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So do you just ignore mobile recruitment?

Oct 26 11 - 11:00AMAlex Charraudeau, Account Manager Technology

14% of people use their phones as their only access to the internet.

This stat looks relatively small.  So do you ignore mobile recruitment?

There are 13,000,000 people actively looking for jobs online at any given time so if we take 14% of them that makes 1,820,000 people. 

The stat doesn’t seem so insignificant any more does it?

The main reason people build mobile websites is because browsing through standard websites and content is slow and clunky on mobile devices.  Although many people have high-speed broadband at home and at work mobiles often struggle to access content quickly.  71% of smartphone users that see TV, press or online ads, do a mobile search to find that brand - will they find your mobile site? (source)

Mobile in the Recruitment Industry stats

Mobile websites allow you to access the essential content of a website without having to load up all their heavy imagery and functionality that a standard site would have. 

Recruitment website design traditionally targets three key audiences; Candidates, Clients and Prospective Employees.  Of these three groups they will then be further split into Active and Passive.  Active means that they are actively seeking a new job or are actively looking to recruit for someone.  Passive means that they are browsing the web and happened upon your site. 

Active job seekers only really want to see your jobs and active clients just want to find your contact details.  Therefore your site needs to allow simple job seeking functionality and an easy to use application process that users can either complete then and there with their device or store the information so that they can apply at a later date when it is more convenient (i.e. when they have their CV to hand).  Clients need to be able to fill in a form, email you or call you directly.

Mobile Recruitment

Passive audiences who are looking for news and content will want to access information on your mobile website in the same way that they access articles on the BBC or Guardian’s mobile sites.  They will also want to access information such as video (video accounts for 69% of mobile data traffic (source)), so make sure that your website is built with rich-media in mind.

Using the Guardian mobile site

Both types of user are looking for stripped back and easy to access information.  If you can offer these people the right user experience you are more likely to get them to do something on your website that is going to make you more money. 

Ignore mobile users at your peril.

4MAT have designed several new mobile websites for clients which are due to go live in the coming months.  For more information look at our Mobile Recruitment page on our website or contact us.

For a recent study into mobile recruitment website trends and usage please read our white paper.

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Stephen Turnock, 26 October 2011, 05:21 PM
The phenomenal rise and rise of Smart Mobile and the opportunity to grasp smart sourcing strategy for recruiters is akin to the take up and blindside demonstrated in socialrecruiting itself (fear of the unknown)! Generally this goes for all industry and commerce not just recruitment save for a few innovators.

However, the double dipper is that Recruitment is the industry that will also have to also serve the skills shift which is also part of this event. So what are the purveyors of fine people waiting for? an invite from the president! What worked before in Recruitment V1.0 is increasingly not working now and will not work in the future!

>>Fast >>forward>> just 3 years.. Some recruiters may be still sat on a PC communicating via email, broadcasting jobs where no one listens and awaiting 72 hours for a response - if any can be found amongst the I am Dr. Son of Solomon and the Microsoft Lottery!

Given current trends in Cloud computing [the arrival of the newish IT kid on the block that will replace most generic systems whilst merging the traditional IT with Telecoms & Mobile], coupled with huge shifts in the way all industries / infrastructures and people will have no choice but to adopt and the huge skills shortage arriving at the same time as Social, Search and SEO. Not forgetting the generation shift to boot and where the audience is moving fast.

Some of the best people for the impending skills shortages are in employment and in travel mode – the passives are on trains, planes etc., in between meetings or sat in old MacDonald’s. As a recruiter, today the opportunity must be to inbound attract and engage with the right passives as well as active candidates and the upwardly {{{mobile}}} is where much of it will happen. It’s important for recruiters to grasp the ‘always on’ instant messaging and stop thinking email only.Many recruiters are one track email only and many email formats themselves received on Smartphone are also poorly formatted.

But conundrum and challenge! 1] Many recruiters and the HR corporates cannot get the static website or even email application technology working right let alone mobile enabled sourcing strategies and 2] even with a great mobile ready site I believe the clicking journey for many candidates will still end as now for many, having a poor candidate experience without any interaction that remotely resembles two way continuation without the human ethos at the other end.

Certainly, the linkedin ‘apply now’ button works well to deliver an online profile in a single click from a mobile and I have seen a few attempts of QR codes that actually go back to a home page and stop dead rather than actual job details, but recruiters processes has still got to join up 360 degrees with the internal systems where the recruiter lives and interacts from.

What is the budget for mobile sourcing strategy spend then for most recruiters or any concern for that matter - considering mobile is 99% in the pocket of the of the always on audience.. of which 13,000,000 are actively looking!? For social and mobile then we have a way to go – [and so do I but working on it ;-), but a tremendous opportunity to stop talking and start doing .. and listening too!
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