"You are about to enter another dimension, a dimension not only of sight and sound but of mind..." — Rod Serling

How about a dimension where a majority of job seekers search AND apply for jobs from their mobile devices, yet only a small fraction of companies are enabled to allow this? Now that’s a scary dimension. And it’s the one we’re living in right now.

How’s this for frightening?

• 70 percent of job seekers use mobile devices in their job search
• 81 percent of employees use their personal mobile devices for work
• 23 percent of keyword searches that contain the word "job" come from mobile devices

And yet...

• Talent HQ reports that only 16% of U.S. talent acquisition "leaders" have optimized their career sites for a mobile audience — including only 26 of the Fortune 500 companies.

That’s truly terrifying. But wait, there’s more!

• 1 BILLION job searches are done per MONTH on a MOBILE device
• 61% of people have a better impression of a brand based on their mobile experience
• Mobile friendly recruitment, properly executed, has a conversion rate 5x to 10x better than PC, at 20% the cost
• 40% of mobile candidates abandon a non-mobile friendly apply process

And yet...

• A recent CareerBuilder survey of the Fortune 500 reveals that only 99 of them had career sites with a mobile-optimized process to search for jobs.
• Of those companies, only 14 had a mobile-friendly process to actually apply for jobs; however, 64 will let job seekers email the jobs to themselves to apply later.

And how many of those job seekers given the option to e-mail themselves and apply later from their desktops? We don’t have the number for that one, but if we did...

The reality is, today’s job seeker is mobile. Not “increasingly” mobile, but mobile. They’re already there. Today's job seeker expects to not only be able to search for jobs via mobile, but to complete the entire application process from their devices. That’s not the Twilight Zone, that’s the truth.

And “getting mobile” isn’t just about making sure your career site fits nicely and looks good on a smartphone or tablet, that’s only the beginning. Today’s candidate isn’t going to be impressed by your so-called “mobile friendly” site if they are forced to complete the process from their desktop… if they even have a desktop anymore. The next generation of talent may very well ask, “what’s a desktop?” Think that’s hyperbole? Think again.

Some companies — not very many, but some — get this already, and have made the move to mobile optimize their entire hiring process. In a presentation at last month’s Mobile Recruiting Conference in Atlanta, the following companies were revealed as the cream of the crop in terms of mobile readiness:

• AT&T
• Dow Chemical
• General Motors
• Macy’s
• McDonalds
• Walmart
• Casey’s General Stores
• Tyson Foods

These are the firms to benchmark against (4 of the top 6 are Jibe clients, btw). Check out what they’ve done, and don’t delay any longer. If you do, you very well could end up in another dimension… one where all the best candidates don’t even know you exist. Now that’s horrifying.