Imagine this:

You walk into your local Gap store, and browse around. You see an item you like, but you have a question about it, so you approach a clerk. However, instead of replying, the clerk says: "How much money do you have on you? Because I can't answer your questions unless you're definitely going to be buying something today."

Sounds ridiculous, right? Then how come the last 20 job advertisements I read all had the same line at the bottom: "We thank all applicants, but only those selected for an interview will be contacted."?

Recruiters talk about talent shortages, how hard it is to attract top talent, and how job postings have to be creative, clear and compelling, ad nauseum. But if you're an A-list candidate, and the last message you get from a potential employer is essentially "Don't call us, we'll call you", are you really going to be in a hurry to spend hours refining your resume and writing a cover letter, probably for nothing?

Lines like "Only those selected for an interview will be contacted..." send several messages, and none of them are good:

• "We get millions of applications, and no doubt yours will just get lost in the clutter - so you may as well not bother."

• "We're picky and judgemental, so think twice before considering applying to us."

• "We think that 99% of job applicants are stupid and annoying, so we just want to remind you not to call, fax, email or otherwise contact us after you've applied. We don't want to interact with you any more than absolutely necessary.

• "We're not really interested in you as a person - you're just another applicant to us. Imagine what it's like to have to WORK with people like us!"

• "We are clearly completely out of touch with the talent market, because we think there are so many desperate job-seekers out there that we can afford to ignore all of them except for the handful we bother interviewing."

• "We obviously don't attract or retain the best people, because if we did we'd know that the #1 source of top talent is referrals - and by ignoring unchosen applicants we're losing a great opportunity for referrals."

Yes, we all know that postings on job boards and employment websites do tend to generate a higher percentage of the 'unemployed and unemployable' than other candidate-generation methods, and most hiring managers and recruiters are too busy to personally phone every single person who applies to every single job.

But is that really any excuse to turn off potential candidates before they even get started? Especially when the solution is so simple (and not time-consuming):

1. Don't undo all the enthusiasm you've generated in your job posting by ending it with a "Don't call us, we'll call you" line. Exactly what is it accomplishing for you anyway? Do you really think you'll be bombarded by follow-up emails and phone calls if you don't put that line at the end?
2. Set up an autoresponder. Nothing is easier than to set up an email account which automatically sends out a "Thank you for applying. We'll be in touch soon - and by the way, did you know about our referral program...?" email when a candidate applies. With a little forethought and creativity, you can make any autorespond look personalized, friendly - and include a gentle reminder that the candidate should not call or email 43 times a day if they don't hear from you within a few days.