Your Applications Could Be Costing You Hires

This blog post has been updated on January 27, 2021.

If you want to hire best-fit, high quality drivers, you can’t take any part of your hiring process for granted. Not even your application.

Put yourself in a prospective driver’s shoes (specifically, the kind of driver you want to hire). They’re already working. They’re out on the road 5 days a week making your competition money. So, when do you think they have time to apply for a new job? At their hour long pit stop on their phone. If your application process isn’t smooth and user-friendly, it’s on to the next.

On the other hand, if you have an easy to use application that paints a good picture of your company, you can attract all-stars and start solving your driver problem.

How to Improve Your Application

The best applications can land you all-star drivers. The worst applications can mean you’re picking from the bottom of the barrel of applicants. So, where do you begin? Read on for some easy ways that you can improve your application.

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Be Concise And Clear

Software Advice once ran a poll which discovered that over 90% of applicants who didn’t finish their application did so because the application was confusing and unclear. That’s a silly reason to not be hiring more people. Keep the instructions complete and simple. Don’t use big words. 

Bring the application to some of your current drivers to test it out. If it makes sense to them, it will make sense to your prospects.

Ask Them What They Care About

You normally wait to discover what someone’s values are until the interview. But in an interview, a driver is put on the spot and expected to answer quickly. If you put the question on the application, though, it gives the driver time to think and probably come up with a better, more accurate answer. Then you can use the interview to allow the driver to elaborate. You will know the driver better and make a more informed hiring decision.

Ask Them Why They Want to Drive For You

Just like discovering values, this is normally saved for an interview. You really want the driver to think about why they want this job, though. Ask them on the application and give them time. Maybe they will decide they don’t really want to drive in the end, but even that result saves you time and effort. And if that driver just doesn’t interview well, perhaps they have a great answer and he or she turns out to be just who you’re looking for.

Don’t Ask For What You Don’t Need

Keep your application as short as possible. 

Yes, we just told you to add some questions to your application, but that doesn’t mean that your application needs to be long. You don’t need financial information right away, so don’t ask for it. You also might consider removing driver history from the application. You need to run an MVR on every driver anyway and you can save those inquiries for an interview. If they choose to have a selective memory about an accident to your face, you probably don’t want to have them drive for you anyway.

Better yet, when you subscribe to A-Suite, a driver’s information carries over from applications to paperwork, saving them time and frustrations.

Show Them Why They Should Join Your Company

Your applicants will want to know what they’re signing up for. Give them a brief overview of job responsibilities to show them that you’re transparent about the work you have to offer.

Along that line of thinking, be upfront about the benefits package. Show what they stand to gain from driving for you.

Keep The Response Time as Short as Possible

Don’t keep drivers waiting around! Your recruiting team is only human and there’s virtually no way they can get back to everyone within a day or two, but the longer you keep them waiting, the more likely they find another job. A-Suite can help you with this by automating the first contact after submitting an application.

Then, give your potential drivers a realistic timeline. They will be less anxious about waiting for your phone call.

You’re Losing Drivers Before They Even Talk to You

If you want to hire the best of the best, fix your application. It will help you reduce driver turnover by eliminating silly and discouraging parts of the hiring process. And, you’ll weed drivers who are a poor fit for your company. If you need a hand, a system like A-Suite allows you to design a new application online to fit whatever you want to do. Why not try it out and hire the right drivers today?