If your business is hoping to recruit top talent, you've got to be able to attract candidates and accept applications via social media and mobile devices. Fourteen percent of job seekers have filled out a job application on their mobile device, according to survey results from the Pew Research Center.
Twenty-eight percent of searchers said they searched for jobs on mobile devices, while 6% of overall job seekers have used their mobile devices to create resumes and cover letters. (As a side note: I'd like to meet this group of over-achievers. Creating a resume on a desktop is difficult enough, let alone creating one on an iPhone. But I digress.)
Social media has also become a key focus area for people looking for employment. Thirty-five percent of social media users have used their Facebook, LinkedIn or Twitter accounts (among others) to find jobs. Twenty-two percent of those who browsed on social media actually submitted an application directly on the networking sites.
What this means?
If your company requires applicants to submit data via lengthy online forms that require heavy amounts of formatting and forward-clicking, you could be losing out on top-notch candidates. Sure, the best and brightest will probably be dedicated enough to trudge through your 15-page online application form, but the extra fields asking for high school GPA and sorority and fraternity allegiance likely won't separate the cream from the crop.
Some businesses have begun enabling applications to submit data pulled from sites like LinkedIn to serve in place of an actual resume and cover letter. This is not ideal for all organizations. However, if your goal is to acquire the most applications possible, this is probably the best way to go, especially considering the information that Pew gleaned.
Regardless of how you choose to accept applications, you should be alerting the masses of your job openings via social media. Thirty-four percent of social media users use the site to tell their friends about jobs and opportunities.
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