Today’s installment is courtesy of guest blogger Mary Ellen Slayter, careers expert for Monster. Monster Worldwide, Inc. (NYSE:MWW), is the global leader in successfully connecting job opportunities and people. Monster uses the world’s most advanced technology to help people Find Better, matching job seekers to opportunities via digital, social and mobile solutions including monster.com®, our flagship website, and employers to the best talent using a vast array of products and services. As an Internet pioneer, more than 200 million people have registered on the Monster Worldwide network. Today, with operations in more than 40 countries, Monster provides the broadest, most sophisticated job seeking, career management, recruitment and talent management capabilities globally. For more information visit about-monster.com.
In today’s race for top talent, it’s a mistake to disregard mobile recruiting. You’ll lose out on strong candidates if you don’t give them a place to apply. Here are four best practices to jump-start your mobile recruiting efforts.
Think like a candidate.
To give your job applicants the best user experience possible, think about what they’re looking for. They are probably looking at your job listing or considering applying from a mobile device for privacy or convenience reasons — they don’t want to browse job ads from their work computers, and so they use mobile devices during their commutes or on their breaks. Use your mobile recruiting site to lure those potential candidates away from the jobs they currently have.
Have a place for them to land.
According to a study by iMomentous, only 5 percent of Fortune 500 companies allow candidates to apply for jobs via mobile devices. What does that tell young professionals if they try to apply online or at least read a job description and find out your organization doesn’t have a mobile recruiting site? It makes a company look out of touch.
Make it functional.
Anticipating what users will want when they visit your mobile recruiting site will help make it a success. Some of the functions you should consider include:
- Responsive design, so the site scales to fit no matter what mobile device the potential applicant is using.
- Basic functions included in any website, such as search capabilities (to look for specific jobs or keywords), the ability to sign up for email alerts (if a certain job opens up) and application status.
- The ability for interested candidates to email job descriptions and other information to themselves.
- A simplified application process. If your website has a 15-page application that requires lots of clicks, uploading or typing, that’s not going to work for your mobile application site. Find ways to streamline the process and make it more convenient.
- Insights into the company. Candidates should be able to get a clear idea of what your company culture is like through your mobile recruiting site.
- Full integration with your ATS.
Think beyond the application.
Mobile recruiting isn’t just about a mobile recruiting site. While allowing users to sign up for email updates, consider including SMS or text updates as well. Users could also opt-in to receive text reminders or confirmations about upcoming interviews, or helpful tips about construction updates on the way to the office or parking when they get there. Link to maps to make it convenient for them to find your office.
Mobile recruiting is here to stay, and progressive organizations need to consider the best ways to incorporate mobile technology into their overall recruiting strategy.
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