Mobile Recruiting: More than Social Media

Research findings from both Client and Candidates relating to their usage of the Sonru Record and Sonru Player Apps along with a brief secondary research review.

White Paper

No part of this document may be re-used or re-printed without reference to the source and due credit given.

“The search for talent on the part of the enterprise has taken on global proportions. Companies search for employees all

over the world, and are willing to allow them to live in the city or country of their choices. That, in part, explains the rapid

rise of video interviewing for candidates in the early stages of the interview process.

A friend of mine works for the Irish video interviewing platform Sonru, and the other night at dinner he blew me away by

showing me an iPhone app where all appropriate hiring managers for a company can watch the interviews

relevant to them. Dead simple. Can be viewed at home, at the desk, on the road.

We often laugh at HR’s slowness to embrace technology, but this is an amazing leap forward, just in time to save the

enterprise from itself. Millennial interviewees will love this, and hiring managers will enjoy its convenience.”

- Francine Hardaway, Ph.D,

“Looking to hire top talent? There’s a video app for that.HR catches up to video everywhere with Sonru’s App.”

Sonru data derives from candidate feedback gathered from November 2013 to January 2014.

1. Global Recruiting Trends 2013, LinkedIn Talent Solutions, 2013. 2. Mobile Recruiting Outlook, Simply Hired, 2013. 3. Mobile Recruiting Playbook, LinkedIn Talent Solutions, November 19, 2013.

4. Mobile Survey, Educate, Metashift and Reconverse, April 16, 2012. 5. 2013 Fortune 100 Talent Acquisition Report, Seven Step, February 06, 2013. 6 Employers’ old tech hurts hiring as job hunts go mobile, USA Today, March 4, 2013. 7. The State of Mobile Recruiting, Kelton Research / Jibe, February 2012. 8. Cisco Visual Networking Index: Global Mobile Data Traffic Forecast Update, February 6, 2013.

Introduction

Introduction

Much of the research and content relating to mobile recruiting has focussed on sourcing and attracting talent using social media. Just as the recruitment process comprises of more than simply candidate attraction, so too does mobile recruitment. Any recruitment process involves additionally an application process and a selection process.

This short white paper looks at secondary research regarding the need for companies to optimise their content, application processes and selection techniques to reflect the mobile explosion. Research findings from both candidates and Sonru clients relating to their experience of the Sonru mobile Apps are also presented.

Research Methodology and References

Mobile Recruiting: More than social media

Attitudes towards Mobile-enabled Recruitment Processes

Devices used by Job Seekers

According to an article in USA Today6, only about 2% of Fortune 500 companies tailor job applications for mobile users despite the fact that 86% of job seekers say they would apply for jobs directly from their mobile device if there was an easier way2. While the same study2 found that 32% of job seekers have applied for a job from their mobile device; a case study conducted by Kelton Research7 found that almost half of their respondents would use their mobile device to apply for jobs and to track their application status (47% and 45% respectively). Again providing a mobile friendly application process is not about providing potential candidates with a seamless experience for the sake of if.

Hope Gurion, chief development officer of CareerBuilder maintains that about 40% of job seekers on CareerBuilder who don’t use the company’s mobile software abandon the application process7.

By 2016, the number of mobile devices is expected to

surpass the world’s population-an 18-fold increase

between 2011 and 2016.

Mobile network connections speeds expected to

increase ninefold by 2016.

Cisco8

The proliferation of mobile devices and usage among job seekers means that both employers and recruiters can no longer afford to ignore the M word in their recruiting efforts yet 87% of talent acquisition professionals don’t think their companies are investing adequately in mobile1. According to Simply Hired’s Mobile Recruiting Outlook2, 70% of job seekers used their mobile phones to find jobs. Whether you’re a passive or an active job seeker, the usage doesn’t appear to change according to LinkedIn3 who found that 72% of active job seekers and 62% of passive candidates say they have visited a company site from their mobile device to learn about careers. Similarly, 70.6% of Sonru respondents use their Mobile Devices (i.e. smart phone or tablet) to browse career opportunities online.

Attitudes towards Mobile-optimised websites

According to the UK’s largest piece of candidate research around Mobile Recruiting4 (with a sample size in excess of 25,000), 84% of job seekers think job organisations should have mobile-friendly sites. Ironically however, research from Seven Step Recruiting5 found that Fortune 100 companies are lagging in their use of new mobile technology for talent acquisition.

