Technology has influenced the recruitment industry greatly and mobile is central to this. Fewer and fewer people are accessing the internet through computers these days and are rather turning to gadgets like mobile phones and tablets that make it possible to surf the net and browse social media on the go.
For this reason, it’s important that recruitment companies ensure that they implement a mobile recruitment strategy, for optimal engagement with candidates. By not having a mobile-friendly web presence, you are reducing your potential to connect with top candidates and reducing your reach significantly.
The introduction of recruitment apps and mobile friendly websites has made recruitment much simpler and easier accessed, making them the perfect way to reach candidates. We live in an increasingly mobile-centric world, with people spending more and more time on their mobiles each day and a 2014 Glassdoor survey found that 89% of the employees and job seekers surveyed use a mobile device during their job search.
Despite this, a survey conducted by CareerBuilder found that, “more than one-quarter of large businesses don’t have a single portion of their job sites optimized for mobile use. More importantly, 80 percent don’t have career sites that are mobile-friendly.”
So why exactly is mobile recruiting the way forward for agencies and how can you make your business mobile friendly?
Optimise your career site for mobile:
Have you checked to see if your website can be displayed properly on a mobile phone? If not, it may be a good idea to optimise it for use on mobile, so that users are able to view and navigate around the site correctly, as well as being able to search & apply for jobs directly from their phone.
By optimising your website for use on mobile, it will tailor the content so that it fits the display area of the mobile phone being used to access it and ensure that it can be viewed properly no matter what device is being used.
If you’re unsure about whether it’s worth the time and effort to make your website mobile friendly, you can find out how many people access your site via mobile through analytics sites such as Google Analytics. You may be surprised to see how high the figure is!
Create a recruitment app:
An alternative option to altering your website for mobile use, is to create a dedicated mobile recruiting application for use on smart phone and other mobile devices. These can be downloaded from App Stores such as iTunes and have been specially designed for use on mobile.
Mobile apps may be better suited for larger businesses with lots of job openings at one time due to cost and upkeep. International firms such as Nestle and PepsiCo are among those who have introduced mobile apps to manage their recruitment. These apps make it quicker and easier to browse and apply for jobs within the companies and in addition to the improved access to job information, these apps can also send out alerts to users when a new vacancy has been added.
Job applications:
Job applications can be complicated and time consuming and with the increasing shift to mobile job search, some companies are beginning to accept LinkedIn profiles in place of the traditional job application, on the basis that they have been filled out in full and have all the necessary information asked for.
This makes it remarkably simple for job seekers to apply for vacancies with the click of the button, from their mobiles and removes the lengthy application form process.
Social media:
Though not solely for the benefit of mobile users, social networks are most frequently accessed using mobile and by building a social media presence for your business you can broaden your reach and develop an online brand for the company. You can use your accounts on these platforms to share any current vacancies within the business and to connect and engage with candidates.
Assessment:
You can easily screen candidates with mobile friendly skills assessment tests, such as short tests, games, and simulations which can easily be formulated for use on mobile. You are then able to determine a candidate’s basic qualification for the position without an interview.
Mobile marketing:
As well as making it easier for job seekers to access and apply for your job vacancies, there are also a number of mobile marketing opportunities for recruitment purposes, such as targeted SMS text messaging, which can be used to notify job seekers about new vacancies and send out reminders; and QR codes that direct the candidate to your homepage, or additional information about a job opening.
