Mobile devices have become an indispensable part of people’s daily lives, it is no surprise that they are also revolutionizing the way talent is recruited. Mobile recruitment is now a must for staffing agencies looking to sustainably grow their business.
Table of Contents
1. What is mobile recruiting?
Mobile recruiting refers to the practice of using mobile devices and technologies to actively attract and engage candidates. Various activities are involved in this process - including posting ads on job boards, reaching out to candidates using direct text messages/social media, conducting online video interviews - the list goes on.
Mobile recruitment has become a trend among both small businesses and Fortune 500 companies alike. For recruiters, it provides a more efficient and cost-effective way to reach a larger pool of candidates. And for job seekers, it offers greater flexibility and convenience in their job search process.
2. Why is mobile recruitment important?
From the enhanced ability to search for passive candidates to the flexibility of engaging them anytime – anywhere, the list of benefits of mobile recruitment is never-ending. Below are just a few major reasons why recruitment agencies should consider investing more of their resources in mobile recruitment.
Reach a wider talent pool
A survey conducted by Glassdoor found that 35 percent of respondents said they would prefer to apply for jobs from their phones rather than via traditional methods. Given the ubiquity of smartphones and the ever-growing number of people who use them as their primary source of information, it's likely that this trend will continue to grow in the years to come.
For recruiters, this means that mobile platforms must now be listed as a critical part of their recruitment strategy.
Attract passive candidates
Technology is fast-evolving, and it’s important to also be moving alongside it. Mobile recruitment will require an innovative approach to careers pages, job ads, smartphone apps, etc. to attract and engage a wider scope of candidates. It also provides recruiters with an effective method to reach passive candidates - who are often difficult to reach using traditional methods of recruitment.
Mobile recruitment will also help to simplify and speed up the application process, making it more convenient for candidates. As a result, recruitment agencies may have a better chance of attracting a wider pool of qualified candidates.
Save time & resources
The traditional recruiting process can prove to be time-consuming and expensive. With the help of mobile recruitment software, organizations can automate many manual steps of the process, such as posting ads, sorting through applications, and scheduling interviews. Repetitive tasks such as sending interview reminders are no longer something to worry about.
Ensure a positive candidate experience
Many candidates will simply give up applying for a job if the process is too difficult or time-consuming. Mobile recruitment allows for potential candidates to easily view open positions and submit their applications with just a few clicks. Not to mention, stay updated on the status of their applications and receive notifications when new jobs are posted.
Enable recruiters to make data-driven decisions
For a long time, social media platforms such as LinkedIn and Facebook have become invaluable tools for both recruiters and job seekers. They provide a cost-effective way to reach a large number of potential candidates with the minimum investment required.
In addition, recruitment agencies can make use of these platforms’ analytics in order to make more data-driven decisions. For example, if they notice that most of their applicants come from a particular region, they may decide to adjust their recruiting strategies and resource allocations accordingly.
3. An introduction to mobile recruiting apps
Mobile recruiting apps are fast on the market, and with growing demand. The use of Apps play a critical role in the success of recruitment agencies, recruiters are now granted the ability to access talent, wherever, whenever.
Cross-platform job publishing
Recruiters nowadays are busy handling thousands of tasks - including posting jobs, scheduling interviews, and organizing career fairs. That’s where mobile apps come in to save the day - by enabling them to quickly review applicants' profiles and directly communicate with candidates anytime, anywhere.
Some apps even allow users to cross-publish job opportunities on various platforms - including their organization’s websites, social media accounts, job boards, etc. This should save them a significant amount of time - which may then be spent on other strategic tasks.
Virtual communication
Mobile recruiting apps assist recruiters in a variety of different ways. They can easily communicate with candidates and provide feedback - without the need for both parties to be available in an office. Therefore, it eliminates the requirement for time-consuming in-person meetings. This facilitates flexibility in terms of workflow for recruiters, hiring managers, and candidates.
As remote working becomes the new norm, it is recommended for recruitment agencies refine and innovate their mobile recruiting and remote recruiting strategies - not only to improve communication with candidates but also to manage the internal teams more effectively.
Immediate notifications
Recruiters normally receive an endless thread of inbox messages from applicants that can get out of control quickly leaving recruiters overwhelmed. However, these innovative mobile recruiting apps often have an abundance of features to help assist these tedious tasks.
You’re able to immediately receive updates that will help better keep track of applicants, not to mention - segment your candidate database to help make more informed hiring decisions.
4. Top 8 tips for mobile recruiting
Below are some recommended best practices for agencies to refine their mobile recruiting strategies for maximum results.
Do’s:
- Ensure information about the recruitment process is available on all devices and platforms, from the initial application to the final acceptance of a job offer.
- Make use of mobile recruiting software to create a central place for storing candidate information.
- Use text messaging for less important steps (e.g: interview confirmation) of the process.
- Use automation features in recruiting apps to automate admin tasks such as parsing resumes, sending messages, and tracking analytics.
Don’ts:
- Use chat box to send applicants important updates (e.g: pay negotiation, rejection) to avoid any potential misunderstandings.
- Limit mobile recruitment to younger audiences. In fact, a lot of older, more experienced candidates are utilizing mobile platforms for job searches - according to research conducted by Indeed.
- Do it all yourself.
- Ditch your old processes just because you are going mobile.
For those who are new to the game, it's important to consult experts who have extensive knowledge of apps, web development, and SaaS applications. Hiring a specialized team is essential to get started on the right track - and prevent waste of time and money.
The most important thing is to work out what works best for your team and keep the rest. Mobile recruitment can be extremely effective, but only if you’re doing it right.
5. Optimize your recruiting process for mobile job seekers
Here, we would like to propose 4 tactics for recruiters to optimize their career portal and operations for mobile job seekers.
Make your website mobile-friendly
Optimizing their website’s mobile version is crucial for recruitment agencies to retain an edge in the current business world. With more than half of searches conducted on mobile, search engines like Google have informed that they will issue penalties for sites that are poorly designed for mobile.
Ensure that the process is as seamless as possible
Ideally, applicants should be able to complete the whole recruitment process from their device - be it desktop or mobile - without having to download or install anything extra.
Learn to use social media
Social media provides one of the most efficient ways to communicate with potential candidates. While LinkedIn is the most well-known recruiting platform (so popular that we have invested in composing a list of recruiter hacks), for some specific positions - you may as well go for other options (e.g: ProductHunt for developers, Behance for designers).
When using social media for mobile recruitment, remember to make use of hashtags to increase your posts’ visibility to the right audience. The hashtags you use should be as specific as possible. For instance, if you're looking for a marketer, avoid using generic and overused hashtags like #Marketing. Consider using #MarketingJobs instead.
Consider SMS messages to keep applicants updated along the route
Responding to emails and returning phone calls might sometimes prove to be tricky for job searchers - especially if they are in the office and being watched by managers/coworkers. In that case, text messages should be considered as an alternative.
If you have a strong mobile recruitment strategy, it's a significant advantage in digital-first recruitment, which is a notable recent recruitment trend.