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How to Create an Effective Application Process for Police Department Candidates

10/29/2018

Take a close look at your department’s application process. Are you offering candidates a clear, user-friendly way to apply for open positions in your department, or is your application process so overwhelming and complicated that you’re driving qualified candidates away?

To ensure your application process is as successful as possible, ask yourself these questions.

1. Are you accepting applications online? If you’re still accepting paper applications, you’re already behind the 8-ball. Transitioning to online applications can save time, improve visibility, and attract more qualified applicants.
2. Are your job listings easy to find? Make sure your open positions are featured prominently on your department website.
3. Is your online application mobile-friendly? More and more people are using their smartphones to conduct business online, and that includes applying for jobs. Out of the hundreds of thousands of applicants that visit the PoliceApp website, more than 60% are reviewing and applying to jobs using a mobile device.
4. Are you screening applicants as a first step? If a potential applicant is not eligible to be hired by your department, don’t waste everyone’s time. Start the application process with minimum requirements and automatic disqualifiers to help candidates self-screen. With an online application system, you should be able to automatically generate feedback or a warning when an applicant does not meet your criteria.
5. Is your application too long or complicated? We find that departments using a short, straightforward initial application get far better responses than those that use a more involved background-type application. Stick to the basics: personal information, work history, education, military, and voluntary compliance. For a good example, see the PoliceApp standard application, which you are welcome to use for your department.
6. Are you asking for too much personal information up front? As mentioned above, the best approach is to start with a basic application. There’s no need to ask for a large amount of personal or sensitive information in the initial application—that can wait until the candidate has gone through testing or an interview. Background information can be sensitive, and your department will be liable if it is lost or exposed, so it makes sense not to ask for it until the candidate is further along in the process. 
7. Are you asking for too many documents and notary requirements? The more you ask candidates to do as part of the application process, the less likely they are to complete the application. To streamline your application, minimize documents that must be uploaded. Asking applications to have documents notarized is an additional burden, since they will have to locate and potentially pay for notary service. If you’re asking for notarized documents, make sure they are absolutely necessary to your application process.
8. Do all questions or required information on your application conform to all laws? Some questions and information are not legal to ask or require on a job application, and asking an illegal question could make your department vulnerable to a lawsuit. Be sure to check the local, state, and federal application laws that apply to your department.