I just learned the career centre for one of the largest and most profitable power utilities in North America doesn’t support job applicants using a mobile device. That company might as well post a help wanted sign in front of head office and hand out paper application forms and a pen. Big companies may still get lots of applicants with career pages that only accept viewing on desktop computers but is this really a reasonable strategy in 2016?
Top Talent Expects Mobile-Optimized Websites
Restricting mobile browsing may result in receiving resumes from desperate applicants because top talent will go to competitor power companies or industries that are not stuck in 1999. Kelton Global surveyed 1,000 job seekers on their experience with online applications. A full 60% said they “would be deterred from completing an application if they encountered tech hurdles,” and 20% wouldn’t apply at all if they could not do so on a mobile device.
Competing for Top Talent in 2016
To compete for top talent we need to make it easy on candidates by allowing them to view and apply for jobs using their preferred method. Toll-free numbers, easy upload of resumes, working with LinkedIn or Google Docs links, and the ability to respond to text message inquiries are the tools you need to capture top talent in 2016.