Application Attrition: Archaic Ways of the Past May Still Prevail

WRITTEN BY: JEFF SHLANGER

Talent acquisition has evolved in the past 10 to 20 years. With new technology and improved Human Resources Information Systems (HRIS) hitting the market, the lives of Human Resources (HR) professionals have been made easier. In fact, recent findings by Gartner Inc. revealed that 87% of senior business leaders wish to prioritize digitalization of their work processes. In turn, they want HR leaders to develop the digital expertise they need to drive business objectives.[1]

One such advent is more robust application systems to attract candidates. Companies are starting to get very creative, going as far as having candidates record videos to answer questions about themselves and their experiences to administering personality tests online. The advantage is straight forward; collect as much information about the candidate to reduce redundancy during the rest of the hiring process, increase talent acquisition efficiency and assess candidate fit to the role and culture before even speaking to them on the phone. Of course, these are just a few examples and benefits of these processes.

In this day and age, there is a race to compete for high level talent. Job seekers and recruiters have greater access to candidates through social media, job boards, and personal websites. What is discouraging, however, is that there is a lack of skilled talent to fit the needs of your business. As a business, it is more important than ever that you put in the right systems to attract the right candidates.

As robust as new talent acquisition strategies and systems are, there is a major problem. It is called Application Attrition. Normally, when we think of attrition in the context of human resources, we think of employees leaving an organization. Still, this can occur before you notice someone as a potential hire. Many candidates drop out of completing job applications, as they become lengthier to complete. Thus, application attrition refers to the act of potential candidates leaving your application process.

If you have recently looked for a job, you might have experienced this. Company X is looking for an all star to lead business development activities in Western Canada. Next to the job ad is a picture of an employee climbing the indoor rock wall at HQ, with smiling faces of colleagues cheer him on. Upon reading the job title and job description, you get excited about the role. “This is a perfect fit and exactly what I am looking for!”, you exclaim. Eager, you start applying to the job. Step 1 takes you away from the company Careers page to an application page, managed by the organization’s HRIS. You first need to fill out basic information about yourself, including your full name, home address, telephone number and email. So far so good. Step 2 has you upload a copy of your resume. Check. Step 3 asks you to add a cover letter. You take the time to do some more generalized research on the company and customize this document for submission. Okay. It’s been about 20 minutes, but you are almost done, right? Now onto additional information: a 30-item multiple choice questionnaire, record a 5 to 10-minute video discussing your experiences in more detail (guess you are going to have to get dressed up in half suit and tie), and write out some lengthy answers, clearly assessing your past experiences and fit to their team. “Wow, this is going to take me forever!”, you think defeated. You have limited time to apply, family obligations, and/or deadlines to meet at your current job. There are 20 other jobs you could be applying for. Do you take the chance and put in the effort to this application or do you bail?                             

If you are an employer reading the scenario above, you may be frustrated and think that this person is lazy. Afterall, if they are a great fit for the job and the company, their efforts will be rewarded. As well, as an employer, you may think to yourself that great candidates will go through the entire process. These are false assumptions.

When I first started creating online applications for companies, I fell into this trap. I wanted to create a sophisticated application, engaging potential employees to work for the company with the benefit of adding efficiency and reducing time in the screening process. I had spent a lot of time developing perfect application questions, layout, etc. Previously, the exact role I was hiring for yielded 200 to 300 candidates. With this method I had 60 candidates. At first, the quality of candidates seemed stronger. However, comparatively, the same percentage of candidates met the standard criteria from the previous less complex method. The difference, less candidates.

You may be saying to yourself, “If I find a couple good candidates, what is the difference? Why do I need to sort through 50 great candidates when 10 may be good enough to find the right person for the job?” First, who is to say any of those 10 candidates will accept employment with your organization. Today’s job market is extremely competitive, and candidates have options. Second, you still may be missing out on the best candidates due to application attrition. Finally, you want to introduce as many people to your company as possible; as this is a crucial step in building your employer brand.

So how do you get as many candidates to apply to your job posting? Web sites like ZipRecruiter want to make it as easy as possible for candidates to apply. They infamously have the ‘1-Click Apply’ option on their website. Candidates can even review multiple jobs at once and click the ‘1-Click Apply’ option to apply to more than one job at once. LinkedIn and Glassdoor have ‘Easy Apply’. Although this can be altered to include questions, typically the candidate shares their email and phone number, and uploads a relevant resume. Indeed, similarly has an ‘Apply Now’ link option. These approaches revert to the less sophisticated methods. Why? Because they draw more candidates to your job posting.

This is not to say that additional methods, like the 5 to 10-minute video or administered personality tests are not effective. These creative ideas help increase the efficiency of hiring processes should still be used. However, they should be an added step in the screening process later in the hiring stages. Organizations need to consider the candidate’s experience when choosing to apply. It is first key to ensure your application is feasible to reach as many candidates as possible.

[1] https://emtemp.gcom.cloud/ngw/globalassets/en/human-resources/documents/trends/reinvent-talent-strategies-d2.pdf