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Creating a mobile strategy in recruiting is a fun path to take. It is one that definitely requires creativity, logic and humility. Thinking like a marketer isn’t something that everyone does well within the HR or recruiting space, so if you need a little help along the way it is certainly okay to ask.

Taking steps into mobile is an exciting adventure, and might be scary for some. It is a place that the industry has agreed that we need to be, yet only 13% of career sites are mobile optimized. That is what we have termed as a #Fail these days.

Part of the issue is business leaders (non-HR), and I do not mean this in a disparaging way. Mobile is embraced by the business but has not expanded into talent acquisition. Recruiting is often last, yet one of the most important locations on your company’s website. Yes, your company is about a service or product but it is also about who you are as an organization. And that information is often in your Careers section.

Recruiters all agree that mWeb is critical but how should you go about the process? Here are 7 steps to get you to the promised land:

1. Start with mWeb -> We all want a native app. Apps are sexy and make us feel like we have arrived! But hold up right there. Have you considered all of the mobile platforms out there? To have a native app, you would need to create one for iOS, Android, Blackberry, Palm, Windows and all the other platforms out there. Or you can create a mWeb (mobile website) that is platform agnostic. If your ultimate goal is to have an app, go for it… but not from day one. This is where all of your candidates will be able to come to you, to see you and to APPLY to you.
2. Gather The Analytics -> Step 2 is really where the journey begins as choosing a mWeb platform should be your first and only thought at this point. But now you need metrics. Work with either your Marketing or IT department to pull your Internet usage statistics including (1) general website statistics, (2) career page statistics and (3) sources. Certainly you may get more granular data but these will give you a solid base to build your case to the business. It is imperative you understand your company website traffic, and your career page traffic. If a minimum of 20% of your careers traffic is coming via mobile sources, you are already behind.
3. Evaluate Vendors -> There are a few mobile companies out there that can help you with this process. Many companies can create your mWeb site, but few can include the “Mobile Apply” feature. Personally I have found iMomentous and Jibe to include a sound apply feature (if I am missing others companies, please let me know in the comments section). Regardless of who you choose, make sure you do your homework and understand exactly what it will take to get you mobile friendly, the process, the timeline, do they have the ability to integrate with your ATS, and certainly ask for references.
4. Sell Like Your Job Depends Upon It -> Now you have data, and you have completed a thorough evaluation of partners to help you on this process. Now you need to either sell your manager or the company on why this MUST happen. Do whatever you can to have it put into the budget immediately to get caught up. It is very easy to put it into the 2014 budget, but why not be live for 2014?
5. Get Creative -> Hopefully you built a strong enough case and gained acceptance to pursue this initiative. Now you need to get creative and start white boarding the solution. I love this step as it gets the creative juices flowing and forces you to think like an applicant. Think about the look and feel, the content, the number of pages, and the application process. Work with Marketing and IT and the vendor to gain their feedback and help with branding. Figure out what content (think video) will work well on your pages. This is a team effort and gathering input from lots of sources will be helpful.
6. Test The Sucker -> After the development process, you need to try this yourself. Have your colleagues give it a try on their devices. Test every page, go through the application process. How does it look? How easy is it to navigate? Figure those out now!
7. Push Boundaries -> After these steps, you are ready to go live. Promote your mWeb site and Bring the Noise! Use your social channels to spread the word and create excitement. Get your team and your employees to share it on LinkedIn. Keep monitoring your statistics and measure the usage. Continue to update your content and keep it relevant to your audience and your hiring practices.

This is a fairly straight forward process as to how to conceptualize and implement your mobile plan. There are certainly more topics to consider but hopefully this gets your thinking in the right direction and feel a little energy to kick it off.

Once you find you are having success with your mWeb site, now you are able to start that native thought process and possibly build an engaging talent community. But that is a topic for another day.

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Tagged as: analytics, iMomentous, jibe, metrics, mobile, mobile apply, mobile strategy, mobile web, mWeb, recruiting, strategy, tablets, talent acquisition

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