Out of the box alternatives to cover letters that entice candidates to apply

Let's BFFR (be f**king for real) – what’s worse than writing cover letters? Reading them.

Think of cover letters as a pitch – but not everyone has that ‘salesperson’ in them (no matter how hard they try to summon Don Draper, Beth Boland or Chris Gardner). For that reason, some seriously talented candidates are slipping through your fingers due to cover letter causalities.

So, why are you still sticking with the “300 words or less” letter requests?

This week on Parallel, we’re taking your hiring process into the future with four special out of the box alternatives to target top tier talent. Don’t accidentally hire someone who only has the skill of ‘selling’ themselves over someone who can actually get the job done.

Collect candidate information through interactive forms

Collecting basic information during the job application process can be like pulling teeth – for the candidates at least. Do you want your listing to be the one candidates complete (instead of adding it to the “Save for later” list)?

Simple, make it engaging!

Tools like Typeform should be your new go-to. It is free form-maker that helps you land more leads and it’s an excellent way of gathering the required info. You can do this by including quizzes, polls, multi-choice questions, and GIFs.

Parallel’s #ProTip: Give candidates a heads up on how long it should take them to complete your form – this shows that you respect and value their time, while also preparing them for success!

Create a mini “day in the life of a [job title]”

Meet your new method of understanding of the candidate and their capabilities! Think of a typical scenario a candidate would face in the role and quiz them on how they would respond to it (see our example below).

The bonus? This method gives candidates a peek into the realities of the role and their day-to-day responsibilities. Saving you from an early quit if they realize 3-days in that the job isn’t quite… right for them.

“Your manager needs a document printed for their 10am meeting. It’s 9:50am and the printer is down. What do you do?”

Request a customized sample project

Similar to a “Day In The Life Of A [Job Title]” – requesting a personalized project is an excellent 3rd or final step of identifying which of your candidates will be the perfect fit for the role.

Psst… don’t pitch this too soon or you could risk scaring them off.

Brainstorm with your team about a particular task that a previous employee in the role had to tackle and ask candidates to complete it.

Maybe it’s “write the copy for this Instagram caption” or “schedule these meetings into this Google calendar and invite x, y, z,” This will help you see your candidates in action!

Implement a referral program

Don’t sleep on the power of employee referral programs! A referred candidate is most likely to have insights on how the company operates from the employee who recruited them.

Fun fact: a whooping 88% of employers consider employee referral the best way to find candidates – so it’s definitely not the system to sleep on!

The best part is that it lifts some weight off your shoulders – rather than one person searching, you have your entire team set to recruit-mode.

Still need a step up? At Parallel, you can receive referred candidates straight to you! Simply create an account with us and you are on your way to building your top talent!