Will's Blog



What makes people apply for job ads online?

07 Jul 2008

As an online job board, understanding what encourages jobseekers to apply for advertised jobs is a pretty hot topic. Beyond the obvious criteria such as job title, salary, location and the job’s key responsibilities, what effect does who is advertising the role have on a candidate’s likelihood of applying? In such a competitive sector as retail with so many jobs advertised online the importance of the company advertising the role can be as important for candidates as the role itself. Many candidates wish to have the full picture of who they are applying to before submitting their CV – here at retailmoves.com we provide candidates with branded advertisers’ job listings and company profile pages. It’s great for employers as they get the chance to sell themselves to candidates. Just as recruiters do not want to sift through piles of irrelevant CVs, many of today’s jobseekers do not want to sift through irrelevant jobs, especially when they don’t know who the employer is. Research carried out by retailmoves.com last year shows a candidate is 33% more likely to apply for a job under the employer’s branding. But where does this leave the recruitment consultancies and the ads they place? Candidates do still apply for their ads on a large scale, but evidence suggests that jobseekers prefer employer-branded job ads. More and more consultancies are advertising retail job roles under the employer’s branding but it’s not always possible for this to be done due to a number of factors. Do candidates approach a consultancy ad in a different manner than directly advertised jobs, knowing that there may be more opportunities available through the agent? Is the recruitment consultant still seen as a consultant, where candidates can get help and advice? As an employer, is it only an advantage to brand your ads if you're a 'cool' brand We’d love to hear your thoughts on this issue, whether you're a consultancy, jobseeker or in-house recruiter - check out our online poll.

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14 Oct 2008 - Dave

I think you are right to an extent. People like to see who they are applying to. There is nothing worse than taking ages to apply for a job and finding out that it is a company that does not interest you. Consultancies are good though because they can act on your behalf to put you forward to a number of jobs. I think there are 2 types of consultancies. Ones that act on your behalf and wish to put you in your dream job and others that just want the fee! The former is obviously better! Although a branded ad grabs your attention more, if a consultancies' job ad is written to excite then i am more inclined to apply. A paragraph about the company, a paragraph about the key requirements and a paragraph about the key responsibilities. There's nothing worse than 100 bullet points about how you must turn on your computer at 9am, open the shop at 9.30 etc etc.


 

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