Improve Candidate Response by Updating Your iRecruit Job Application Forms

A recent HiringSite by CareerBuilder article explains some of the reasons you may not be attracting the candidates you need. You may be doing everything right, advertising in all the right places, you have a well-crafted job description and are offering a competitive salary. So, why can’t you attract the applicants you’re trying to reach?

According to CareerBuilder the top reasons applicants fail to complete online applications are usability and time constraints. CareerBuilder research shows that 34 percent of candidates who try to apply for jobs don’t complete the application process – simply because the application process is too much of a hassle. 

How do you know it’s time to update your online application form? 

1. Your disclosure and applicant statement are out of date 
2. You’re asking for too much information 
3. You’re asking for not enough information 
4. You’re not being specific enough to the position 
5. You want to improve your candidate experience 

If any of these strike a chord with you, it may be time to make some changes.

With iRecruit Applicant Tracking Software your online job application forms are completely flexible and can be tied to specific job openings.

During the early stages of an application ask yourself “What information do we really need from our candidates?” Make a list of everything you think you require. Then pare it down. Do you need applicants to spend time filling out every field? Is Social Security Number required from people you may never speak with? Do you need to collect reference information, or licenses?

Requiring applicants to give you everything but the kitchen sink on an application can be time consuming for them and a waste of time for you if you still don’t get what you need.

Print out your iRecruit application page, if it prints on to more than three or four pages, it may be too long. Shorter forms are less of a hassle to complete and more user-friendly for applicants using mobile devices including smart phones or iPads. (Example iRecruit Application Form)



To help cut down on applicants who don’t meet your absolute minimum requirements use pre-screening questions on your job listing.  A few well-chosen updates may be all it takes to improve your candidate pool and increase response rate.

About iRecruit

iRecruit is a cloud-based recruiting and applicant tracking software application that allows you to track and report on all of your job applicants and positions. Find out more and take a quick screenshot tour on our website at http://www.irecruit-software.com/ or join a demo on Tuesdays or Thursdays at 2pm. Call iRecruit at 1-800-517-9099 if you have any questions.