LinkedIn is one of the best places to find job postings, with the website being home to over 15 million job ads. With so many of them, however, you’re also bound to find plenty that commits the worst recruiting mistakes that effectively discourage applicants from even taking a look.
In this article, thanks to the study made by Passport Photo Online, you will see LinkedIn recruiting and employers’ worst mistakes when trying to attract top talent to their company. You will also find plenty of statistics showing the current job seekers’ market, how they perceive job ads, and all the red flags they notice.
There is, however, another incredibly important find in the study that should have recruiters all around LinkedIn interested. As it turns out, a vast majority of Americans (79%) feel positive about job ads and are more likely to entertain the offer if the company reaches out. After all, it is in the company's interests to hire the right person and not just anyone who can fill the void someone has left behind. Thus, it comes as no surprise if we consider how much of an ego boost it can be when you’re looking for a job, and it is the job that actually comes looking for you.
These situations don’t necessarily always end in successful applications and getting hired, with the practice of ghosting still very much present in today’s LinkedIn recruitment. Ghosting, which can be described as a sudden lack of communication or any other form of contact, is the worst, and job seekers agree.
Almost two-thirds of the surveyed Americans admitted that if a company ghosts them, they will very likely put that firm on their own personal blacklists and not entertain any job offers in the future.
The thing is, though, that those messages recruiters send to potential candidates can be quite a hit-and-miss strategy. As it turns out, there are plenty of ways to ruin a potential candidate’s enthusiasm and a number of mistakes you should avoid if you want to attract top talent.
The five most important reasons why job candidates ignore the message include, in order:
There is, after all, artistry in writing job opportunity messages. It would certainly be fair to say that everyone who gets a personalized one, with an appropriate job description, summary, and salary range, will give the recruiter a chance.
However, we’re not always connected, and we sometimes miss a message or two. We do give ourselves little breaks when job hunting which is why companies also like to write a follow-up.
The practice, however, needs to abide by some rules not to discourage job applicants in the end. According to the survey, the most appropriate number of follow-ups that American job seekers will tolerate is two. As many as 39% of survey takers believe two is the magic number, while one in four thinks one reminder is enough.
Luckily, the study gives a clear insight into what kind of information job seekers find crucial and what kind is barely considered a nice extra.
The job title sits at the top of the list, with 69% of survey takers considering it an absolute necessity, while the second and third place goes to the location and an in-depth summary of the role.
Thus, if you’re a recruiter and you’re missing any of the aforementioned information in your job listing, you’d better fix that, or the candidates will skip your job ads.
Remember that there’s a lot more you can fit into a job advertisement, such as:
Moreover, the language you use plays a huge role as well. The study found that using words such as “ninja”, “superstar,” or even “Jedi” in a job posting is actually met with a rather positive reaction. In fact, almost half of the Americans surveyed (48%) admitted that they like such colloquialisms, while only 15% in total found such wording annoying.
You must be wary, though, because job seekers pay attention to what they read, and the study tells us that 62% will not react well when they find signs of ageism or sexism in the job ad.
As much as 42% of Americans surveyed admitted that they would skip job postings that use discriminatory language altogether.
According to the study, you should also consider that plenty of potential new employees won’t be thrilled about an interview task.
Almost as much won’t mind such a practice during the meet-up, but it is something to consider before talking to the candidate's face to face.
If you’re one of the employers guilty of any of the mistakes mentioned by the surveyed Americans, consider taking a good look at your hiring practices on LinkedIn and make sure to address them accordingly.
About Author: Michał Laszuk is a writer at PhotoAiD. With a background in linguistics and journalism, he’s also best described as a graphomaniac with a never-ending passion for literature and storytelling.
In this article, thanks to the study made by Passport Photo Online, you will see LinkedIn recruiting and employers’ worst mistakes when trying to attract top talent to their company. You will also find plenty of statistics showing the current job seekers’ market, how they perceive job ads, and all the red flags they notice.
Job Ads — the numbers behind their success or failure
Truth be told, it comes to us as no shock that a whopping 95% of American professionals, out of roughly 1000 that were surveyed, consider lack of salary range on job postings a major red flag. Although there is plenty more to a job than just your pay, you can’t argue that omitting such information would make you go “hang on” and not consider the offer at all. Even if the job summary is written well, the hiring process looks simple, and there’s plenty of information on the company’s LinkedIn profile, the financial aspect still is very important.There is, however, another incredibly important find in the study that should have recruiters all around LinkedIn interested. As it turns out, a vast majority of Americans (79%) feel positive about job ads and are more likely to entertain the offer if the company reaches out. After all, it is in the company's interests to hire the right person and not just anyone who can fill the void someone has left behind. Thus, it comes as no surprise if we consider how much of an ego boost it can be when you’re looking for a job, and it is the job that actually comes looking for you.
