It can be extremely frustrating to post an agriculture job opening and not have any takers, especially when you need someone in a role as quickly as possible. If you find yourself in this situation, the first thing to do is look internally to find potential issues that could be costing you candidates.

Here are four of the most common reasons why people don’t apply for your jobs and advice on how to fix them.  

You Aren’t Paying Enough  

If you’re advertising a salary that is below market rate, don’t expect qualified candidates to apply. Professionals know their value in today’s market and they know what your competitors are paying. The answer, however, isn’t to remove salary information from the post because candidates are often wary of companies that don’t post salary information. Instead, learn what the rates are for your market and adjust accordingly. If you can’t pay more, try to boost perks and benefits like flexible hours or work-from-home options.  

Your Website is Dated  

Nearly every job seeker will visit your website before they choose to apply for an opening. That means that your website must be updated, well-designed, mobile-friendly and easy to use.  If your website is outdated, it makes your company look out-of-touch and will make candidates wonder if you will pay enough, if your culture will be right for them and whether your internal tools are just as outdated as your website.  

Your Application Process is Too Long or Intrusive  

Long, complex online applications almost always lead to candidate abandonment. Walk through your company’s application process as if you were a candidate and see how long it takes. Can you save the application and return later? Do you ask for a lot of personal data? If you find the process frustrating, your potential applicants likely do, as well.   

Cut out unnecessary fields and questions and ensure users can save their application at any step and come back to it later. You can always ask for more information during the screening and interview stages.  

You Have A Bad Employer Brand 

In addition to your website, potential applicants will also check out your online employee reviews on sites like Glassdoor and Indeed. Nearly 95 percent of applicants believe negative reviews harm the company’s brand and most will not apply to a company with a bad reputation. 

Make sure to look up your online employee reviews and address any patterns that you see that could indicate real cultural issues. Next, ask happy and satisfied employees to post good reviews on their own time. Make sure not to make it mandatory or even to imply that it is mandatory. Fixing a bad reputation can take time, but with commitment, it can be done.  

Could Your Hiring Process Use A Boost?  

If you are  looking to improve your recruiting, hiring and retention processes for  sales and marketing  positions  at your ag business,  reach out  to the expert  agriculture recruiters  at  Morris Bixby  today.