Is Your Hiring Process Truly Cell Phone Friendly?

We live in a world where the smartphone is the most popular computer in the world and where, according to Glassdoor, 45% of jobseekers say they use their mobile device specifically to search for jobs at least once a day. To recruit in that world, it’s not just ideal – but rather absolutely necessary – that employers create an environment where candidates can seamlessly apply for job opportunities and move through the hiring process.

Here are the essentials to creating a mobile-friendly experience for interested candidates:

Quick Load Time

Nothing loses a visitor as quickly as poor load time. Sixty percent of mobile candidates expect sites to load within 3 seconds, reported SHRM. Every 1 second of load time could lower conversion rate by 7% on mobile devices, published KissMetrics. As you improve your career sitemobile recruiting stack, remember functionality first. If you and your team make a page more aesthetically pleasing but also increasingly complicated, make sure the load time is not affected, as this can create candidate drop-off.

Mobile-optimized Careers Page

A mobile-optimized career page means your site is configured so that your design changes on smaller screens. This means that it both looks good and is easy to use on tablets and cell phones. As recently as 2012, ERE reported that only 10% of Fortune 500 companies have a mobile-optimized career site and less than 5% are capable of accepting an application on a mobile device.

Mobile Optimized Job Ad

If a candidate can’t apply for a job on their mobile device, there is a massive gap in your recruitment lifecycle. In mid-2015, a Pew Internet study reported 18% of smartphone users submitted a job application via mobile (up from 5% in 2012). Jobseeker behaviour is increasingly mobile, and over the last 4 years organizations who are mobile friendly have captured that increased candidate demand. Is your job ad easy to read on a mobile device? And is your job application simple enough for your own CEO to complete in between their countless meetings?

Big (Finger-friendly) Apply Button

If a jobseeker can technically apply to your job, but has to zoom in to click the apply button, you are creating unnecessary friction in your job application. As you move up or down the page, make that button large and permanent on the screen. All text, images, job and company details exist on this page to encourage the right person to click on this button; don’t have your design make them think twice.

Apply with Social Network

Who keeps a copy of their resume saved on their mobile device? By requiring an attachment of a resume, you are forcing anyone who doesn’t have their resume saved on their phone in the proper file type to drop off from your application. By allowing candidates to apply with a social network, it’s much simpler for the candidate to complete the job application process. On the company’s side, make sure to properly set up what information you gather from the social network and make it clear to the candidate in your messaging that you collect what information is necessary to apply for the job.

Minimal Cover Letter Expectation

Who wants to type a long message on their phone? Or even copy and paste a long message? A true mobile-friendly design should imply, and maybe even spell out, that a short message to the hiring manager is all that is expected when it comes to a cover letter.

Text Messaging Confirmation

People often forget that the breakthrough feature of the cell phone was text messaging. People text 8.3 trillion times per year, and 97% of Americans text daily. If you want to ensure that your interview schedule was confirmed, automate the text to the candidate. Plus if there are any outstanding issues or last minute changes, this sets up the precedent to just text the candidate directly.

Text Messaging Interview Scheduling

Once a candidate’s applied, the company’s reviewed the application, and they both want to meet, there is scheduling work to be completed. This can be done over email, but to handle a higher volume of interviews, it’s best to set up text message scheduling. Texting holds a 98% open rate, versus 20% for email. To see that your scheduling requests and changes are seen sooner, host the conversation on text, and figure out how much of that conversation you can automate.

Get Help from MightyRecruiter

MightyRecruiter not only gives recruiters and hiring leaders using our all-on-one platform a standout mobile experience, we also wanted to give you the power to pass this kind of treatment onto your candidates. That’s why you have the ability to quickly and easily build your own mobile-optimized career site with our platform. Try it out now by starting a 7-day free trial.