These situations don’t necessarily always end in successful applications and getting hired, with the practice of ghosting still very much present in today’s LinkedIn recruitment. Ghosting, which can be described as a sudden lack of communication or any other form of contact, is the worst, and job seekers agree.
Almost two-thirds of the surveyed Americans admitted that if a company ghosts them, they will very likely put that firm on their own personal blacklists and not entertain any job offers in the future.
Candidate outreach hiring process
As we’ve said before, the study shows that company recruitment efforts that include reaching out to the candidates will be met with a positive reaction. Most job seekers will be very happy to answer the message in a positive fashion.The thing is, though, that those messages recruiters send to potential candidates can be quite a hit-and-miss strategy. As it turns out, there are plenty of ways to ruin a potential candidate’s enthusiasm and a number of mistakes you should avoid if you want to attract top talent.
The five most important reasons why job candidates ignore the message include, in order:
- a generic, non-personalized offer;
- the job opportunity doesn’t fit the candidate;
- the company’s poor presence on LinkedIn (when a candidate cannot find sufficient information about the company on the website);
- the abundance of unnecessary corporate jargon;
- grammatical mistakes in the message.
There is, after all, artistry in writing job opportunity messages. It would certainly be fair to say that everyone who gets a personalized one, with an appropriate job description, summary, and salary range, will give the recruiter a chance.
However, we’re not always connected, and we sometimes miss a message or two. We do give ourselves little breaks when job hunting which is why companies also like to write a follow-up.
The practice, however, needs to abide by some rules not to discourage job applicants in the end. According to the survey, the most appropriate number of follow-ups that American job seekers will tolerate is two. As many as 39% of survey takers believe two is the magic number, while one in four thinks one reminder is enough.
How to write job ads? What needs to be included?
LinkedIn recruiters need to give the candidates all the information to avoid committing serious sins on job ads. The general rule that still gets overlooked on a large scale is the more, the better.Luckily, the study gives a clear insight into what kind of information job seekers find crucial and what kind is barely considered a nice extra.
The job title sits at the top of the list, with 69% of survey takers considering it an absolute necessity, while the second and third place goes to the location and an in-depth summary of the role.
Thus, if you’re a recruiter and you’re missing any of the aforementioned information in your job listing, you’d better fix that, or the candidates will skip your job ads.
Remember that there’s a lot more you can fit into a job advertisement, such as:
- benefits;
- the candidate’s duties;
- both the required skills and so-called “nice-to-haves”;
- the application process explained.
Moreover, the language you use plays a huge role as well. The study found that using words such as “ninja”, “superstar,” or even “Jedi” in a job posting is actually met with a rather positive reaction. In fact, almost half of the Americans surveyed (48%) admitted that they like such colloquialisms, while only 15% in total found such wording annoying.
You must be wary, though, because job seekers pay attention to what they read, and the study tells us that 62% will not react well when they find signs of ageism or sexism in the job ad.
As much as 42% of Americans surveyed admitted that they would skip job postings that use discriminatory language altogether.
Application process
Job application processes can be lengthy affairs. They might include plenty of steps, including completing a task, for instance. There is, however, a step that most Americans agree is the worst. Despite already sending the resume, submitting an additional application is widely considered a bad sign. You might argue that such a practice is an unnecessary time consumer, and the study shows that many would agree.According to the study, you should also consider that plenty of potential new employees won’t be thrilled about an interview task.
Almost as much won’t mind such a practice during the meet-up, but it is something to consider before talking to the candidate's face to face.
To sum up
There is no shortage of mistakes hiring managers and job ad writers need to consider as they try their best to attract only the best candidates. The tiniest mistakes, such as typos or lack of single information, might cause all the potential job candidates to look the other way.If you’re one of the employers guilty of any of the mistakes mentioned by the surveyed Americans, consider taking a good look at your hiring practices on LinkedIn and make sure to address them accordingly.
About Author: Michał Laszuk is a writer at PhotoAiD. With a background in linguistics and journalism, he’s also best described as a graphomaniac with a never-ending passion for literature and storytelling.
