You’ve written what you consider to be the perfect advertisement for the job opening at your nonprofit, yet candidates are not busting down the doors to send in their applications. What is the reason? Newsflash: Your job description might not be so perfect after all.
The main reason a job seeker decides not to apply for a position is because the opportunity isn’t a good fit. Given that there’s no perfect way to figure out exactly why a candidate didn’t apply for your job, the best thing for you to do is make sure you follow some guidelines when creating your job description. This will ensure that qualified candidates aren’t turning away because your ad wasn’t descriptive enough.
Here are five of the most common reasons job seekers decide not to apply for a job (courtesy of RealMatch):
- Ad is too short: Your ad has to be long enough to provide essential details about the job offer. Good candidates want as much information as possible about the job and the organization that offers it. In addition, an ad that is too short may be viewed as not legitimate.
- Job titles are not simple enough: Search engines use the job titles as the primary element for keyword search. Your job title should be short and simple.
- Salary information is not included: Salary and benefits information add to the likelihood of candidates applying for the job. If a specific salary cannot be mentioned, put a range instead.
- Company logo is not included: A company logo display on the ad will enhance your image and is likely to result in higher response.
- Company benefits are not included: Insurance, paid-time-off, flexible hours, and other benefits generate applications.
