Apply Today

3 Ways Global Recruiters Can Leverage Mobile Technology

by Veronica Blatt

Much is being made of the mobile explosion and its impact on job seekers. Mobile technology is also poised to make a significant impact on global recruiters. A lot of people think that ‘mobile recruiting’ means the development of new technology. For me, mobile recruiting really means using existing technology (perhaps in new ways) from a mobile device, perhaps shifting things that used to be done in a desktop environment over to a mobile platform. Here are three ways global recruiters can leverage mobile technology into their recruitment activities:

1. SMS / Text Messaging — Perhaps the original “mobile technology,” SMS/text messaging offers a speedy way for global recruiters to interact with candidates. Research indicates that the average response time for email, when it doesn’t get diverted to spam or otherwise lost, is 72 hours. Text messages, on the other hand, are typically answered in 3 minutes or less. Whatsapp is a text-messaging app that provides free international text messaging

2. Video Interviewing — Once an activity that was purely confined to a desktop environment, video interviewing can now be conducted directly from a mobile phone. I use Skype on my smartphone when I’m traveling to have video calls with my son. Global recruiters can certainly take advantage of this technology to communicate with candidates; Skype is one option, but there are other mobile apps for video interviewing as well.

3. Mobile ATS — An applicant tracking system (ATS) with a truly robust mobile experience is a thing of beauty for global recruiters. In addition to automating candidate activities, a good ATS should also offer a search experience that is specifically designed for a mobile screen. Other important features include lists that are designed for mobile viewing, the ability to create notes on the fly, and the ability to create new positions. Bullhorn’s Mobile-Powered Selling report offers additional suggestions.

With so many resources dedicated to improving the mobile experience for job seekers, it’s easy to forget that global recruiters could also benefit from improved mobile adoption. What other mobile tools are you using?

7-trends

Image courtesy of posterize at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

5 Crazy Mobile Recruiting Stats You Should Know

by Veronica Blatt

image of mobile recruiting on a tabletMobile recruiting continues to dominate conversations about hiring and job search. If your recruiting firm is still behind the curve, here are 5 crazy mobile recruiting statistics that should give you a kick in the pants:

1. Indeed has the #1 free business app for iOS and Android. Are you using Indeed as part of your mobile recruiting strategy? If not, do you have a mobile app of your own? Or a responsively-designed website? Read the rest of this entry »

Global Recruiting Agencies in a Mobile Recruiting World

by Dave Nerz

As if the pace of change and demands of a talent short market are not enough, global recruiting agencies must now add integration of mobile recruiting to their project list. My advice is that we all get busy doing this because as the infographic from Hirerabbit shows below, mobile recruiting is a growing trend and it will impact access to candidates. I hope the data you find in this infographic gets you thinking about the importance of a mobile strategy for your independent recruiting agency.  Let me know what you think by posting a comment or sharing this with your fellow recruiters.

Mobile Recruiting Infographic

Mobile Recruiting: Which is better, an app or a mobile website?

by Veronica Blatt

cell phone with appsAs mobile usage continues to increase, employers and recruiters continue to lag in developing good mobile recruiting strategies. If you haven’t heard this message before, you MUST make it easy for job seekers to interact with your recruiting firm via their mobile device. You must. If you aren’t sure what this means, take out your mobile device right now, and look at your company’s website on it. If you can’t effectively use it on your mobile device without pinching, stretching, scrolling, or typing excessively, you do NOT have a mobile-friendly site. If it is hard (or impossible) for job seekers to visit your site, apply for a job, or share your content from their mobile device, they will stop coming back. If I sound a little bit alarmist, good. Read the rest of this entry »

Are Your Recruiting Resources Attracting the Mobile Job Seeker?

by Dave Nerz

tablet-with-appsHave you been out to lunch today? Take a look around on the streets, on the sidewalks, on benches, in line and in restaurants…people are using smart phones. Some of these people are using Facebook or texting but more than a few are connecting to global recruiting resources and job search tools. That’s right—they are using tools to look for a job while you (perhaps an employer or a recruiter) stand behind them in line waiting for your lunch order or walking by them on the sidewalk. Maybe these mobile job seekers are in your waiting room right now prepping for an interview with you on a mobile app?

Here are a few of the apps candidates are using to do job searches with mobile tools like smart phones and tablets. These tools must be viewed as recruiting resources to attract talent or you will be missing out on the next generation of talent. The ones referenced here are for iPhone. Similar versions are available for Android and other phones and tablets. Read the rest of this entry »

Mobile and the International Recruitment Agency

by Dave Nerz

hand holding smartphoneSocial media and social recruiting have been a part of the global recruiting lexicon for a few years now. It seems that mobile recruiting is on the verge of surpassing social recruiting as the red hot topic for 2013 if you work for an international recruitment agency.

The average international recruitment agency is lagging far behind other professions and industries in leveraging mobile technology to improve the user experience. Many ATS systems consider mobile the ability to shrink the full website to a size that fits on a smartphone screen. Users of mobile technology are not apt to accept that solution as on par with the overall market’s expertise. The benchmarks are in sectors like banking, retail, restaurants, publishing, news, and travel. The handset is a powerful tool to navigate what is new and needed in all of these sectors. Most recruitment sites scream, “I dare you to use me!”

LinkedIn has provided a tool that is getting greater use and holds promise for mobile interface sessions with candidates. The “LinkedIn Apply” feature creates a great way for candidates to send details via mobile applications without connecting their PDF or Word resume via a handset session. I’m guessing that many candidates would not have the know-how or patience to cut and paste a Word resume into a mobile app or into a more traditional site viewed via a Smartphone handset. But they certainly have the ability and comfort using their LinkedIn profile to introduce themselves to an employer, recruitment company or recruiter.

