Here is part 2 of our series of posts on The Importance of Candidate Experience - from the job description to the application form, here is our list of DOs and DON'Ts:

Don’t have scrolling bars within an application form that you need to scroll down with. Multi scrolls on one screen are extremely annoying.

Do use drop down lists if you have multiple options to choose from as an alternative to scrolling lists.

Don’t ask for too much too soon – if you are asking a candidate for their National Insurance number, their next of kin etc. before you’ve even established whether the candidate is eligible for the role they are applying for, you are wasting their time and yours.

Do use gross negative disqualifiers to rule out unsuitable candidates at an early stage – you don’t want to waste the candidate’s time or your own.

Don’t have too many flash ads on the page – you will completely slow down your site for people who may not have as high a speed connection as you do.

Do make your application form functional for all Internet browsers and all major versions, from Google Chrome back to Internet Explorer v6!

Don’t spend all your resources on maximising your employment brand on your home page and then forget the vacancies and application form.

Do remember to brand your email communications well – the amount of companies that send nicely branded emails are far too few, even ones that have exceptionally branded careers sites.

Don’t put huge amounts of text into your job description. Try and keep it to a brief description and essential skills/qualifications candidates will need.

Do lay out your job description page well – have key points such as 'Job title' and 'Closing date' clear and make sure your ‘Apply’ button is obvious and makes people want to press it!

Don’t have a system where your candidate can re-apply for the same job after failing killer questions, as they will now know the answers that will cause them to not get through to the next round!

Do convert CVs into PDFs for candidates when they upload it – it removes any viral threats and means you can combine information from the application form and the candidate's CV in one document.

Don’t get so carried away by the page looking nice that you lose functionality. If you think some colours make it look nicer, make sure you can still see boxes/text clearly and any display pictures or animations aren’t disorientating or distracting.

Do have tools such as ‘Email to a friend’, ‘Hot jobs’ and ‘Talent pool’ – if you have good candidates applying, even if they aren’t suitable for a particular role, you will want to hold on to them for future opportunities.