As hiring gets too competitive, experts doubt effectiveness of ‘Easy Apply’

Quick applications often request limited information, which means employers may not have a comprehensive view of your qualifications. (Illustration by Suneesh Kalarickal)

The slowdown in hiring is visible across sectors due to the prevalent macroeconomic situation, leading companies to make cost-effective decisions. Bulk hiring is missing, while project-focused recruitment is making its space larger than before.

As the pool of candidates outnumbers the available jobs, HR experts say ‘Easy Apply’ or ‘Quick Apply’ might not be the right way for job seekers to show interest in a job role. ‘Easy Apply 'is usually a feature often found on job search websites or platforms. It's designed to make applying for jobs faster and more straightforward. Instead of going through a long and complex application process, you can usually apply for a job with just a few clicks or taps.

With its “too easy to apply” tag, job seekers may apply to numerous jobs without carefully considering if they're a good fit. This can lead to a flood of applications for employers to sift through, many of whom may not meet the job requirements.

Speaking from his experience as COO of HR consultancy firm CIEL HR, Santhosh Nair said this method has only a 30-35 percent chance of shortlisting for mid to senior-level positions compared to company websites and job portals.

“The convenience of Quick Apply may also discourage candidates from customising their applications, potentially causing recruiters to miss well-qualified candidates who invest more effort elsewhere,” he said.

On the flip side, applications submitted through a company's career website tend to be more tailored to the specific job and organisation.

As per the latest data, 52 million people use LinkedIn to search for jobs each week, and over 100 job applications are submitted every second.

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This tailored approach makes it easier for recruiters to evaluate a candidate's suitability, thereby improving the quality of the applicant pool, said Sandesha Jaitapkar, COO and CHRO of real estate firm Artha Group.

The job market for freshers has been bleak in recent times with companies only prioritising talent with specialised or niche skills with a handful of experience. Hence, industry experts say it is too risky for them to route their resumes through Easy Apply.

The hiring of freshers in India will increase by only a marginal three percent in the second half (H2) of calendar 2023 due to increased competition and a limited number of jobs for newcomers, according to the Career Outlook Report by TeamLease EdTech, a subsidiary of leading staffing company TeamLease.

Although Easy Apply allows candidates to apply to multiple jobs and escape the repetitive process of rewiring the resume, it has disadvantages and very few platforms allow editing the content after submission.

For instance, the hiring platform Unstop has the option to customise over and above what is already submitted. Besides, a simple video-based assessment ensures that from thousands who apply for a job, the recruiter can spot the candidates who make an effort to research the company.

“I would say there is a 50 percent chance of getting selected through the Quick Apply method because for recruiters the only differentiation is what you’ve put in your CV and nothing beyond that,” said Ankit Aggarwal, Founder & CEO of Unstop.

There are various other platforms for freshers to search and apply jobs such as Freshersworld.com, GetWork, Hackerearth etc.

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Quick applications often request limited information, which means employers may not have a comprehensive view of your qualifications. This can be a disadvantage if they're looking for specific details or experiences not covered in the simplified application.

Take an example: As an Account Manager at PR firm Grandeavour Communication, Aatmza Raj is also responsible for hiring new talents. Due to an abundance of profiles that didn't fit her unique objectives, she had trouble throughout this process narrowing down the best candidates for relevant PR profiles.

Despite having specific requirements for candidates with experience in PR firms and mass media, she receives resumes from people with a variety of backgrounds, including marketing, sales, influencer marketing, linguistics, and international communication. Even while some of these profiles were intriguing and a good fit, the majority of them failed to meet the requirements. This caused a lot of time to be spent on rejections, which accounted for about 80 percent of the CVs after filtering.

“Since the process is straightforward, standing out is essential—highlight unique skills and perhaps include a work portfolio. Lastly, following up post-application displays genuine enthusiasm, setting one apart,” she suggested.

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In a nutshell, candidates should use ‘Easy Apply’ with a thoughtful and tailored approach to job applications. This would include answering queries with different answers best suited for the prospective company’s job role, vision, and mission. In addition, the skills category should include only those skills that directly match the job profile. Showcasing ‘Adobe Premiere’ as a skill for a content writing job hardly makes sense.