Why Mobile-Friendly Recruitment Is Key in Converting Top Talent

Around the globe, recruitment managers and talent acquisition specialists from all nooks and crannies of the workforce are sharing one undeniable truth: we’re living in a competitive candidate market. Now, more than ever, it’s important for employers to be strategic and purposeful in their pursuit of new talent. Today’s job-hunting process no longer consists of candidates walking from one office to the next and handing out their resumés. This era has been replaced by smart devices. Despite this reality, only 43% of companies have mobile-friendly career sites.

With 45% of job seekers using their mobile devices to search for jobs on a daily basis, and 89% stating that mobile devices play a critical role in the job-hunting process, companies can no longer ignore the importance of having a mobile-friendly career site.

Why Employers Need to be Mobile-Optimised

There is an entire untapped pool of candidates your organisation is missing out on via mobile. Think about it: you’re implementing recruitment strategies and spending company funds to attract top talent. Imagine catching their attention only to lose them to a competitor because they either can’t apply on a mobile device or because your application process is way too complex. That’s not just lost revenue, that’s potential hires you’re letting walk away. 

We know you don’t enjoy the sound of that. So, how can you establish a mobile strategy that effectively captures leads while building a pipeline of quality applicants? You need to shift focus and ensure your company has the following: a mobile-friendly career site, a mobile-friendly capture form (which gives applicants the ability to connect their LinkedIn or Facebook profiles in lieu of uploading a resumé), and a mobile-friendly application process.

Establishing a Mobile-Friendly Career Site

Mobile searches reign supreme compared to desktop searches. Without a mobile-optimized career site, you’ll not only miss a bulk of potential candidates – increasing your time-to-fill – but you’ll forfeit the opportunity to rank higher in search results because Google’s algorithm gives mobile-friendly sites greater authority. So, you’ll be penalized from an SEO perspective, and you’ll lack a competitive advantage due to the poor accessibility of your career site. 

Today’s digitally savvy candidates expect a simple, streamlined experience when using their smartphones. Without a mobile-friendly career site, they will lose interest and quickly move on to the next opportunity. Wondering exactly what candidates expect? They want simple navigation, fast-loading images, quick and punchy headlines and content, the ability to link to social accounts, a call-to-action (CTA) to “Apply Now,” as well as an area where they can simply enter their email address to sign up for your talent network.  

Capturing Candidate Info: The Mobile-Friendly Way

Creating a mobile-optimized career site stems beyond simply generating applicants. Employers can enhance their recruitment strategy by nurturing talent and capturing their interest, rather than solely focusing on driving them to an intricate or confusing application process. For example, a quality candidate may be browsing your career site and is interested in your company, but not ready to submit an application at that precise moment in time. When you provide a mobile-friendly form for candidates to complete, you can capture names and email addresses from leads that would otherwise drop-off your site.

You can also give the candidates the option of quickly checking a box to opt-in to receive more information about your company and job opportunities. By doing so, you open the doorway to convert more leads into applicants over time. Additionally, you can begin building a pipeline of high-quality candidates versus being flooded with resumés that just sit untouched in your ATS.

Driving Applicants Through an Easy Candidate Journey

There are a number of factors to consider when devising a strong mobile application strategy, like your ideal candidate profile, the type of technology you’re using, and the average time it takes candidates to apply via their smartphone. An application process that requires candidates to upload their resumés spend and spend 22 minutes filling out a questionnaire will only wind up discouraging talent from applying. Your goal = don’t lose leads. With a mobile-friendly career site, you can capture quality candidates and begin building relationships with those individuals for current needs, future openings, and as a referral source. 

The war for talent is extremely competitive. The last thing your company wants is to turn candidates off due to a lengthy or complex application process. With a mobile-friendly career site, you’ll stop missing out on top talent and generate more interest in your open positions. Additionally, you’ll shorten the length of the candidate journey. The sooner you can fill open seats, the more profitable your organization will be!