Spending time and money on a great job ad can be frustrating when you aren’t getting the right candidates applying for your open position. You may be receiving many resumes but none of them catches your eye. What is going wrong? Here are 4 reasons why you may not be attracting the right candidates.

Your job ad may not be selling the position enough. Think about the ideal candidate that you want on your team and talk to them in the job ad. Think about what caught your eye when you started working for the company. Sell the benefits, opportunities for growth, and influence that the position has. A top candidate wants to see all the opportunities that the position will bring. On top of that, make the qualifications for the position very clear so you won’t get resumes from unqualified candidates.

Your company brand image/culture may be unclear. Make it very apparent what your company is about and what the culture is like. A candidate with the right culture fit will be attracted to your company. Your company’s brand image should be apparent on the job ad, on all your social media accounts, and the company website. A clear brand image across all channels will attract the right candidates to your company.

A common mistake hiring managers make is not looking for passive candidates. Passive candidates are those that are currently in another job and aren’t actively looking. These candidates are often the top talent in the market and can make a positive difference at your company. The problem is, you might not have the resources to dedicate to searching out passive candidates. A recruiting firm or headhunter is your best option in this case. A firm will go out into the market on your behalf to sell your company and the opportunity to turn the head of a passive candidate.

Another reason that you aren’t attracting the right candidates is that you may have a bad application process. If your application is too long or tedious, a busy candidate may feel they don’t have the time to fill out all your fields. Include only the essential information on your applications, the rest you can collect later in the process. Your goal should be to get their resume and their basic information. Male sure the application page loads fast and functions on mobile devices. Be sure to contact the applicants quickly after receiving their resume.