Did ‘Easy Apply’ Really Make Things Easier?
The short answer? Not exactly.
But it’s complicated.
The rise of ‘Easy Apply’ tools on popular job platforms like LinkedIn, Glassdoor, Indeed, and more has made it simpler than ever for candidates to submit applications.
A LinkedIn executive said that people applied to 40% more jobs on average than just a few years ago.
‘Easy Apply’ tools aren’t the only reason for that — a fraught job market, fierce competition, and changing hiring requirements must also take their fair share of responsibility.
But while this ‘Easy Apply’ innovation promises convenience, it has also introduced new complexities for both candidates and hiring teams.
Easily Apply From The Candidate Side
For candidates, the age of ‘Easy Apply’ has delivered undeniable benefits and has forced companies to reduce friction within the application process.
For example, many companies no longer require candidates to create accounts or manually re-enter information from their resumes into application fields. (Finally).
Often, people can submit applications from mobile devices, allowing candidates to fit applications into their busy schedules during lunch breaks or while waiting to pick their kids up from school.
With fewer barriers, candidates can cast a wider net, applying to multiple roles quickly.
However, the ease of applying has also created challenges that can’t be ignored.
The simplicity of ‘Easy Apply’ can lead to less thoughtful applications. Candidates may apply without thoroughly researching the role or company, resulting in lower engagement and higher drop-off rates later in the hiring process.
Additionally, ‘Easy Apply’ tools make it harder for candidates to stand out among hundreds of applicants.
Easy Apply From The Org Side
Organizations have embraced frictionless application processes and procedures for a good reason: enticing more top applicants to apply.
With simpler tools, many companies get far more applications for each open job. This increase in interest can give organizations access to a broader talent pool.
But more isn’t always better.
The surge in applications means HR teams are inundated with resumes — many of which don’t meet the basic qualifications of the role they’re applying for – creating bottlenecks in the screening process and straining internal resources.
It also impacts the rest of the hiring process, including your speed-to-hire, which now sits at a whopping 44 days.
A slower hiring process may also lead to more missed opportunities with top candidates.
These challenges are especially pronounced in people-first industries such as healthcare, education, and professional services. Here are several reasons for this:
- Evergreen roles like nurses, teachers, or consultants are always in demand, leading to an overwhelming number of applicants.
- These roles often require a unique combination of technical expertise and cultural fit. Sifting through high volumes of applications to find candidates who meet both criteria is particularly time-consuming.
- Employees in these industries often represent the organization externally, making alignment with company values an essential consideration.
While the age of ‘Easy Apply’ has made hiring more accessible, it has also amplified inefficiencies for hiring teams.
The challenge now is finding ways to balance accessibility with effectiveness, ensuring that both companies and candidates benefit from the process.
Let’s explore strategies hiring teams can use to navigate this new reality.
4 Tips for Hiring Teams Screening in the ‘Easy Apply’ Era
Yes, ‘Easy Apply’ can be challenging for hiring teams and candidates alike, but it’s unlikely to go anywhere.
This means hiring teams need thoughtful strategies to balance accessibility with efficiency, ensuring they find the right candidates without compromising on quality or the candidate experience.
Here are four tips to get you started.
1. Know Your Ideal Candidate Profile (ICP)
An Ideal Candidate Profile (ICP) is a blueprint for who you need to hire for a particular position.
A clearly defined ICP helps hiring teams focus on the right candidates while avoiding distractions from unqualified applicants.
When building an ICP, don’t be afraid to get specific. Identify the skills, values, and traits that align with your organization’s needs. For example, does this role require technical expertise, cultural fit, or both? Which is more important? What soft skills are non-negotiable?
As you think about this process, it’s easy to overfocus on metrics that don’t speak to the true value of the position, like years of experience or where someone earned their degree or other education.
Instead, prioritize competencies that directly impact success in the role, like technical experience, measurable outcomes, and strategic approaches to leadership or problem-solving.
For example, if you’re hiring a customer success manager, your ICP might prioritize strong communication skills, empathy, and experience with CRM tools over formal education.
In healthcare, bedside manner might be just as important as technical certifications, while in professional services, client-facing experience could take precedence. It absolutely depends on the role, industry, and priorities.
It can also be helpful to put yourself in the candidate’s shoes. Why would they want to work for your company?
