Does this sound familiar?
Recruiter: “The information you’re looking for is on our website.”
Candidate: “I’m trying to find it but it’s incredibly difficult to find on my phone.”
Recruiter: “Oh yeah, don’t try it on your phone, you need to use your computer.”
Candidate: “I don’t have a computer. I only brought my phone.”
If all the stories we’ve been hearing from staffing and recruiting companies are true then this conversation has most likely happened in your office. Maybe even a few times.
In the same way we watched the fax machine die out, we’re seeing the same thing happen for some people when it comes to the desktop computer. Crazy right? That’s right, the ‘mobile only’ candidate is here!
For all of us strapped to desks during our workday, the desktop computer is still our main machine. However, many people with jobs in other industries can get by just fine with exclusive use of mobile devices (phones and/or tablets). We’ve talked to several staffing companies recently that told us their candidates traveling on long term contracts are not bringing laptops with them and don’t have convenient access to computers. However, of course they brought their phone and iPad.
So what does this mean for your staffing or recruiting company? It means you simply can no longer afford to have your website and overall Internet strategy be limited to desktop computers. It means you can no longer ask your users to pinch and zoom, and click little tiny links designed for a large monitor. It means it’s no longer up to you how your customers and candidates decide to access the Internet. They are in charge; it’s their choice. If you don’t accommodate them, your competition will. It means it’s now your responsibility to deliver the same experience, access and support to all of your candidates, regardless of their device/platform preference. Today, many of your candidates may not have access to a computer and/or simply prefer using a mobile device. These candidates want and need access to the same information as your desktop users, it just needs to be presented in a different context. The mobile-only candidate is your customer too. If you don’t have a mobile-friendly website and mobile strategy, you aren’t treating them like they are.
Engaging with the Mobile-Only Candidate
The popularity of smartphones means that more and more people are going online with their mobile device. Toward the end of 2012, Simply Hired reported that 70% of all job seekers are conducting job searches via mobile devices. This is an impossible number to ignore and means that more and more candidates are expecting positive and functional mobile experience when interacting with your company. As I’m sure you can guess, these numbers aren’t going to decrease. With sales of desktop computers declining, more and more people will continue to rely on their smartphones and tablets for online access. For these people, if your website and marketing content isn’t mobile-ready you will miss out on this audience.
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How to Reach Them
It’s simple: Don’t see mobile-only candidates as being different. Your mobile-only candidates should have access to the same content, be able to reach you, sign up for job alerts and apply for jobs through any device they choose. Creating a good mobile experience and strategy is easy and shouldn’t require a big effort to decide what should be mobile and what should be desktop. For the most part, if it doesn’t work or belong on your mobile site then it probably doesn’t belong on your desktop-friendly site either. Fortunately creating this experience isn’t hard. Mobile website development and mobile marketing strategies are no longer secondary plans or add-ons for many innovative staffing and recruiting firms. In fact, I’d suggest these should now be primary strategies and the bulk of your company’s online, marketing investment for the next several years.
If you’re not meeting the needs of the new mobile only candidate it’s time to change your priorities. If you’d like to discuss a mobile website or mobile marketing strategy let us know and we’ll show you how easy and effective it can be.
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[…] Does this sound familiar? Recruiter: “The information you're looking for is on our website." Candidate: “I'm trying to find it but it's incredibly difficult to find on my phone. […]