How to filter out unsuitable applications in recruitment

Getting too many unsuitable applications to your job vacancies? You’re not alone! 

With the current ‘talent shortage’ gripping the job market, employers worldwide are ramping up their advertising efforts in an attempt to attract more candidates. However, many find themselves faced with a high volume of unsuitable applicants, creating a complex and time-consuming dilemma for their HR teams.

Here’s how you can filter out unsuitable applications within your hiring campaigns – helping you to reach the most compatible talent in your industry:

#1 – Use indicative questions in your application process

Indicative or ‘killer’ questions help to rule out unsuitable candidates at the very beginning of the hiring process, reducing the number of applications you’ll need to review.

These may apply to basic parameters such as candidates’ availability, or more technical factors such as their professional certifications.

– Here are some examples of effective ‘killer questions’:

• Are you able to commute into central London for this role?
• Do you have UK Qualified Teacher Status (QTS)?
• Do you have a valid UK HGV licence? 

In the case of each of these questions, candidates who respond with ‘no’ would be filtered out immediately, as they fail to meet the essential requirements of the role.

#2 – Use candidate scorecards to identify unsuitable applications

Candidate/recruiter scorecards are a great way to gauge applicants’ suitability for a position early in the process. These allow recruiters/hiring managers to score candidates based on their compatibility with specific job role criteria. 

Here’s what a candidate scorecard may look like:

Scoring may be based on candidates’ initial applications, or their performance during initial screening/interview stages. 

Those who fall under a certain average score may be filtered out before the hiring process progresses, leaving you with a condensed pool of compatible talent. Scorecards can even be integrated with your ATS, allowing you to rank/filter candidates based on their initial compatibility rating.

#3 – Adopt candidate scoring within your ATS

Using features like recruiter scorecards, you can use your ATS to highlight high-potential candidates by their perceived compatibility.

This allows you to prioritise your most suitable applicants, progressing notably compatible candidates to the next hiring stage. Your ATS will highlight suitable/unsuitable applications, meaning you’ll spend less time screening candidates, and more time engaging with compatible talent.

Read more: Can recruitment be automated?

“Why am I getting so many unsuitable applications?”

The best way to crack down on unsuitable applications is to prevent them in the first place. Here are some of the reasons why you may be receiving so many incompatible applicants:

– Your job ads are too generalised

Job ads need to be specific – focusing on the exact skills, qualities, and characteristics you’re looking for in a candidate. If your job posts are too generalised, you’ll likely receive a greater number of unsuitable applications.

Make sure job titles and descriptions are skill-specific, and be sure to outline the role’s most essential requirements clearly.

– You’re advertising in the wrong places

The placement of your job ads will affect the quality of the applications you receive. If you’re only using generic job boards, rather than honing in on industry-specific sites, you’ll likely attract a greater number of incompatible candidates.

This is especially important when recruiting for specialist roles; give your adverts maximum visibility across industry-specific careers sites/job boards.

– You’re targeting the wrong candidates

Some recruiters are guilty of focusing on quantity over quality when it comes to applicants. This often leads them to target a broader range of potential candidates in order to deliver applications quickly.

Don’t be afraid to target niche groups of talent – especially when advertising through social media channels. You may not receive as many responses to your vacancies, but the ones you do receive are bound to be more compatible.

Always focus on compatibility over volume; target your adverts at only the most suitable candidates for the role. It’s always better to have 50 compatible candidates than 500 unsuitable applicants. 

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