Consider the full package—compensation, benefits, career growth opportunities, and values alignment—and determine what makes you the best fit for them.
Don’t forget: hiring is a two-way street.
2. Build a Transparent Application Process
Let’s face it—nobody likes surprises in the hiring process. Transparency is a game-changer, helping both candidates and companies save time and focus on what really matters.
When expectations are clear from the start, candidates can make informed decisions about whether they’re the right fit for your role, and hiring teams can avoid sifting through applications that don’t align.
Be sure you set clear expectations—and that starts with the job description. Outline the role’s must-haves, like required skills or certifications, nice-to-haves, like familiarity with certain tools, and what success looks like in the role.
It’s also a good idea to let candidates know what to expect from the hiring process upfront—the number of interviews, skills assessments, and communication plan.
The clearer you are, the better chance you have of attracting candidates who truly fit.
It’s often best to give applicants enough information to assess their fit before applying. Include details like salary ranges, work location (remote, hybrid, or in-office), and key responsibilities. This reduces unqualified applications and shows candidates that you respect their time.
Remember, every part of your hiring process should have a purpose—and candidates should know what it is. For example, let them know how a skills assessment helps you understand their problem-solving abilities or how a video interview showcases their communication style.
When you’re upfront about what you’re looking for and why it matters, you create an application ecosystem that attracts engaged, motivated candidates while naturally filtering out those who aren’t aligned.
3. Refine Your Internal Screening and Selection Process
Without a thoughtful system, high application volumes can overwhelm your talent acquisition team or recruiters, slow decision-making, and frustrate both candidates and hiring managers.
To help:
- Streamline Your Workflows: Tools like applicant tracking systems (ATS) or video interview platforms can help you manage applications more efficiently. For example, one-way video interviews allow you to screen candidates asynchronously, saving time for everyone involved. Did you know Spark Hire is ranked the #1 video interview software by G2?
- Align on What Matters: Make sure everyone on your hiring team is on the same page about what makes a candidate successful. Clear evaluation criteria reduce bottlenecks and help keep decisions consistent across reviewers.
- Review and Adjust Regularly: What worked last year might not work today. Take time to evaluate your process regularly to identify inefficiencies or gaps—and don’t be afraid to tweak things as needed.
For industries like healthcare or education, where evergreen roles often attract high application volumes, technology can be especially valuable. Automating repetitive tasks and focusing on key criteria early on can free up time to focus on top-tier candidates without sacrificing quality.
4. Strategically Add Engagement Steps Into the Screening Process
In our view, there’s an overemphasis on creating a frictionless job application experience in today’s market.
But we’re also not proponents of adding friction back into the process — far from it.
Instead, we think it’s essential to introduce intentional engagement steps into the process. These small steps help companies filter out unqualified applicants while keeping top talent engaged.
One way to do this is through what we call “mini-gates,” which are really just a series of questions, steps, or evaluation criteria that help candidates self-select in or out of the process.
These mini-gates must be customized for your company, role, and goals. Start by adding simple screening questions at the start of your process to establish a baseline. For example, ask about salary expectations, location preferences, or required certifications. These quick filters help ensure only qualified candidates move forward.
You can also incorporate intentional skills assessments like short tests or behavioral exercises to give you valuable insights into a candidate’s technical abilities or problem-solving skills before advancing them further in the process.
At first glance, adding these steps might seem counterintuitive in an era of frictionless hiring — but they’re actually essential for creating a good process.
When paired with transparency about why these steps matter, they enhance—not hinder—the candidate experience.
From ‘Easy Apply’ to Easy Decision
The rise of ‘Easy Apply’ or frictionless applications has transformed hiring.
While it’s made applying easier for candidates, it’s also left hiring teams to conquer overwhelming application volumes and mountains of unqualified resumes.
But here’s the good news: with the right strategies, you can turn this obstacle into an opportunity.
By focusing on clarity, transparency, and intentional engagement throughout your screening process, you can create a system that doesn’t just manage applications, but enables better decisions.
At Spark Hire, we understand the complexities of modern hiring. That’s why we’ve built solutions to help you streamline your screening and selection process while keeping it human-centered. Ready to learn how it works?
Book a demo today and start making better, faster, hiring decisions.
