Why (and How) to Use Mobile Recruiting to Attract Job Seekers

Stated simply, mobile recruiting is the ability to market to prospective talent with or on a mobile device.

More in depth, mobile recruiting is about keeping up with new and emerging recruitment trends and a terrifically effective way to connect with job seekers anywhere, anytime.

Mobile recruiting isn’t just a trend—it’s increasingly important for companies that want to stay competitive.

The World is Going Mobile. You Need to Go With It

Consider the following:

  • 85 percent of Americans currently own cell phones (up from 65 percent in Sept 2009)
  • 72 percent of Americans use their phones to send or receive text messages
  • 63.2 million American mobile phone subscribers over age 13 use smartphones (60 percent more than a year ago)
  • Time spent on mobile devices has increased nearly 30 percent since 2010, faster than any other medium
  • In Q4 2010, smartphone sales surpassed that of PCs, according to the International Data

With job seekers increasingly using this technology to search for employment opportunities, research companies and receive job alerts, employers have not just the opportunity, but the need, to embrace mobile technology and make it part of their overall recruitment strategy.

How to Start?

3 Musts for Adding Mobile to Your Recruitment Strategy

  1. Know your audience. The ability to successfully attract and recruit top talent, no matter what channels you use, depends on your ability to understand your audience. When it comes to mobile recruitment, extra attention must be given to job seeker behavior. Before you implement a mobile strategy, find out how your target talent is using it. Active job seekers may be using mobile job apps, while passive candidates may be using smartphones to simply search the mobile web.

    Remember, there is the web and then there is the mobile web. Mobile web and smartphone usage may be on the rise, but if members of your target audience have not yet adapted them, a strong focus on mobile may not be your primary recruitment method.

  2. Be engaging. Passive and active job seekers are drawn to brands and organizations that offer compelling content and engage in conversation. Job seekers often connect with companies because they want their career-related questions answered. So don’t use your social and professional platforms only to post job openings. Instead, have conversations with your users about company culture, your employee value proposition and industry news. Engaging discussions will attract users to your talent network and build relationships with candidates.
  3. Don’t eliminate other channels. Mobile is the current hot topic in recruitment and will be around for a long time. But completely eliminating other channels like social media, job boards and career sites will not produce the desired ROI. A majority of your target audience may use the mobile web and mobile apps in their job search, but it’s not a one size fits all strategy. Mobile can extend and enhance – but not replace – other recruitment channels.

 

Leave a Reply