At Experteer, our experiences with candidates and headhunters alike have shown us the power of mobile recruitment in today’s HR world. The launch of Experteer’s native iOS Experteer mobile app was a response to our candidates’ mobile experiences and needs. And on that note, an interesting insight is that close to 35% of all traffic from our 6 million strong candidate base now comes via mobile. That is why we believe mobile is critical in the recruitment industry and why you as a headhunter or recruiter should seriously think through your mobile recruitment strategy!
Long-term investment – digital natives are used to mobile experiences and recruitment is no different
Digital natives and millennials are increasingly entering the workforce. This makes it all the more important for recruiters, headhunters and job platforms alike to have a strong mobile presence. Data shows that 74% of candidates will only wait five seconds before they abandon a mobile recruitment site if it fails to load well on their mobile! In fact, 71% of these candidates expect that companies and recruiters should have a mobile optimized and responsive site, and that their mobile experiences should not differ from the desktop experiences.
How can a recruiter or a headhunter create a great mobile experience for candidates?
The infographic below shares some additional data on why creating a mobile experience for a candidate is critical for a headhunter or a recruiter. Here are some points on how a recruiter or a headhunter can create a great mobile experience for their candidates. Only 13% of career sites from Fortune 500 companies are optimized for mobile. This means as an executive recruiter you are missing out on a big opportunity.
- Join career platforms that are already invested in creating the mobile experience: If you do not have a mobile responsive careers page or site, it is good to join platforms and services that are already on that path and share your jobs on these platforms to not lose on the mobile candidates and executives. For the senior candidates’ pool, we do recommend our service that is fully mobile optimized with a native iOS app that usually creates a strong user behavior and stickiness. This is even more important if you are a small or medium sized headhunter and do not have the investment on non-focus areas like mobile app development- use the existing tools on job seeking platforms instead of developing them yourself! As an executive recruiter and headhunter this means that you are able to utilize a platform that already addresses the needs of your candidates in an optimal way.
- Find out how candidates are using the mobile environment: In our perspective, it is highly critical to understand how candidates are using their mobiles (or expecting to) when they use it for recruitment. Data shows that, candidates are using mobiles while on the go, during commute and even at work. This means, mobiles may be seen as a ‘discrete’ channel for candidates to check their job status or new dream options- during the work lunch hour, as opposed to using the Internet in the company they are currently employed with! This behavior may help you decide what mobile content to have and what kind of platforms to use. For instance, will candidates prefer reading content via mobile apps or browsing the mobile Internet? Our logic was that in a short time period the faster it is, the better it works. In that respect an app which is a one-stop-show for all things career works better.
- Ensure simple and good experiences: Dieter Rams’ 10th principle fits most adequately: good design is as little design as possible. Weniger aber besser (less is more). It is important to be reminded of what the candidate needs the most and uses the most. And then optimize instead of filling up the mobile app with all that you could think of! Senior executives with a paucity of time are more likely to appreciate and use something that is thought out in terms of usability as opposed to having a 100 features that they will never use.
Hopefully these tips will enable you as a headhunter and executive recruiter to lap up the mobile recruitment opportunity!
