The world has gone mobile. It seems like all of us are using our mobile devices to manage the important aspects of our lives today. Including job seekers—both active and passive—who are conducting their job searches on their mobile devices. To engage prospective candidates where they spend the most time, employers must be proactive about offering a mobile-friendly candidate experience.
According to the Pew Internet Research Center, 94 percent of smartphone job seekers have used their smartphone to browse or research job listings; 74 percent have used their smartphone to email someone about a job they were applying for; and another 50 percent of smartphone job seekers have used their smartphone to fill out an online job application. It’s time to ask yourself: Are you doing enough to ensure that your company is discoverable via a mobile search? Are you providing a seamless application experience? Or, are you stuck in the dinosaur age of recruitment?
To attract and engage with talent the 21st century way, use these five strategies to deliver an excellent mobile candidate experience:
1. Get mobile optimized ASAP. What are you waiting for? According to research by eMarketer, approximately 31.1 million people in the U.S. (that’s one in 10 Americans) will rely solely on a mobile device to access the Internet by the end of this year. If your site is not mobile-ready, you’re missing out on quite a bit of talent. Work with your developer or webmaster to determine whether or not your site is mobile friendly (or take Google’s handy mobile-friendly test). Then take the appropriate steps and make the investment to upgrade your site for survival in the digital age.
2. Empower mobile job seekers to “apply now.” A study by The Talent Board found that 40 percent of companies don’t offer any option to apply on mobile. On the flipside, the iCIMS report “Top Talent is Mobile. Are You?” found that 45 percent of candidates want to apply for a job that interests them right away. What that translates to is that almost half of the people who may come across your open positions will look elsewhere for instant job application gratification if they can’t apply to yours. Enhancing your mobile career site with an “apply now” feature can truly give you a leg up on competitors.
3. Test your mobile application system. From both technology and content standpoints, it’s important that a job candidate not find the process so frustrating that they give up before they complete the application.That’s where testing comes in. Walk through the process and look at everything from a candidate’s perspective. How long does it takes for pages to load? How much typing is required? Is the form is easy to read without zooming in? Is the copy concise, and error-free? And do users have the ability to save partially completed applications to finish later on? On the recruiter side, a robust platform will make it possible to review applications and connect with candidates on-the-go. Eliminating technical difficulties is a win-win.
4. If you haven’t embraced social yet, get with the program. The SHRM survey “Using Social Media for Talent Acquisition—Recruitment and Screening” found that social recruiting is standard practice among most companies, with 84 percent of organizations using it as part of their overall strategy. LinkedIn is the most used (cited by 96 percent of respondents), but Facebook (66 percent) and Twitter (53 percent) are both gaining ground. Companies that use these platforms successfully are those that invite job seekers to start a dialogue and continue messaging passive candidates to build relationships.
5. Resumes are so last decade. Although they’ve been a mainstay in the job application process since forever, resumes are becoming less relevant nowadays, mostly due to the rise of social media profiles. It could also be that resumes are not conducive to the mobile job application process because they are not always readily accessible to seekers who wish to apply on the fly. Offer candidates the option to integrate their social media profiles into the application. Or allow them to link to or create an online profile. Both actions will help expand your talent pool.
If you’re looking for a game changer that will increase the quantity and quality of candidates applying for your open positions, improve your mobile experience. You’ll not only make it easier for job seekers to discover your amazing company, but you’ll also make it easier for them to tap and apply. You won’t regret taking action, and you will see the benefits in an increasing number of applicants for your open positions.
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Meghan M. Biro is a globally recognized Talent Management and HR Tech brand strategist, analyst, digital catalyst, author and speaker. As founder and CEO of TalentCulture and Founder of #WorkTrends, she has worked with hundreds of companies, from early-stage ventures to global brands like Microsoft, IBM and Google, helping them recruit and empower stellar talent. Meghan has been a guest on numerous radio shows and online forums, and has been a featured speaker at global conferences. She is a regular contributor at Forbes, Huffington Post, Entrepreneur and several other media outlets. Meghan regularly serves on advisory boards for leading HR and technology brands. Meghan has been voted one of the Top 100 Social Media Power Influencers in 2015 by StatSocial and Forbes, Top 50 Most Valuable Social Media Influencers by General Sentiment, Top 100 on Twitter Business, Leadership, and Tech by Huffington Post, and Top 25 HR Trendsetters by HR Examiner.