Using Mobile Technology For Hiring Top Talent

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The way people search for jobs is changing. The internet signalled one massive shift in recruitment behavior in the last decade-- companies started by incorporating social media into their HR strategy with Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn recruiting. Mobile phones and accompanying apps are representing the next major shift.

Figures show that people are increasingly accessing the internet via their mobile phones, making this platform a huge target for companies looking to add to their talent base and for dedicated recruiters.

Strategy Analytics released a study in early 2011 suggesting the number of people using the mobile internet has quadrupled in the US and tripled in Western Europe over the past four years.

Simply launching a mobile app without first considering how it will integrate within a current HR recruitment strategy or what sort of candidates you intend to target, however, is a mistake.

Implementing Mobile Recruitment


Even those who don't plan to integrate a dedicated mobile app within their recruitment strategy should ensure they are capable of supporting the platform. With dedicated recruiters being among the first to develop such applications, this should be one of the first places to start.
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UK recruiter Jobsite, for example, recently announced it experienced a 200 percent increase in the number of those accessing its site via mobile phone. The site now receives eight percent of its applications through mobile devices.

"In the majority of cases we handle the application but in the instances where we don't it can be unfortunate as there's little we can do if the agency doesn’t cater for mobile. Similarly, many applicant tracking systems aren't catering for mobile," Darren Sher, Jobsite senior marketing manager, innovation and mobile, told Recruiter.

The key factor driving the use of mobile platforms for recruitment is accessibility. An accessible website will encourage applications, particularly from those who spend a lot of their life traveling, according to Paul Daley, director of HR consulting and services at Ochre House.

Developing an app is the next stage on from this—one which global businesses such as Adidas, Barclays and Lloyds have chosen to take in recent years.

Recruiter Hays, which was among the first in the UK to offer an app for potential job applicants, explained: "Candidates are looking for speed and ease in their online job search and the introduction of the iPhone application is one way of addressing these needs."

Adidas Recruitment App


Adidas created its recruitment app to achieve two key aims: to attract top graduates and to create a strong employer brand.

Between October 2010, when the app was launched, and February 2011, it had been downloaded more than 7,000 times, People Management recently reported, and is being considered a success in drawing in potential talent.

"The graduate market is very technically savvy and the app idea was killing three birds with one stone – by updating our recruitment process, being innovative and new to the marketplace, and attracting the type of candidates that we wanted," Jennifer Cunningham, recruitment manager at Adidas Group UK, told the news provider.

Although the application does not yet provide a dedicated facility to allow people to apply for jobs, Adidas is using it to determine how many people were persuaded to apply for positions after using the app.

"Getting a high volume of candidates has never been a problem, but we do have a unique culture that people either 'get' or don't get - and we wanted to find a way to represent that," Cunningham told Recruiter.

She added the app helped Adidas align its employer and consumer brands to offer the same "innovative light."

"This, we hope, will help elevate us as a number one destination for top talent," she added.


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