Recruitment strategies for engaging today’s job seeker

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By: Dona DeZube, Monster Finance Expert

As more consumers set aside laptops in favour of smartphones, iPads and other tablet computers, job seekers expect to be engaged with videos, job notifications and quick follow-up. Many experts say that companies must learn to adapt their recruitment strategy to these platforms.

With new tools and applications, you can adapt your current recruitment messages to the latest devices in the Web 2.0 world. The results will generate greater engagement and increase your ability to attract top talent.
Today’s mobile job seekers have different expectations and look for:

  • Instant updates about new jobs via their mobile devices
  • Immediate feedback to their job application 
  • Recruiting videos to watch on their mobile devices
  • Engaging, interactive content from employers

While that may seem impossible as a small business hiring strategy, here’s the good news: responding to those demands with consistent recruiting messages across multiple platforms is easier and less expensive than you might imagine.

The Growth of Mobile Recruiting
“Over the past 12 months, Monster has seen a threefold increase in mobile-based traffic to our site", says Vasu Nagalingam, senior product director for Consumer at Monster. To better cater to this audience, Monster has created a suite of mobile apps for iPhone, iPad and Android.  

Industries that look to find good hourly employees - positions where it’s more important to have a phone and always-on access — will likely be the first to adapt their recruiting strategies to mobile messaging. Employers who recognise the fact that increasingly consumers are using their smartphones to access the internet and start moving their services to mobile-friendly platforms will benefit in the long run.

The Ease of Mobile Messaging
Small business recruiting strategies should be revisited for opportunities to tap into the mobile evolution. As Internet-connected mobile devices are an “always-on” personal device, any opportunities to link these attributes into the recruitment process will be beneficial to seekers. Some ideas include:

  • Job postings where seekers call the hiring manager directly instead of applying with a CV 
  • Mobile customer relationship management (CRM) that links recruiters and seekers via instant messaging
  • Use of permission-based Short Message Service (SMS) 
  • Frequent updates to show the candidate their progress through the application process
  • Incorporation of QR codes (Quick Response) in recruitment materials

Going Beyond the Written Word with Video
Videos make you stand out, and are more affordable than you’d think.

  • Your employees are your best asset. A video that features your employees talking about the reasons why they enjoy working for your company, or what makes their jobs exciting, can be incredibly compelling.
  • They give job seekers a peek at your corporate culture. Video is a great medium to visually communicate and showcase key selling points for your company, such as a unique office layout, a casual work environment, a downtown or scenic location.
  • Show what job requirements look like in real life. A job description that says you have to lift a 50-pound box into a truck is different than actually seeing someone do it; this also helps candidates more accurately judge if they’re equipped to do the job.
  • Feature aspects of the job that don’t fit easily into a job description. This can include your company’s tools, materials or machinery.

Once completed, you can add your recruitment video to your Monster job posting, your corporate website’s career pages, your company’s Facebook page and other social media pages. You can also email it to candidates and post it on popular video hosting sites like YouTube.

What to Do with All Those New Leads
What’s the downside of a more powerful mobile recruiting strategy? It increases candidates’ expectation for two-way communications.

As recruitment strategies and small business hiring strategies evolve, there’s no doubt that Web 2.0, mobile and video recruitment tools will take centre stage. Now’s the time to put these tools to work and enable your small company to stand out from competitors and make all your job postings more engaging