3 tech barriers to getting the right candidates

A new survey of over 320 job seekers and 370 HR professionals by CareerBuilder has revealed several technology missteps recruitment agencies make which unintentionally sabotage their efforts to find the best fits for positions.

"Technology can be your greatest ally or enemy when you're interacting with job candidates," CareerBuilder Vice President of Human Resources Rosemary Haefner told MarketWatch. 

"Job seekers today expect the application process to be fast, informative, more personalised – and mobile-optimised. The more in-demand one's skill set is, the less likely the job seeker will be to jump through hoops. What the study shows us is companies that have a complex application process and don't have the technology in place to routinely capture and re-engage candidates are at a competitive disadvantage."

With that in mind, here are three missteps to avoid while on the hunt for talent.

Complex application processes

More than half of HR professionals (53 per cent) believe that long application processes are a good way of weeding out less enthusiastic or qualified applicants with 54 per cent saying their process takes more than 20 minutes to complete. However, 60 per cent of applicants admitted to not completing an application due to it being over-long or complex. Having user-friendly and effective recruitment software in place is a must.

Limiting applications to desktop PCs

Mobile devices are only becoming more ubiquitous with time, and 65 per cent of candidates say that when they can't apply for a role via mobile, they rarely return to apply on their desktop later. Despite this, less than one-quarter of HR professionals thought being able to apply via a mobile device should be "considered part of the candidate experience". 

Automated responses

Automating rejection letters to candidates has become standard practise in many firms, but 39 per cent of candidates felt it was not enough, making it difficult to build relationships between HR professionals and promising candidates. Sixty-seven per cent expected a phone call from a recruiter with the news.