No job candidate should be left behind. In a labor market when overall jobs are up 96% compared to pre-pandemic norms and job openings significantly exceed available workers, no company can afford to lose a candidate due to a friction-filled FCDD*up candidate experience. But in just a few weeks (October 2021) Google in its Google for Jobs search engine is going to throw another wrench into your recruitment and hiring efforts when it shines its massive spotlight on the job seeker apply experience. JobSync CEO Alex Murphy joins Geeks Geezers Googlization today to explain how this will impact your candidate traffic, what changes you must make, and who will win and lose the race for talent as the latest Google for Jobs update rolls out.  (*Frustrating-Confusing-Disappointing-Distracting)

New to Google for Jobs? Check out this free online course.

Alex Murphy is CEO and co-founder of JobSync, the Workflow Automation Platform for Talent Acquisition. Alex has successfully started, grown and turned companies around in and out of the Talent Acquisition space. Alex’s experiences in TA include launching and running Job.com, and scaling Traffic, User Acquisition and running Business Development for Beyond. Alex is very active in the local DC entrepreneurial community as an Investor, Advisor and Mentor.

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The ATS Blackhole

Despite the existence of useful job boards like Indeed, ZipRecruiter, and Glassdoor, many companies require job candidates to apply through the individual company’s website. For the candidate, this often means creating a new profile for the site and re-inputting personal information and qualifications that they’ve already included in their job board profile. After repeating this process six, seven, eight times, the application process begins to feel frustrating and downright annoying.

This is where JobSync comes in. Murphy explains that JobSync develops various data connections between the company posting a job position and the job board they may be using. This offers candidates the “easy-apply” ability (also called quick- or native-apply), which allows candidates to remain on the job board they’re searching for and apply more quickly. The current application process, Murphy says, causes a great deal of friction to build up in the job seeker because of the repetitive nature of applying on each company’s site. This also leads to an “ATS blackhole.”

ATS stands for “applicant tracking system,” and it’s a useful way for companies to filter through potential job candidates. The problem comes when a job seeker applies for a position but never hears from the company at all, which forms the ATS black hole mentioned earlier. This unresponsiveness only adds to the friction so many candidates have now come to expect.

What is Google for Jobs and how will it help?

Google for Jobs is not a job board, Murphy points out. Instead, Google for Jobs acts as “a component part of the Google search engine where they do a better job of understanding the intent of the hirer, or the owner of the website where that job is listed, and then give a specialized search experience to the candidate… to be able to filter and narrow in on which jobs they would like to find.” Essentially, Google for Jobs attempts to offer a better candidate experience by streamlining the job finding and application process.

Considering most of us begin searching for jobs on Google, this additional search category makes sense. Users are able to view positions fulfilling a lot of the criteria searched for rather than combing through job boards with potentially unnecessary postings. As the platform isn’t a job board, there’s not a focus on competitiveness as much as enhancing an experience hated by most. Job boards like Indeed and ZipRecruiter receive much of their traffic from Google searches, which will likely result in even more traffic once Google for Jobs is updated. Murphy believes that one of the updates Google is implementing may shift a position’s ranking depending on how engaged a candidate is, indicating to job posters that something isn’t working.

What Adaptability Could Mean for Your Job Posting

“Adaptability” is a popular resume buzzword, but is it only for applicants? Companies must begin adapting to the current job market, whether that’s through more compelling job postings or more current technology. In a recent Harvard study, researchers found that poor job descriptions and poor technological user experiences were the top two reasons why so many job vacancies currently exist. While it may feel unnecessary to tailor a job description to an ideal candidate, research indicates that hirers must begin marketing the job experience in order to draw in more applications.

However, modern technology and retention strategies won’t make a difference until people within hiring companies change their minds about the job market. It’s not only about bringing in diverse employees or about getting the most traffic to your job posting—it’s about finding and recruiting talent and respecting one’s employees. It’s about acknowledging that job candidates, with the incredible number of job openings now available, are desirable.