The Most Common Mistake in Job Postings and How to Avoid it

The art of recruiting the ideal candidate requires patience, analytical skills and the ability to define your target audience. Casting the widest net, or broad-based recruitment, used to be the norm before we had the luxury of the Internet, social media, and mobile technology. Considered mass media in the past, the goal for classified ads was to reach as many people as possible to get the greatest number of responses. Today, mass advertising can leave you with a migraine.

The wrong way to list jobs
 A good rule to follow is to never post jobs all over the Internet. According to Forbes, this is a common practice, and it’s not the right one. Even jobs requiring low skill levels have some desirable traits you want in a candidate. Filling positions, no matter how “small” require thoughtful posting to avoid flooding your system with under-qualified job seekers.

The right way to recruit
An applicant tracking system (ATS) can help HR avoid issues associated with broad-based recruitment. First, HR must take steps to do research and define their ideal candidate. Second, use the tools available in your ATS to ensure recruitment activities can be analyzed and measured. A good ATS contains features such as prescreening, scoring, source tracking, and dispositioning candidates.

How do these features tie-in to targeted recruitment? They return a treasure trove of information on your recruitment practices, as well as, your recruitment marketplace. The data collected will help pinpoint factors contributing to successful job postings. Where your candidates look for jobs, sources that attract quality job seekers, application forms that work best, and sources that yield the highest hires are just a few data points that help in strategic decision-making. Pairing your ATS data with good ole’ fashioned legwork researching potential candidates’ networks, interests, and where best to reach them, also help boost targeting efforts. Your ATS is not just a place to house résumés, but an analytical tool that should be used to hit your target.

In this day in age of rich data, there’s no excuse for making the mistake of generic job listings and mass advertising. If your ATS has limited reporting capability and functionality, it may be time to search for something better.