Although nearly all Fortune 100 companies (94%) have a job search function on their career home page and a majority (64%) also have function-specific career pages but surprisingly nearly three quarters (70%) do not have career pages optimised for mobile devices.

65% of Sonru respondents too recorded negative feelings towards hiring companies that do not optimise their sites for mobile devices when browsing for career opportunities using words such as “irritating”, “frustrating” and “not embracing modern technology” making them “reluctant” as the process “becomes very time consuming and inconvenient.” Providing mobile optimised content is not about providing potential candidates with a seamless experience between an online site and a mobile presence for the sake of if. Hard data makes a more compelling case - for example, mobile traffic for job search site Simply Hired doubled after the

“It makes finding a job more difficult as I don’t have

anything other than a tablet at home.”

Sonru Respondent

“I feel that given how popular mobile devices are, that

the company is behind the times.”

Sonru Respondent

“I have stopped applying if their mobile technology

isn’t up to par. That alone tells you something about

the company’s priorities and whether they

are savvy.”

Candidate comment, LinkedIn3

In 2013, Sonru launched two Apps to enable clients and candidates to interview on the move. Sonru Player enables clients to view candidate Interviews from their Sonru account, while Sonru Record enables candidates to record their interview directly from their mobile devices.

In terms of first impressions when invited to complete the automated video interview, almost two third of respondents (65%) cited ‘Happy to progress to next stage’ while the remainder were “Excited to Gain New Experience,” and all recorded positive feelings toward the hiring company when they received the invitation to complete the video interview.

Mobile Recruiting with Sonru First Impressions

Other 7%

Work 6%

Home 87%

Moderate 6%

Easy 31%

Very Easy 63%

“Thank you very much for your mobile solution which

is impressive I have to say. The App is very easy to use,

straightforward and clearly explained.”

Anna Cook, Recruitment Unit Section Leader, CERN

“Using the Sonru App on the iPad is making watching

the interviews a lot easier than dragging my laptop

around! Many thanks.”

Anna Byrne, Recruitment Lead, nucleargraduates.

Where interview was completed Ease of Use of Sonru Record App

Usage and Experience of Mobile App

Figure 1Figure 2

Mobile Recruiting: More than social media

“I was scared first and felt confused but in the end I

liked the experience.”

“It was well explained and easy to use.”

“Excellent set up and easy to install the Sonru App.”

“The practice interview is very helpful. Clear

instructions.”

Feedback from Sonru Respondents Feedback from Sonru Clients

Conclusion

The majority of respondents (87%) felt sufficiently informed about what was required prior to starting the interview.

All respondents completed their video interview outside of business hours with 56.3% choosing the weekend while the remaining 43.8% completing it after work / evening.

As illustrated in Figure 1 below, the majority of respondents (88%) completed their interviews from home. Figure 2 presents findings in relation to ‘Ease of Use’ of the App and not a single respondent found it to be difficult to use. Not surprisingly, 93.8% of respondents stated that they did not feel confused or unsure how to progress whilst recording their video interview.

With the proliferation of devices and the exponential increases to mobile connection speeds, there is no doubt that the mobile explosion will, and currently does, have a profound impact on the recruitment process. The challenge now for recruiters and hiring managers is to provide a seamless experience between an online site and a mobile presence for candidates not just in terms of

browsing but in all stages of the recruitment process from the job seeking and application stages to tracking and the selection process itself. Sonru have successfully provided this seamless solution for both clients and candidates with two hugely successful Apps as validated by the feedback in this white paper.

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Sonru is a global leader in the field of video interviewing and selection, founded in 2007 by CEO Edward Hendrick. Sonru’s Global Headquarters is in Ireland, with regional offices in Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East and North America.  We also have offices in Australia, UK, France and South Africa. 

Sonru’s innovative, multi-award winning recruitment tool helps make early-stage selection easier for interviewers and candidates.

Replicating a phone, Skype or face-to-face interview, video interviewing eliminates scheduling and removes the everyday headaches associated with preliminary interviews. Forget about scheduling interviews, time zone restrictions, no shows and unsuitable candidates. Video interviewing lets you “meet” the best candidates earlier in the process, see their fit, personality, drive and motivation, all while saving your company time and money.

About Sonru

No part of this document may be re-used or re-printed without a reference to the source

and due credit given.

Sonru has a varied and global client list -  read about their experiences here.