If we would have told you 10 years ago, back in the MySpace days (blast from the past!), that 97% of recruiters would be using social media sites like LinkedIn to attract and hire candidates, would you have believed us? It’s incredible that in just one decade, social media has become a serious recruitment strategy for even the most traditional of companies. Why? Because recruiters follow candidates and candidates are on social media!
So…guess where else candidates are? We all know how important mobile devices have become to the average American, and we’ve heard about mobile recruitment. But did you know that the vast majority of professionals are already searching for jobs from their phone, and many have applied for jobs from their mobile device as well? It’s shocking that 49% of companies today still report that mobile recruiting is NOT a top priority for their company.
If you don’t have a mobile recruiting strategy, you’re already behind.
Not to fear! Here are some tips to accelerate your mobile efforts right now:
Understand How Candidates Currently Experience Your Brand on Mobile
Have you ever taken a tour of your own brand presence from your phone? Try completing the following tasks from your phone or tablet and making notes about any pages where you had to scroll excessively, zoom in, or click a button or link that seemed teeny-tiny. Ask 2-3 people to visit your site as of they were a potential candidate and record their observations.
Imagine that using a computer is not an option. Would the phone suffice, as your sites and platforms work today?
Partner with Your Marketing Team
Now that you know where the issues are with your mobile experience, start developing a priority list and a plan that outlines the different stages of action. You won’t be able to completely turn your mobile experience around in the matter of a day or week, so start small by tackling the most important issues or biggest barriers first.
This is the time in your strategy execution to partner with your internal marketing team and get them on board with the changes you want to make. If your company already has mobile-friendly pages of your website, ask marketing to add a section for careers directly to that area or to an existing app. Injecting a careers section into an already existing app or mobile site is a great way to save money and reach a wide audience.
Remind the marketing team that marketing your brand to candidates is just as important as marketing to customers. Your brand message should be consistent across both of these audiences because chances are they will overlap to some degree. Employ their help and expertise so you don’t need to reinvent the wheel just to reach candidates on their mobile devices.
Use Mobile-Friendly Searching & Filtering
As you build or refine your mobile Careers page, prioritize mobile-friendly searching & filtering. Try incorporating drop-down or scrolling menus that work well with finger navigation and clicking, not just with a mouse.
When your results are displayed in the mobile view, be sure that an “Apply Now” button is front and center so candidates can quickly submit the required information from their phone without needing to use a computer. This may mean simplifying the information you require for an initial application. Another option is linking to a job posting on a mobile-friendly job board.
Optimize Your Emails for Mobile Viewing
Even with all the recruiting advancements that the past decade has seen, the humble inbox is still the most common place a professional interacts with career opportunities. How are your email subject lines, images, columns, text length, and links or buttons optimized for mobile? Have you experienced your own emails on a mobile phone?
To give your email communications a mobile tuneup, follow these five rules:
Communicate with Candidates Immediately, On the Go
Job applicants often expect immediate communication and attention, especially if they are pursuing multiple companies or in high demand. Even a quick confirmation email with a note about next steps can do wonders for keeping a job seeker engaged. Use automated emails to let candidates know you received their resume, or save a template in your email provider that you can quickly send from your phone, no matter where you are.
Mobile technology and usage behaviors will continue to evolve as candidates become more familiar with searching and applying for jobs on the go. If you haven’t started implementing a mobile strategy, don’t wait any longer to catch up to other companies. Your mobile strategy shouldn’t be isolated or separate from your desktop or career fair strategies, but rather it should fit seamlessly within your overarching plan to attract the best candidates in the market.
If you need help integrating mobile into your current recruitment, let’s talk about it.