I have been fascinated by just how far mobile technology has come in the last 5 years and even more so by where it is going. Something that has become so ingrained into our lives has to effect recruiting, right? Well of course it does!

My husband is working out of state this week and while the kids and I sat using the Skype app on my android phone to hear about his day's events, I noticed how very normal this was for my 4 year old daughter. I, on the other hand, still felt like Jane Jetson! I was almost giddy. Who knew we would see this kind of technology in our lifetime? Mobile is here, and "wow!" it is here to stay. I'm confident that using mobile technology will be important for recruiting almost every generation. It will be mandatory for attracting  the millennial candidate and beyond. Keep in mind, by 2018 it is estimated that this group will make up 50% of the workforce.

Smartphone usage has grown 50% between 2011 and 2012 alone. Mobile device use is expected to overtake PC use by 2014.  It doesn't take a lot of due diligence to see that mobile is where everyone is spending their time these days. For a recruiter, that impacts their sourcing strategy significantly. Frustrated employees are checking out job ads from their phone at their desk or on a break. Even those who are just curios about an opportunity they see while browsing the web can express their interest immediately from any location, at any time of day.

According to a recent Microsoft Tag infographic, Americans spend 2.7 hours per day on their phone socializing. That is over twice the amount of time they spend eating and over one-third of the time they spend sleeping. I listened to a blog cast last week that claimed there are literally more mobile phones on this planet than toothbrushes!

At REKRUTR, we are working hard on our Mobile 2.O roll-out, which I know will be exciting for our users. We completed phase 1 just a few short weeks ago. The updates ensured our site was mobile friendly for all devices, and it allows new users to sign up and view our brochure pages. Perhaps the most significant increase in mobile traffic we recognized though, was candidate traffic. We saw a dramatic increase in mobile applicants the first day. Even applicants using iOS (their iPhone) are able to let the recruiter know they have interest in the position immediately after viewing, despite the fact that they don't have access to a stored resume.

My prediction: mobile will play a big part in the future of recruiting ! If you have any doubts about just how much of an impact that mobile is already making on recruiting, check out iMomentous blogger,Vanessa Bostwick's post for More Mind-Blowing Statistics About Mobile Recruiting. She sites some incredible stats from one of our tier one posting partners, Simply Hired. Their 2013 Mobile Recruiting Outlook had some great information on the subject.

What are your thoughts about the impact of mobile on your recruitment practice? What other ways are you using mobile?

Amy McDonald  is the President and CEO at REKRUTR. She has been working in the human resources and recruiting industry for over 20 years. Amy has worked with hundreds of recruitment professionals throughout her career, training best practices in sourcing candidates and refining the recruitment process. In her spare time, Amy participates as a thought leader in Recruiting for BIZCATALYST360° .