Think back to when Material Girl was released. That song hit the scene with a bang in 1984. What did your cell phone look like in 1984? If you had one, it was the Motorola Dyna Tac 8000x, priced at just under $4,000 and weighing in at a smidge less than 2 pounds. At that price today, the Dyna Tac 8000x would cost $9,200. THAT is how far mobile has come since the first commercial cell phones, and it just keeps evolving.
The push to take recruiting efforts into the mobile space has been a strong one. By the end of 2013, there will be more mobile devices on Earth than there are people. Everyone and everything is mobile. It’s not just about incorporating a trend into your recruiting practices; it’s about evolving with a new way of life.
“Mobile technology is driving big changes in talent acquisition. The number of candidates using mobile devices to search and apply for new job opportunities is growing exponentially –especially in international markets where a mobile device is often the only access people have to the Internet.” –The Brandon Hall Group
Now that we’ve nailed down the importance of going mobile, here are a few very important features to include in your mobile recruiting initiatives that might have a lot to do with your applicant tracking system.
Apply with LinkedIn Button
This awesome new feature that industry leaders have added to their ATSs makes it extremely easy for candidates to apply for positions using their mobile device. The addition of this feature to Cyber Recruiter has made a big difference for many of our customers. Candidates are able to click one button, and their LinkedIn information populates the appropriate fields for recruiters and hiring managers to make informed decisions. This feature is a great way to improve the mobile candidate experience.
Easy Social Sharing
Many ATSs are making it effortless to post job listing on social sites automatically. That feature is great, and it makes social sharing incredibly easy, but what about furthering your reach with just the same amount of effort? When job listings are socialized, they should come standard with their own social share buttons. This allows job listings to reach entirely new contact pools and potential candidates. Make it easy for your audience to share these job listings and watch your talent pool grow.
Mobile Company Site
Many organizations have already gone mobile, but they didn’t exactly nail it, especially from a recruiter’s perspective. Any mobile site needs to be crafted with ease of use in mind. No one wants to click through a dozen pages and find the hidden search bar before landing on the careers page. That’s how you lose candidates. If it involves more than 2 clicks to get to the careers page, that needs to change. Focus on making it easy for candidates to apply, gather information and share that information.
In this mobile world, which has come pretty far since the year of Material Girl, it can be a tough game of catch up to keep your recruiting and hiring efforts up to date. Evolving in this space involves the perspectives of both the user and the candidate. Mobile recruiting efforts can improve the experience for everyone. Don’t get left in 1984!
