Is Your Job Ad Smartphone Compatible?

In a weird kind of paradox, there’s a general consensus that we’re too addicted to our mobile phones these days (mobile phone detox anyone?) and yet, it’s also becoming increasingly apparent that we still use our phones for EVERYTHING! 

Personally, I think I’d be more distraught if I lost my phone versus my purse! And yet the idea of making the ‘recruitment process’ mobile-friendly, seems to be passing some companies by! 

You’ve probably read a fair amount about the importance of an ‘Employer Brand’ and so you’ve tweaked your website, created some funky videos and got a load of testimonials about how amazing your company is to work in. And yet, an increasing number of people won’t actually use a laptop or desktop computer to go job hunting. No, they’ll use their mobile! And don’t think that if you don’t need to attract Millennials then you can just ignore this blog….interestingly, according to a 2018 survey usage is not limited to the younger generations – it’s the 35-44 year old age group that are most likely to use a mobile phone in their job hunt: people in the prime of their careers! 

So, with these sort of stats, is this really something you can ignore? Here are our top tips for making your Job Advert mobile friendly: 

Keep it Simple, Stupid 

It’s now possible to book flights to the other end of the world in about 3 steps and jobseekers want the recruitment process to be exactly the same. Gone are the days of a 25 page application form – if your job application process isn’t simple and straightforward, your potentially perfect candidate will go elsewhere! 

Small Design Makes a Big Impact 

It’s no good just being able to view your standard website or job advert on a mobile device – navigation will be awful and it will be even harder to read. It’s essential to provide the ‘mobile experience’.  Make sure the layout, fonts, images are all optimised for mobile. This also goes for the application form – assume that people are going to fill it out on a small screen. Functionality and ease of use is key! Think about how they are going to navigate with their finger, instead of a mouse! Think non-text based hyperlinks, and larger tiles, tabs and buttons for people to tap with more ease and accuracy. Nearly half of smartphone job seekers have reported encountering challenges accessing necessary content when applying for jobs, and more than a third report difficulty entering large amounts of text.  Again, if job seekers can’t read the necessary easily or the navigation is out of whack, they’ll close the page down faster than you can say “You’re Hired!” 

Size Does Matter 

As our attention spans get shorter, you’ve probably noticed that the general rule of thumb with online content is that it’s short. Scrolling through information or having to click through numerous pages is a big turn off for job seekers so make sure you remove any unnecessary ‘fluff’ from your job advert. The fewer screens your advert fits on, not only will it load faster but there’s a higher chance you’ll snag more candidates! 

Optimise! 

The world we live in is now pretty much governed by algorithms and the whims of some guys in Silicon Valley! And job adverts are no different! If you want candidates to apply for your role, it’s imperative that they can actually discover your open role in the first place and the title is key to it appearing in searches! For maximum visibility, it should be less than 60 words with the role in its simplest terms – not using company specific jargon – like Sales Manager as opposed to Superstar Selling Leader! However, don’t be afraid to inject a little ‘personality’ in there – for example you could advertise for a ‘Marketing Manager for a Growing Start-up’ to help draw your candidate in! 

Formatting is King! 

As it’s fairly common knowledge that Hiring Managers and Recruiters spend about 6 seconds on the initial glance at a CV, the same could probably be said for a job seeker! It may seem like a small thing, but formatting can be the make or break in whether a candidate decides to apply. Use small paragraphs of 2-3 sentences and don’t be afraid to use bullet points, bold or italics. 

Advertising an open role is, unfortunately, no longer as simple as putting an ad in the paper and waiting for the phone calls to start! But that’s what makes it exciting! It’s no longer a merely transaction process, but candidates really want to get a feel for your brand and your business on a more personal level before they’ll even think about applying! And in this candidate-short market, if you fit your recruitment advertising around their lifestyles, around their habits, you have a higher chance of standing out from the crowd and attracting the best applicants!