Sometimes a frustrating online application process can scare off good talent. For example, if it is too difficult or confusing, jobseekers will simply not apply. Even worse, they may develop a negative view of your company and share their bad impression with others. While a statement like, ‘we are an equal opportunity employer’ sends out a positive message, asking prospective candidates to list their ancestry, (in an online application) is tantamount— to landing your company in, proverbial hot-water. 

The job descriptions you post are, in all likelihood, the first point of contact you’ll have with potential candidates. Use this opportunity to inform, intrigue, and entice candidates to submit an application—but also make sure candidates really want to work for your company.

Top 10 Mistakes Employers Make in Job Applications, is an article by Jennifer R. Cotner, for SHRM. Here are some excerpts from that article below:

1. Asking for a photograph. Guidance from the EEOC prohibits employers from asking applicants for photographs. If needed for identification purposes, an employer may obtain a photograph of an applicant after the applicant accepts an offer of employment.
2. Including any disability-related or medical questions. Employers should steer clear of questions related to whether an employee is disabled or has a medical condition. Any such inquiry would violate guidance from the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and possibly the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and similar state laws. If an employer asks an applicant such a question, the EEOC or a court may presume prohibited information was a factor in hiring.
3. Not including a non-discrimination statement. Employers may want to inform applicants that the company is an equal opportunity employer (i.e., through an EEO statement) and does not discriminate in hiring based on federally-protected classifications (i.e., race, color, national origin, ancestry, religion, sex, disability, veteran status, age [40 or over], or genetic information). Employers may want to add any additional protected classifications under state or local law (e.g., sexual orientations or marital status).
4. Including any disability-related or medical questions. Employers should steer clear of questions related to whether an employee is disabled or has a medical condition. Any such inquiry would violate guidance from the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and possibly the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and similar state laws. If an employer asks an applicant such a question, the EEOC or a court may presume prohibited information was a factor in hiring.
5. Asking about marital or familial status. Asking questions about an applicant’s marital status, the number of kids he or she has, the ages of his or her children or dependents, or provisions for childcare could be construed as discrimination on the basis of sex. Furthermore, in many states, marital or familial status is a protected classification about which employers may not inquire during the application process—similar to the federally-protected classifications listed above.

Bottomline: Employment standards and Human rights laws across Canada and the United States are in place to prevent many of the issues mentioned above. Employers should take time to create an appealing job application process that invites, rather that chases away, top talent.

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