New 3 Second Rule

I know what you're thinking! I just dropped this amazing piece of candy on the ground...

Well, that rule definitely depends on where you are, right? At the beach, maybe let it go.

But, you do you - no judgement.

Actually, I'm talking about how you handle the stat from Indeed. According to a rep I know, candidates are viewing a job posting and deciding whether or not to apply, in THREE SECONDS!

Could this be one reason why we're getting so many unqualified candidates applying to jobs they have no knowledge to perform or their background/education isn't aligned? Hmmm.

When posting to Indeed or any job board, content needs to be customized to active job seekers in order to maximize quality conversions. One must either "hit them fast" or 'slow them down".

HIT THEM FAST

Since no one is posting on Indeed to attract passive candidates, and now we know the 3 second rule, an organization is better served to hit candidates upfront with descriptive content so they can decide whether the job is a good fit for them.

An example of that might be, if you are seeking a warehouse packer, consider an opening line that asks "Do you thrive when you have a set routine every day? Love getting in 15,000 steps each day? Have you worked side-by-side with robots?" - seek to define the environment or any specific must-have skill right up front.

SLOW THEM DOWN

Consider how necessary the "easy apply" button actually is. If your team is getting overloaded with unqualified candidates, the easy button may not be of benefit to you. Consider taking them to your website to apply instead. Slowing the process down for candidates isn't a bad thing unless your application process is time-consuming or hard to navigate. (perhaps a separate conversation if so)

Another way to slow down the candidate so they take a deeper look at your opportunity is to use video. The right 15 second video can help screen in higher quality candidates. When done correctly, it's all about nuanced content supporting a call-to-action.

Sometimes a posting strategy audit can help uncover small tweaks to help increase high quality conversion rates. Fractional recruitment marketing firms are a great resource to help with this!

How else would you go about leveraging the 3 second stat?