A 2013 CareerXroads survey determined that 54% of the companies they surveyed provided or subsidised mobile phones for their recruiters or hiring managers. They also found that more than half of the companies surveyed have mobile optimised career sites. And most notably, one in five companies have enabled visitors to apply for a job via their mobile devices.

Why are these companies embracing mobile recruitment?

We discussed the drivers of mobile recruitment in our previous blog. Here, we outline the reasons why mobile is be the best thing to happen to your recruitment strategy.

1. Constant engagement

According to Career Builder, we no longer live in a time where people wait to get home or the office to check their messages. It is not uncommon for us to check emails on our phones the minute we wake up, and this is true of job seekers as well.

Once recruiters have a careers page up and running, they can set preferences to identify candidates that match a certain set of criteria and opt to receive alerts on their smart phones when these candidates are identified or look at the job posted.

Even better, the system can send alerts when job applications from candidates matching these criteria come in. Because of these alerts, recruiters can review these applications immediately and get in touch with the candidate on the same day.

And these days, with almost everybody having a phone by their side at all times, recruiters have more opportunities to establish a direct connection immediately. This reduces turnaround time and speeds up the process of placing a candidate for the client.

2. Social media integration

Job search applications can be integrated with several social media sites. By creating a presence on various social media networks, you can increase your reach drastically. Engage your audience via these networks and link to your careers site to drive traffic to where it matters – job posts.

Social networks make it easier for you to encourage your peers to recommend a friend for an available position or even refer a friend to you, since they can do this at their convenience.

Of course, it is crucial to have a mobile-optimised career site for this to work as more people browse social networks on their smart phone or tablet rather than laptop or desktop computer.

3. Wider reach

Mobile recruitment can significantly boost your company’s reach to both busy candidates and passive job seekers. No matter how busy a candidate is, he / she will have their smart phone or tablet with them for most of the day.

By developing a mobile careers site and enabling job applications via mobile, recruiters are simplifying the application process and making it convenient for these busy candidates to pursue new roles.

Jason Pinto of CBG Benefits finds that passive job seekers typically spend a significant amount of their time researching a company before pursuing a job opportunity in that company. Since they currently have a job and employers can monitor their web history on the company laptop, the only way these employees can browse or apply for jobs is on their personal mobile device such as smart phone or tablet.

Russell Schramm of Philips sums it up well as he states, “Mobile accessibility has enabled employers to connect with more passive, on-the-fly candidates that they were otherwise unlikely to engage, to deliver more personalised messages that wouldn’t have otherwise been noticed, and to communicate with prospects on their terms vs. the employers’ terms”.

4. Better brand perception and ROI

Career Builder’s Upward Mobility Report shows 9.3 million workers searched for jobs on their mobile devices in March 2013, up from 2.3 million in March 2012. Career Builder themselves have enjoyed a 50% increase of applications that come through their mobile site this year.

They’ve found that 79% of job seekers will switch to a mobile-optimised website if they land on a website that is not mobile friendly. It is also noted that employers with mobile-optimised websites receive higher traffic and fewer bounce rates from mobile candidates.

Essentially, with more people browsing and applying via mobile phones, having a mobile-optimised career site will increase the likelihood of candidates engaging and staying connected with your company.

5. Efficient recruitment

With career sites and job application functions available on mobile devices, recruiters can get real-time information on their candidates, review their applications and shortlist them remotely. Should there be a test prior to an interview or if a candidate requiring more information, recruiters are able to send them these documents in a matter of minutes.

They are also able to schedule candidate interviews with their clients on the go. Mobile recruitment enables them to accomplish more in less time, without the need to be at a desk in an office. Simply put, a recruiter can now be anywhere, and still get the job done.

Nowadays, with recruitment being likened to a war for talent, a mobile recruitment strategy is no longer optional. These advantages of mobile recruitment will give you the much-needed competitive edge in the endless war for talent.

Refer to our Mobile Recruitment whitepaper to take a closer look into the current mobile recruitment landscape:

Alternatively, speak to one of our experts to discuss how you can leverage mobile recruitment to stay ahead of your competitors.