5 Ways Candidates Are Embracing Mobile Job Search
(Editor’s Note: Today’s post is brought to you by our friends at iCIMS, a leading provider of Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) talent acquisition software solutions. Red Herring recently recognized iCIMS as a Top 100 winner for their innovations in the area of technology for growing businesses. Congratulations to the entire iCIMS team! Enjoy the post.)
In the U.S., 88% of adults have a cell phone. And 55% of them use the Internet on their cell phone. I could go on and on with statistics about mobile. You get it. People like their mobile devices.
Given that, organizations have to adapt. Processes that used to be handled in-person or via email might be better served on mobile. Like recruiting. Now I’m not suggesting that companies ditch their entire recruiting processes. But it’s time for us to realize that mobile devices offer some wonderful benefits we should take advantage of.
Some people might be saying, “We’ve already added social media to our recruiting strategy. We’re good.” And that’s great. Social is a valuable recruiting tool and should be a part of every company’s strategy. Keep in mind that the majority of social media activity happens on mobile devices. According to the news site Quartz, social network access via mobile has increased over 600% since 2012.
So the last thing that companies who’ve invested in a social recruiting strategy want to do is see all their effort go down the drain. It’s time for the next phase: mobile.
Before developing a mobile strategy, it’s important to understand how candidates want to use their mobile devices during a job search. There’s no sense in creating a strategy that doesn’t fill a need. In the iCIMS whitepaper, “Top Talent is Mobile. Are You?”, they share the top five activities candidates want when it comes to mobile job search:
- Search for jobs. Not all websites are created equal when it comes to mobile. Anyone who had tried to do an Internet search on their phone is with me on this one. Websites must be optimized for mobile. This allows a candidate to easily search for open positions on your career site.
- Receive email alerts. Smart companies are creating talent networks and communities to stay engaged with candidates. Part of the engagement strategy should be, when a candidate expresses an interest in a certain type of job, they will be automatically notified when openings occur.
- Apply for jobs. As the economy improves, more and more workers are considering changing jobs. The goal is to make sure that, when a candidate sees a job opening, they apply right away (when they’re excited about it!) versus having to bookmark the site and come back to it once they return home.
- Track application status. The number one complaint from candidates is not knowing their application status. “Does HR have my resume?”, “Should I follow-up with someone?” Mobile offers the ability to provide regular updates which is great for the candidate experience.
- Share job openings with friends using email and social media. If a candidate sees a cool job opening for a friend who’s looking, they want to send it over right away. Otherwise, they might forget. That’s not to imply they don’t care about their friends…but the reality is, sometimes we forget.
We are quickly reaching the point where the ability for candidates to use their mobile devices in job search could mean the difference in which jobs candidates apply for. Think about it. Is your organization ready to lose talent because someone couldn’t apply on their tablet?
P.S. Join me and iCIMS on Wednesday, June 18 at 2p Eastern for a webinar on “Creating a Mobile Recruiting Strategy”. We’ll talk about the business case for mobile recruiting, developing a strategy, measuring mobile results. The session has been pre-approved for recertification credit by the HR Certification Institute. Registration details can be found here. Hope to see you then!
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