Mobile recruiting is certainly not a new concept in the recruiting and recruiting industry. In the last 10 years, implementing mobile recruiting tactics has become increasingly important to recruiting success. In today’s candidate-driven market, it’s even more essential to keep candidates engaged throughout the hiring funnel. From the initial application process to communication, statistics show the importance of providing candidates with an easy-to-use, mobile experience to help decrease churn rates. In this article, we will explore the benefits of having a mobile friendly application and using SMS messaging as a way of communicating with candidates. We will also explore the elegant world of chatbots and how exactly they can come into play within our mobile recruiting strategies!

The mobile friendly app

In 2020, a study by Appcast showed that 60.7% of job applications were completed on a mobile device compared to 39.3% on the desktop. Desktop application rates also decreased 6.7% and mobile application rates increased 21.2% in 2020 compared to 2019. There is no denying that more and more applicants are applying on mobile devices compared to a desktop. Creating a short, easy-to-use mobile app is one way to motivate mobile applicants to finish the app. Candidates applying on their mobile device are on the go and want to be able to go through the app with the fewest clicks. A Glassdoor study showed that mobile job applicants completed 53% fewer applications. That same study showed that promoting a job listing as mobile-friendly can increase the number of job seekers by 11.6%!

Some questions to consider for a mobile app:

• Does your mobile app have the ability to submit a resume and analyze it on your system? If so, does the applicant need to fill in the information already on the resume, such as work history and education?

• Can you expect to collect certain information from the candidate in the initial application process? If so, this can help shorten the application to help ensure more applicants complete it.

Although gathering as much information as possible is helpful from a recruiting point of view, it can also discourage applicants from finalizing the mobile app because it is too long. Shortening the mobile application can help increase the number of applications that complete and enter the system.

This is especially critical now when candidates have the upper hand and have a number of job opportunities available to them.

SMS messaging with candidates

Texting is something you normally exchange with friends or family, but in recent years, texting has become a popular form of communication even with candidates. Statistics even show that there are many benefits to texting over emailing or calling. According to our partner Text-Em-All, the average email has only an 18% open rate, while the average text has a 98% read rate. A study by EZ Texting also showed that 78% of people respond to text messages in 10 minutes or less. Automatic calls and spam calls have also become a bigger problem, with fewer people answering phones from unknown numbers. A survey conducted for Hiya revealed that 94% of people leave unidentified incoming calls unanswered. Text-Em-All also reports that only 60% of voicemails are listed and a poll of the message board found that people are 4 times more likely to reply to a text message than to return a call.

Does this mean that email communications and phone calls should be eliminated from recruitment strategies? Not necessarily, but it can be a great way to complement it. One of the main advantages of SMS messaging is that your message will be seen sooner and you are more likely to receive a response (and faster). This is a huge advantage for recruiters as they are trying to fill positions quickly and efficiently. It is also an advantage for the candidate, because you are communicating in a way that is easy for you to respond to, especially if you currently have a job. It is much more difficult to respond via email or phone call during business hours.

However, one of the main takeaways from SMS messaging is that it helps keep the candidates you are working with engaged in their conversations if they see your message almost immediately. They are more likely to respond and stay in the recruiting funnel rather than hiding their messages. Many ATS providers have partnerships with SMS messaging companies that allow two-way broadcast and text messages. Having a built-in ATS integration streamlines your communication and will often log all messages that are sent in the lead record. Some ATS integrations even offer a “job acceptance” feature that allows candidates to accept a job offer directly from text message, eliminating time communicating with each other and increasing the chances that a candidate will finish the job. recruitment cycle and be placed.

Chatbots via SMS messages

Chatbots are one of the hottest trends in the staffing and recruiting industry. However, some may ask, what exactly is a Chatbot and how is it used in recruiting? It is simply an automated bot that allows you to communicate with candidates. Some may think it sounds impersonal, but in reality chatbots can help increase engagement among candidates, while eliminating manual tasks for recruiters.

How can chatbots come into play?

1. ChabBots are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The best time for candidates to contact them may be after normal business hours. A Chatbot can take the place of a human to help answer the questions that the candidate has through Natural Language. No matter what time of day, candidates will be able to receive a response to keep them engaged and interested.
2. Chatbots can also screen candidates and schedule interviews. Once an application is submitted, candidates can automatically receive a text message from a Chatbot with a series of preliminary questions to evaluate the candidate. If they seem suitable, some Chatbots may automatically schedule an interview on the recruiter’s calendar. This drives efficiency, saves time, and eliminates manual labor for the recruiter. It also helps speed up the application and interview process for the candidate, making them less likely to withdraw due to the process moving too slow.
3. Chatbots can also collect information not included in your mobile application. If there is additional information you want to collect from a candidate who submitted their application on a mobile device, Chatbots can automatically collect that information during the selection process.

These are just a few of the ways that chatbots can come into play in your recruiting strategy. Overall, they can help increase candidate engagement and decrease churn rates by communicating with candidates 24 hours a day and speeding up manual processes. However, once the candidate is placed, there are even more ways to onboard Chatbots and continue automated registration communication with candidates.

Your next question may be, how can you implement a Chatbot? A good place to start is with your ATS provider. Some ATS have a Chatbot integration that will automatically extract the information from their database to send messages. Having an integration with your ATS will help streamline Chatbot communication and once again will record the chats in the candidate’s record.

Mobile recruiting in today’s market

Mobile recruiting is even more important now in today’s candidate-driven market. Implementing different mobile strategies, such as mobile apps, SMS messaging, and Chatbots, are all ways to increase candidate engagement across the entire hiring funnel and decrease churn rates.