Are You Ready for the Mobile Job Seeker?

Around the world smartphones are transforming how people seek out and apply for job opportunities — half of all searches on Indeed now come from mobile devices. To gain a deeper understanding of mobile job search, Harris Poll conducted a survey on behalf of Indeed, asking either unemployed or working people how they use their cellphone, smartphone or tablet to identify job opportunities.

The findings of the survey reveal that modern candidates want to take their job search with them -- 32% of people say they would rely on their mobile device more in their current or future job search than they did in their last job search.* As job search continues to evolve from a desktop activity to a mobile one, the smartest employers know that competing for the best talent means reaching candidates when and where they’re receptive to the right job.

Some companies are prepared for the mobile moment, but those without a mobile optimized career site are reducing their chances to connect with the right talent. Job seekers have eagerly adopted mobile apply; in fact, over 200,000 applications are submitted each day on Indeed and that number has quadrupled over the last year. The results of the survey offer three key insights for organizations that are preparing for the mobile job seeker:

1. Create a seamless experience from desktop to mobile

While each mobile career site is unique, the most successful contain many of the same features. Clean and simple design with clear navigation, the right information in a discoverable format, and an easy application process are all highly desirable features. With 71% of job seekers ages 18-34 willing to apply for a job via their mobile device if the process becomes easier, now is the time for companies to act and create the experience job seekers want.*

2. Reduce friction in the hiring process by removing unnecessary steps

Mobile is inherently different from desktop and subsequently, each job search should be tailored to the candidate and their device. 42% of job seekers cite the lengthy application process frustrating when searching for jobs -- to succeed with mobile recruiting, eliminate friction in the hiring process by removing unnecessary steps and questions.*

3. Test every stage of the application process to understand what works

The smartest companies test, measure and challenge everything. Whether it’s the application process, job title or description, mobile recruiting leaders continually track and optimize their efforts. Running a single test is the best approach, rather than making many adjustments at one time. Continually testing offers a deeper understand of what attracts the right candidates.

Indeed data shows that companies that follow these steps are not just setting themselves up to receive mobile applications, but for recruiting success too -- those organizations which accept mobile applicants can receive twice as many quality applicants.

With mobile job searches up from 33% in 2013 to 50% in 2014, serving the mobile job seeker is both a challenge and tremendous opportunity for talent acquisition professionals.

Getting started with Indeed Apply

Indeed Apply is available to every employer for free, and it's easy for anyone to get started. For employers with career sites, Indeed Apply can be integrated directly with your site or with your Applicant Tracking System (ATS). A list of ATSs that currently offer Indeed Apply can be found here.

If you don’t have a dedicated career site, post your jobs on Indeed to have Indeed Apply automatically enabled. Your jobs will be appropriately displayed on mobile devices and be ready to receive applications from mobile candidates.

We'll also work with you to create a custom, branded career site so you can accept applications for any job on any device. Our technology integrates seamlessly with any applicant tracking system, and requires absolutely no IT integration. Send us a note at gomobile@indeed.com to get started.

* Source: Harris Poll

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Methodology:

This survey was conducted online within the United States by Harris Poll on behalf of Indeed.com from May 28-30, 2014 among 2,051 adults ages 18 and older. This online survey is not based on a probability sample and therefore no estimate of theoretical sampling error can be calculated. For complete survey methodology, including weighting variables, please contact pr@indeed.com.

All mentions of job seekers are those who are employed or not employed but looking for work and who are cellphone, smartphone tablet owners.