Social media and social recruiting are very busy words and phrases as many try to tame the savage beast. However, social recruiting has an appendage that is growing in strength and on the horizon.  In 2011, Potentialpark surveyed more than 30,000 job seekers and 350 employers worldwide.  19% of job seekers used their mobile devices (phones, pads) with a complementing but low 7% of employers having a mobile version of their career website and 3% with a mobile job app. 

Meanwhile in the six month period between August 2011 and January 2012, Smartphone ownership grew by 13% and Tablets by 66%. In absolute terms, market penetration of Smartphones grew from 24% of people stating they owned one in August 2011 to 34% in January 2012. For Tablets, 3% said they owned such a device in August 2011 and 10% said they owned one in January 2012.  This is a very strong shift in about 5-6 months.

The statistics are Canadian, however, I don’t expect the USA is dissimilar and what this suggests is a shift not in where job seekers or clients find their information but how they access that information.  Recruiters and employers lack knowledge of how job seekers are using mobile devices and how their businesses could take advantage of the mobile web to find top talent.  This becomes an area of notable advantage in selling our services and the added value we bring.  This does not change the value of social recruiting, just how job seekers and clients access their online communities and information.

First we have to understand how important mobile is?  Ask yourself this question first and then think about your own behavior?  For example, 91% of mobile phones are within arm’s reach each hour of the day and is the last thing we see at night and the first we see in the morning.  Can you relate to this?  This is research from 2007 (Morgan Stanley) and in 2012 I don’t suspect things have declined.  In fact of the things we never leave home without includes keys, wallet/purse and our phone.  This means job seekers and clients have opportunity to access our business model and platform 24/7, at home or around town - if we ensure capability to do so.

Attached is a 2009 image of the mobile intent index, illustrating what mobile devices are used for.  Staying informed, research and education score very strong (2009).  It would be unwise to assume that mobile is not an active and growing opportunity to connect, educate, sell and recruit.

intentindex.jpg

There have been a few case studies and one is worth noting here as an example.  ATT Jobs was a mobile SMS campaign.  SMS is ‘short message service’ and commonly referred as texting.  SMS is the most widely used application on the planet and has a 95% read rate with a 15-20% response rate, compared to 1-2% in traditional media.  ATT jobs was able to instantly measure a 30% increase in response vs. email/job boards and 80% click through to job listings (all within 48 hours).  This is one example of using mobile recruiting to drive awareness and illustrates some of the potential success.  Like the fine print on anything, these results might not be duplicated; however, there is success to be had in positioning more readily the recruiting industry in the ever growing mobile world.

Darryl Moore

Executrade – Your Recruitment Specialist