When recruiters moved into social media it was a continual challenge to find ways to engage candidates with information they wanted. With mobile, it is not about what candidates want to do via mobile—because they will do anything and everything you allow. It is about playing catch-up to other sectors that have moved far ahead of the average recruiter in an international recruitment agency. Banking allows you to take pictures of checks and make a deposit electronically. I’m looking forward to a recruitment site that allows you to take a picture of your resume and submit that as an application for an opening.

So for all of us that have pushed mobile aside to focus our attention on social media, wake up and smell the smartphones! Social media has morphed itself into a mobile discussion. Get ready to take on the challenges that 2013 will provide to anyone running an international recruitment agency!

Image courtesy of Ambro at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

7-trends

 

5 Ways Global Recruiters Alienate Job Seekers on the Web

by Veronica Blatt

angry guy holding cell phoneToday, I am on a rant. I have had it up to *here* with websites that don’t function effectively on a mobile device. Turns out I’m not alone. Job seekers have had it, too. Global recruiters simply MUST do a better job creating mobile-optimized websites that are friendly to job seekers.

Job seekers are increasingly using mobile devices as their primary, if not ONLY, means of accessing the internet. The mobile web is different. Job seekers will NOT use your site if it’s too hard to do on their handheld device. Global recruiters who respond, NOW, with a great mobile experience for job seekers will be way ahead of their competitors and clients.

What do I mean by a “mobilized” website? Simply put, a site that fits correctly on the screen of a mobile device and does not require a user to *work* in order to use the site. Whether you build a separate mobile site, a mobile app, or a responsively-designed website, you simply cannot afford to ignore mobile devices any longer. Still not sure what I mean? Look at our website, www.npaworldwide.com on a desktop browser. You’ll see a left-to-right orientation, lots of images, sidebar menus, etc. Now load our site on your mobile device. The site automatically adjusts to accommodate the size of your device. The dynamic, pop-up menu goes away in favor of a simplified, larger, text-based menu. Sidebar menus go away or become part of the main text area. It’s a completely different experience because the mobile user demands a completely different experience.

Here are 5 things about global recruiters’ websites that drive job seekers batty:

  1. Enough with the pinching and zooming already. Have you tried to use your firm’s website on a mobile device? If visitors have to pinch, zoom, and scroll to see the whole site and use its features, you should assume they won’t come back. Savvy global recruiters will invest in a responsively-designed site that makes it easy for visitors to find and share content.
  2. Drop-down menus. Are you SERIOUS? Drop-down menus are a nightmare on a mobile platform. Get rid of them in your mobile installation and job seekers will be more likely to return.
  3. Itsy-bitsy, teeny-weeny, hyperlinks. If users can’t see or click on hyperlinks without pinching and zooming (see #1 above), they will leave your site in favor of global recruiters who don’t inflict this torture on their site visitors.
  4. Limited functionality across a range of devices. Your site is optimized for the iPhone 5 and the newest Samsung tablet? Give yourself 10 points! But deduct 10 points for each type of older device that you forgot. While the news reports might make it seem like *everyone* is clamoring to buy the newest handheld gadget, that’s simply not true. There are literally millions of fully-functional older devices still in use. Forget about them and you’re guaranteed to alienate those job seekers.
  5. Long application forms. Filling out forms on a mobile device is painfully slow and difficult. Don’t ask job seekers to do this. While you’re at it, eliminate the requirement to create an account to use your site.

Have you found a great mobile recruiting site? Share it in the comments!

Whatsapp Can Be a Useful Tool for Global Recruiting

by Veronica Blatt

Are you doing any global recruiting? Have you ever wished for a quick and inexpensive way to reach out to clients, candidates, or other recruiters? Recently I was made aware of a mobile phone application, Whatsapp, which is basically an IM service for your cell phone. It’s available for iPhone, Android, Blackberry, and Nokia phones. Whatsapp uses your phone’s Internet connection and even supports audio and video transfer. Oh, and did I mention you won’t pay international text fees?

That’s right. Free international texting.

I realize there are lots of other communication tools, but they tend to have limitations in terms of platform support, accessibility, cost, and speed. Whatsapp avoids these issues by making use of the same data plan you already have on your phone. Here are some ways you can use Whatsapp in your global recruiting efforts:

  • Confirm interviews with candidates (or clients) without having to rely on email, which may not be received on time
  • Reach out to global recruiting partners for communication updates such as, “Thanks for forwarding that resume. I got it.”
  • Connect with clients for issues that are time-sensitive and/or happen outside normal working hours.

People are relying more and more on their mobile devices, and are connected to them from very early in the morning until very late at night, including weekends. In our global recruiting network, we are continually frustrated with delayed responses due to the huge time zone differences. It’s especially frustrating when the weekend has already started in other countries and by the time a response is seen, it’s already someone else’s Tuesday.  Using a tool like Whatsapp can help get faster answers to time-sensitive questions.

For Android users (including me) Whatsapp is a free download. iPhone users pay US$.99 to download the app. After a free one-year trial, the service costs a whopping US$1.99 annually. Oh, and Whatsapp doesn’t sell ads.

What’s your favorite app to assist with your global recruiting activities?

Ten Terrific Mobile Recruiting Resources

by Veronica Blatt

I’ve written before about how important it is for independent recruiters to knowledgeable about mobile recruiting technology. If I sound like an alarmist, good! Too many recruitment websites are badly outdated in terms of technology and functionality. Independent recruiters simply cannot afford to fall any further behind in the mobile recruiting game.

Here is a list of ten mobile recruiting resources, in no particular order:

Are you ready for the mobile recruiting revolution? What’s your favorite mobile recruiting resource?

Image(s): FreeDigitalPhotos.net

  • Press Releases

  • Blog Topics

    • Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility