Now is the Time for Mobile Recruitment

By Matt Singer, VP of Marketing at Jobvite

October 3 2015 - Humanity is addicted to phones. Almost every person in the UK owns one and a recent study revealed that 91% of adults have a mobile phone within arms reach twenty-four hours a day.

So, if these devices are so central to humanity's lives, then why are so many recruiters and HR professionals not putting mobile at the core of their recruitment strategy? One possible reason is a lack of solid direction. Many workers in the sector are not sure how best to prioritise and organise their efforts, leading to a range of costly mistakes, something no one wants on their hands.

It does not have to be this way though and, by following a few simple steps, recruitment and HR professionals can revolutionise t heir recruiting processes, meaning they are able to attract the highest calibre candidates.

Jobseekers are Already on Mobile

Before you begin rolling out your brand new recruitment campaign, you must understand the rationale behind mobile. Why is it important to jobseekers?

The fact of the matter is that mobile is convenient. As mentioned, people have their handsets on them almost 24 hours a day, meaning that when they want to browse the job market, their phone is the most accessible device. It also makes a big difference for those who want to job search at work, as many people are uncomfortable using office equipment for personal tasks.

It is also interesting to note that, according to Forbes, 23% of searches containing the word 'job' come from mobile devices. On top of this, as proved by Jobvite's Recruiter Nation Survey, 43% of job seekers have used their mobile devices to engage in a job search in the last 12 months. This makes one thing clear: mobile is important because it is central to how people search for new roles.

Mobile Career Sites Are a Must

Now that your business has an understanding of why mobile is vital, it must begin optimising its website for potential candidates. In many ways, the use of the word 'optimising' is misleading. If you are looking to hire the best candidates, then you need to deliver them the best job searching experience. This requires creating a fully-fledged mobile career site.

Many companies make the mistake of allowing career sites designed for laptops or desktops to be used for mobile. This is a massive problem. For those browsing on their phones, these type of sites will not display, load, or work correctly. Considering that 30% of mobile users will abandon a site after six seconds if it has not loaded, huge numbers of potential candidates can be lost.

We Have It, Now What?

Now that your company has a dedicated mobile career site, the next step is deciding how far to take the project. Many wonder about what it should actually contain. Should it list job openings? Should it have media relating to your company?

The thing is, if this is implemented correctly you will not only attract the highest quality candidates, but you can also differentiate your company from the crowd. To do this, you need to put job listings, content, and even application forms on your mobile career site.

The easiest way to think about it is comparing a mobile career site to an online store. If you owned such a business, would you list all the items you stocked, but provide no way to buy them? If you did, I would put a lot of money on the business not surviving the winter.

The same approach needs to be taken when running a mobile recruitment strategy. 27% of millennial jobseekers expect to apply for jobs through their phone and, if you want to capture the highest quality talent from that demographic, then you need to ensure they are catered to and that the mobile application process is easy. One Step at a Time

The majority of recruitment technology is outdated or piecemealed together, which makes it difficult, if not impossible, to fully anticipate problems with implementing a mobile strategy. Unfortunately, it will not become clear in your business until the situation is scoped out.

This endeavour may be daunting, but start small. Plans must be made with sensible timelines and there are always ways to use the budget to its full potential.

For example, if there is no way to build a full-scale mobile career site, you can instead create a bare bones page. You can begin making a talent pool by putting together a newsletter that has an opt-in on the mobile page. With a little bit of imagination, the tiniest budget can make huge steps towards a comprehensive mobile recruitment strategy.

While the recruitment world might not entirely revolve around mobile, it is getting close. The technology is already central to most people's lives and this relationship with mobile devices is only going to continue. This should be seen as a positive for HR and recruitment professionals, as it will allow closer connections and relationships with candidates than ever before. It is only getting harder to attract the best and brightest, so ensure your business is in the strongest position and embrace mobile recruitment before it is too late.

• More Recruitment Articles