to be posted rather than emailed. Many feel these are outdated practices, but some organisations are seemingly stuck with them.
3. Online recruitment pages
The next step on from the basic application form is the online application process. This is generally a set of fields on employers’ websites which candidates are expected to complete. Whilst it feels more modern, it can sometimes be as time-consuming as completing the traditional application form.
So, which is best for you?
In answering this question, you should always bear in mind that your outcome for a recruitment process is that you attract sufficient interest from quality candidates. We’ve set out some of the pros and cons for each of the three main options below, so you can give some thought as to whether the process you use is suitable for you:
CV Submission
Pros
- This is the clear winner if you want as many candidates as possible for your job – it’s simple, easy to do, and takes very little time for candidates to process. This means anyone who has the slightest interest in the job can send their CV in. It’s the ideal process if you are looking for the highest volume.
- You won’t put anyone off the application process, meaning you’ll get the same high-quality candidates as you would with the other two options.
- If you are advertising your jobs online, e.g. through a jobs board, this is the process you can guarantee will get you the highest results in terms of volume.
Cons
- As with any process, you make it easy, and you’ll get a lot of applicants (so long as there are many qualified and interested people). Still, you’ll also get several applications from people who aren’t remotely suitable. These could be from people who are “chancing their arm” and people who don’t even have the right to work in the UK. It can be a pain for recruiters to look through and discard so many applications, even more so if they are committed to responding to everyone.
- CVs come in all shapes and sizes. Some are very detailed, some are brief, and many just contain basic information about their past jobs rather than information about a candidate’s personal contribution or achievement. This means the selection process can be very subjective, it’s difficult to make comparisons across candidates, and recruiters have to make assumptions about someone’s ability to do the job they are looking to fill. We generally hope that a cover letter is included with a CV so the candidate has tried to explain how they are an excellent match for the job.
Completion of a Bespoke Application Form
Pros
- If designed well, application forms can help you capture the exact information you need about each candidate for personal details and skills/experience.
- You know that candidates who complete the form will (usually) have a sufficiently strong interest in the position and be suitably qualified. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have taken the time to complete the form.
- They are a good way of capturing competency-related information so that recruiters can assess whether the skills a candidate has used in the past compare well to the skills they seek.
- Application forms do help recruiters assess communication skills, albeit written communications. Grammar and spelling mistakes can easily help them separate the good from the not-so-good when shortlisting.
- These forms are seen as being fair, i.e. candidates know they are being asked for the same information as other candidates.
Cons
- Many candidates see these as very dated, meaning they could form a view that your organisation hasn’t moved with the times, which can then lead to a change of heart and they pull out of the process.
- They take time to complete, and in this busy world, many people will just drop out of the process when they see the 8-page form arrive in their inbox. This means even great candidates will just give up, and you could miss out on some talented new recruits.
- Jobs listed on a jobs board with an application form process can lead to a low conversion rate: applicants will usually want to submit their application quite quickly, but they then have to wait for the form to arrive. By then, their mind may have been changed, they could have lost interest, or something better has come along which they are more interested in.
Online Recruitment Pages
Pros
- Generally, the same pros apply here as for application forms outlined above, but in addition:
- Candidates will see you as a more modern organisation than those with a traditional application form
Cons
- Again, these online forms can take time to complete. Whilst many recruiters allow candidates to save their application and complete it over time, it can still be a time-consuming process, and one which is off-putting.
- When a job is advertised on a job board, candidates are frequently asked to complete some form of registration on the job board before they can apply for a job. They duly complete a few fields and are then redirected to the employer’s website to complete the online forms. In some cases, candidates think that by registering on the jobs board they’ve applied, and in other cases, when they realise they’ve got to do more than just send in a CV, they’ll drop out.
Summary
When you’re reviewing your recruitment processes, give some thought to the above before coming to your decision. Ideally, you’ll decide on a process that brings you sufficient quality and quantity.
You should also remember that even if you receive limited information in the initial stages of the recruitment process, you can find ways of engaging with candidates to gather more valuable data before you decide to interview them. It's an approach recruitment agencies and consultants take, and for them, it works well!
