5 reasons your job posting isn't generating enough applicants (and what you can do about it)

The process of attracting qualified talent is tougher than ever. In a competitive market, it's essential to create job posts that provide all the information candidates need to determine their fit for the role — and stimulate more applications.

Knowing what to include and what to avoid in a job posting can be challenging. This guide breaks down five common reasons your job posting isn't attracting enough attention and how to get more applicants.

The job requirements are too rigorous

There's nothing wrong with high standards. After all, a healthy level of expectation is an advantage when hiring the right candidate. However, it's imperative that your job posting doesn't list out rigorous standards that are unnecessary for the job. For instance, if a master's degree would be a bonus but isn't necessary for the position, consider requiring only a bachelor's or prioritize skills-based criteria if possible.

Another mistake to avoid is requiring more candidate experience than necessary. For example, if the role requires entry-level experience, avoid discouraging applicants by requiring more. Finally, limit requirements to the highest priority criteria for the job.

Your job description isn't engaging

If you don't make your job posting engaging enough for potential candidates, it likely won't get a second chance to make a good impression. To motivate top candidates to apply, they need more from your job description than an impersonal list of responsibilities and requirements. Consider these key features to improve your job posting outcomes:

An accurate job title
Clear and succinct job details
Transparent salary range
Benefits, including health coverage, retirement, and vacation
Flexible schedules, such as hybrid or remote
Career development and advancement opportunities
Unusual perks, such as free gym memberships, tuition reimbursement, or technology stipends
Company background, culture, and mission or value statements

Videos are also becoming more popular in job postings, where hiring teams introduce themselves, provide job overviews, and share their stories. Video is more personal and can bring your culture and values to life in ways that words can't. If you're new to the idea of using videos in your job description, Dropbox's “Working at Dropbox” offers some creative inspiration.

“Qualified candidates shouldn't have to jump through endless hoops to apply for a job. If your application takes more than 10 to 15 minutes of their time, you may be missing out on the best talent.”

The formatting discourages applicants

Poor formatting can also impact who views and clicks to apply to your job postings. Potential candidates don't want to open a job description to see long blocks of text or even too little text. The solution to this problem is to use proper formatting with clear and concise paragraphs, bullet lists for easy scanning, and appropriate headings or descriptors that clearly separate your company's information, job details, and other sections.

Details come across as biased

Your company culture is open and inclusive, so it can be alarming to learn that your job postings may not be. Recent research has shown that certain innocuous words in job postings can influence whether people of diverse backgrounds apply. Sometimes, it's an easy situation to adjust, such as replacing the words “Chairman” or “Craftsman” with “Chairperson” or “Artisan.”

However, there's a range of words and language patterns that aren't always apparent, and these continue to appear in thousands of current job postings. If these show up in your job posting, consider changing them to more inclusive language:

The words “compassionate” or “nurturing” can lead male-identifying applicants to feel you're searching for female employees.
Similarly, "Ninja" and "Rock star" can discourage female-identifying talent from applying. Instead, use phrasing that plainly describes the skills or qualifications necessary to succeed in the role.
"Digital native" is another term that could eliminate potential applicants who are more experienced in their careers. Alternatively, focus on skills-based details related to the responsibilities of the role.

Your application process takes too long

If you've scoured your job descriptions and they don't have any significant issues, there's a good possibility your applicant shortage can be blamed on what happens after a candidate clicks “Apply.” As of 2022, 92% of applicants who click to apply fail to complete the application. One of the factors that often contributes to applicants abandoning the process is that applying demands too much from the candidate.

To combat this, review the application process closely to determine which steps can best be left to later stages of hiring. In addition, follow these best practices to improve the hiring process at the application stage:

Pre-populate candidate information from resumes to minimize re-keying.
Cut screening questions by half — or more.
Ensure your application process is mobile-friendly.
Consider social media integrations to learn more about candidates.
Save reference requests for later stages of the recruitment process.

Qualified candidates shouldn't have to jump through endless hoops to apply for a job. If your application takes more than 10 to 15 minutes of their time, you may be missing out on the best talent.

If your job postings aren't generating enough interest, you won't find the right candidates to fill open roles. Make sure your descriptions are formatted properly, showcase what's great about your company, and are transparent with the requirements.