Five Reasons that Companies Struggle to Find Qualified Candidates (And Qualified Job Seekers Struggle to Find Jobs)
Business 2 Community
By Joe Weinlick
Over the past 20 years, it has gotten remarkably easier to find just about anyone or anything. The Yellow Pages are a forgotten relic, obsolete now that HVAC companies have Facebook pages where customers discuss whether their technician arrived on time. Everything we want–and many things we don’t–are a quick search or inquisitive status update away.
Everything, that is, except the perfect candidate for that job we are trying to fill. When it comes to job searches, we are still using techniques that Ben Franklin would have recognized. The classified ad has gone digital, but candidates still find jobs by reviewing job postings and submitting resumes and job applications. Here are five reasons this process isn’t working, and some ways that recruiters and job seekers can overcome them.
#1: Volume
In a 2011 Beyond.com survey of job seekers, 46% of email respondents said that they applied to jobs almost every day. That is a lot of applications. As a result, recruiters and HR departments are inundated, and may spend as little as five seconds per resume as they quickly scan applications–potentially skipping over highly qualified candidates in the process.
Tip: Consider niche career sites and communities. Rather than posting jobs to the world, or searching with everyone else, start with sites that attract professionals and recruiters focused on a specific industry or career. For instance, according to comScore, Dice.com and TechCareers.com are the top two job sites focused on the technology industry.
