One thing that many companies are currently experiencing is a discrepancy between the soft skills listed in their job postings, and the soft skills that job seekers are posting on their résumés.

As all industries are currently struggling to find employees, this gap is making it even more difficult for companies to find individuals who they feel would be a good fit for their open positions.

After completing a market analysis, and speaking with numerous clients currently struggling with staffing, we have seen trends on job postings that are deterring job seekers from applying.

Issues:

1. Job Titles – Too often, the job titles listed on postings do not match the duties and requirements needed to be a fit for a role. After reading the title, candidates are discouraged from applying because they feel that they are underqualified.

2. Skills Listed – Most of the time, there are too many skills listed as needed on job postings, which gives candidates the wrong impression about what the job entails. Especially since many of the skills listed are not actually needed to effectively do the job.

3. Speed – The majority of positions within the warehouse and Light Industrial industry do not need extensive training. It’s important to make it clear that applicants will be able to start within a day of submitting an application.

Solutions:

1. Take a “Less Is More” Approach

There is no need for job postings to be too wordy. A job seeker wants to look for work and within seconds of reading it, know whether or not they are going to apply.

2. Work with a Staffing Agency

A staffing agency can not only help you with finding qualified candidates to fill open roles within your company, they can also provide feedback on your job postings and hiring process to help you determine what is necessary and what’s not to get more applicants.

3. Communicate with your HR department

If the person writing and posting the job descriptions is different from the person doing the hiring, both individuals need to be involved in the creating of job listings. This will ensure there are no discrepancies between what employers are expecting and what job seekers are seeing.

4. Clearly Communicate Start Date

Job seekers are always going to gravitate towards positions that make it clear that they can start right away. If there is no phone call within a day of applying, or the onboarding process is too long, candidates will already be on to their next opportunity.

Overall, it is important that if a company wants to see the right candidates applying for their open positions, they must adjust their screening process and how they communicate with potential employees. Additionally, finding good employees might also mean changing their expectations about what they are expecting in candidate skillsets. These tactics are sure to create a more effective process to finding the best employees for their companies.

 

If your company is in need of employees, we at Award can help you. Contact us with your staffing needs here.