Nowadays, people do just about everything on their phones: they buy groceries, chat with friends, get medical advice, look for love and even apply for jobs. According to one survey, 89% of job seekers use mobile devices to aid in their job search. If your company hasn’t adopted a smartphone-friendly job application process, then you could be missing out on a large pool of applicants!
In this article, we’ll reveal how to make the job application process easier on modern applicants who prefer to use their phones for, well, everything.
Optimize Your Website for Mobile
Even if the vast majority of job seekers find you on third-party websites, you should seriously consider optimizing your company’s website for mobile devices.
Truly optimizing a website for mobile requires creating a website that is completely responsive. A responsive website looks as good on a smartphone or tablet as it does on a traditional computer. Pictures are automatically resized, site menus are intuitively placed, and no text is cut off. Viewing your company’s website on a phone should be seamless and simple, with no extra work required of your site visitors.
Browse around your company’s online presence. What do you think? If your online presence is clunky and frustrating, you’ll turn off potential applicants from even applying for a position.
Many website templates are automatically responsive. If you built your site from a WordPress template, for example, you’re likely already good to go. If your company’s website has been completely customized, your web developer will have to help you optimize it for mobile.
Create a More Streamlined Application Process
Even the most responsive website in the world won’t get you far with mobile users if the application process isn’t optimized, too. 27% of job seekers wish to view and apply for a job right on their phones. If you want them to finish the process, keep it short and sweet.
You can simplify the application process by truly tailoring questions for each application. Axe any queries that you know are irrelevant or unnecessary. If you’re not sure how to start, review applications from the past few months. Do you notice any questions that never generate meaningful answers? Scratch those.
Modernizing your application process doesn’t just increase the size of your applicant pool. It also gives you an advantage over your competition. Most companies still have complicated application processes that discourage engagement. Maybe that’s not an issue if you’re looking for a new CEO, but if you’re looking to fill a large volume of entry-level or mid-level positions quickly, you’re going to want to do everything you can to generate interest.
Remember, you can save longer questions for later on in the interview process. You’ll also have pre-employment testing to ascertain a prospective employee’s skills, personality and aptitude. These tests can help you predict a candidate’s future performance and make more objective hiring decisions. Mobile-friendly or even game-based assessments can make the process a lot more candidate-friendly and engaging.
Understand Your Applicant’s Journey
Put yourself in your candidate’s shoes. Walk through every step of their journey, from discovering your job listing to submitting an application. Simplify any unnecessary moments in the process.
You may also want to check out how your competition is recruiting applicants. Proprietary apps? Video interviews? You are free to borrow—and then improve upon—what they’re already doing!
It’s important to take a long, hard look at how your company recruits new hires, ensuring that the process is solid enough to ensure you’re hiring the right person, but not so cumbersome or outdated that good candidates walk away.
