The Myth and the Reality: 4 Surprising Truths about Mobile Recruiting
Simply Hired Staff
A recent online meme challenged modern teenagers to attempt to place a telephone call using a rotary phone. The resulting failure provided many laughs but also highlighted the increasing reliance on not just touch dial but mobile phones. As of May 2017, nearly 51% of US households had given up on their landlines altogether. Similarly, stationary technologies such as desktop computers and even large laptops are being replaced by increasingly portable phones with processors that would rival your home set up.
In short, the mobile age is here. As a recruiting professional, why then would you limit your ability to connect with would be employees by not focusing your efforts on upping your mobile game? From scheduling interviews to resume submission, chances are your next hire will have some form of mobile interaction. Many recruiters, however, have a few outdated misconceptions about best practices in the field. Not embracing and understanding mobile applications could mean you miss out on connecting with your next top recruit. With that in mind, here we deal into our top four surprising truths about mobile recruiting.
Myth #1: Mobile job seekers are young and tech-savvy.
Many recruiters and hiring professionals fail to focus on mobile applications. Perhaps you’re recruiting for a company in a low-tech industry or are targeting only older candidates with many years of experience. If you think that mobile job seekers are limited to young software engineers, think again.
Data shows that applicants across all industries and age groups have embraced accessing their data while on the go. Employers regularly issue smartphones as part of their first-day onboarding process and all but the most stubborn of older candidates are answering emails and browsing open positions via their handheld smartphone. Toss out the myth that mobile friendliness isn’t important in your industry if you want to attract top talent to your position.
Myth #2: Mobile is plateauing. It will settle out and people will keep using the desktop web.
If you’re hanging on to the hope that mobile is a new fad and desktop web browsing is the next big comeback, we’ve got bright yellow 70’s leisure suit we’d like to sell you. Tech behemoths are seeing huge increases in spending to help develop the next faster, sleeker, thinner smartphones. Desktop advancement, on the other hand, is stagnant at best.
If the money spent isn’t convincing, consider that advertisers have all but given up on traditional media when it comes to reaching customers. Short banner ads, meme’s and smartphone notifications are all the wave of the future. Take a nod from the commercial space and realize that recruiting is advertising by another name. Mobile is here to stay and will only become more relevant to your hiring process as technology advances.
Myth #3: Job seekers are not very engaged when they are searching on mobile. They are just “snacking.”
Sure, it may be easier to quickly peruse content while browsing on a mobile device, but that doesn’t mean potential candidates are not actively engaging with your job listings. The truth of the matter is that browsing information on a smaller screen allows for more rapid processing and reviewing. Instead of larger monitors with ads, navigation bars, and other distractors, listings for potential job openings are delivered succinctly.
This rapid processing of information isn’t just myth busting. It’s also a large clue to how recruiters and hiring managers should approach the format of their open positions. Keep titles succinct and be sure to include meaningful information in the first several lines of the job description. Leaving out these critical elements could mean your listing is overlooked by even the most serious of job seekers.
Myth #4: Reaching job seekers on mobile is time-consuming and expensive.
In the early days of the internet and mobile access developers often had to design separate web pages for mobile or desktop viewing. Newer technologies have helped eliminate this unnecessary step, allowing users to access platforms that automatically optimize the display of the content depending on which type of device is being used to view.
In the hiring world, sites such as SimplyHired.com ensure that your job listings are optimized for the individual viewer. Our mobile friendly website is designed with all levels of tech-savvy job seekers in mind when hosting the application process direct. Have your listing on Simply Hired but don’t know whether the link to your personal hosted application is up to par? Take our Application Process Self Audit to determine how well you score from a candidate perspective, both on desktop and mobile.
At Simply Hired, we’re committed to providing the best experience for both hiring professionals and candidates. As best practices change, so do we, leading the industry in making meaningful connections between company and employee. When you list your open position with Simply Hired, you can rest assured that you’re getting industry-leading experience, wherever your candidates may be.
Article Updated from the Original on August 10, 2018
