BENEFITS OF MAKING RECRUITMENT MOBILE-FRIENDLY

In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, many things have to shift in the work place in order to better cope and adjust. A simple yet transformative change is the shift from traditional to a more mobile-friendly recruitment process to fit with growing smartphone usage.  This advancement has already been apparent in recent years following the advent and continued growth of technology. However, its importance has been made all the more stark by current changes wrought by the pandemic. Thus, a mobile-friendly recruitment process like a website, texting and video- conferencing, is becoming one of the most crucial HR trends to follow. It needs to be easy to read, quick and user- friendly. If it is hard to read, slow and difficult to use on the phone, then it increases the risk of losing out on qualified candidates who abandon the process (Snook, 2020). So as an HR department, ensure that candidates can go on their phones or tablets and be able to search for the perfect job on your company’s platform (Krumrie, 2020).

Attracts a wider pool of candidates

Working with statistics, not only has it been found that 70% of job seekers use their smartphones to search for jobs, but also, for nearly every 1 in 5 U.S adults, the smartphone is the single source of internet at home (Hedreen, 2019). Extrapolating the cost of internet and technologies to access it, this number is likely higher here in Kenya. Furthermore, it is estimated that 75% of the world will have access to the internet exclusively via smartphone by 2025 (Hedreen, 2019). Mobile technology, therefore, is increasingly becoming an essential in people’s everyday lives and subsequently a sure way to reach out to potential candidates as a significant portion of talent can be found on the phone. More candidates also means higher chances of drawing in top talent.

Saves time and money

Owing to its simplicity as compared to the traditional methods of recruitment such as physical interviews, mobile-friendly methods speed up the recruiting process because candidates are able to respond quickly to both job advertisements and recruiter questions at any time of the day. This saves time as there is no need for scheduling specific times for interviews, looking for appropriate venues to cater for all the potential candidates and spending hours on hours looking for the best hire: “An overlong recruitment cycle will result in the loss of talent from your pipeline.” says Paul Beard, Skywater Search founding partner (Krumrie, 2020). Additionally, it can be done from anywhere, even when travelling or moving in between meetings in the workplace. So it saves time and money for the company, recruiters and the candidate while, increasing the chances of both parties finding what they want.

Improves candidate experience

It makes the recruitment process more convenient for the candidates. Phones are always on the person or near them and so are not difficult to reach at any given moment as compared to computers. It is precisely this aspect of flexibility coupled with the ability to have one’s documents like the resume and certificates just a few clicks away that make smartphones appealing to use for just about anything, including job applications (and recruitment!). Add to that the fact that many people are in careers or industries that require them to be on their feet most of the time, like engineering, medicine and sales, it provides candidates with an easier, cheaper and less stressful way to search and apply for jobs. Moreover, “millennial workers have shown that they want a different application experience, one that brings jobs to them quickly and easily.” according to founder of former CEO of job- matching app Switch, Yarden Tadmor (Hedreen, 2019).

Enhances company’s brand

Mobile-friendly intergrations make the company look modern and up to date which attracts more candidates because it demonstrates the company is willing to adapt and cares about the experience of its candidates and employees. Also, making mobile applications available drives traffic to the careers site, bringing more attention to the company in general. For that reason, the career site should also be mobile-friendly in order to facilitate the process. For instance, it should be easy to navigate and straightforward. Besides, the brand image should be reflected too, to have the most impact.

Brandy Awuor

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More importantly, because of the great incongruence between the talents that companies are searching for and that which is being offered in the market, social media recruiting provides a platform through which talent can be easily identified and a connection established directly

References

Hedreen, S. (2019, July 04). Top Mobile Recruiting Tips for Small Business. Retrieved from https://www.businessnewsdaily.com/8405-mobile-recruiting-tips.html

Krumrie, M. (2020, September 10). Why You Must Have A Mobile Recruitment Strategy. Retrieved from https://www.ziprecruiter.com/blog/why-you-must-have-a-mobile-recruitment-strategy/

Poirier, J. F. (2020, March 27). Mobile Recruitment: Smart Recruiting Through Smartphones. Retrieved from https://www.talentlyft.com/en/blog/article/330/mobile-recruitment-smart-recruiting-through-smartphones

Snook, A. (2020). 16 HR Trends You Need to Know in 2020 (According to Experts): I-Sight. Retrieved from https://i-sight.com/resources/16-hr-trends-you-need-to-know-in-2020-according-to-experts/#health

American Psychological Association 6th edition formatting by BibMe.org.