Mobile Recruiting: What’s Up? (3 of 6)

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Mobile Recruiting: What’s Up? (3 of 6)

Topics: HR Technology, HR Trends, HRExaminer, John Sumser, Mobile Technology, by John Sumser

Mobile Recruiting: What's Up? - by John Sumser - HRExaminer

Mobile technology is spreading faster than kudzu in America’s cropland

No Compelling Mobile Recruiting From The Usual Suspects

If you scan the web for information about mobile recruiting, what you find is a rehashing of these basic statistics. Indeed, software is eating the world and mobile technology is spreading faster than kudzu in America’s cropland. Still, no real model for the deployment of mobile technology in talent acquisition has emerged. While enthusiasts engage in cheerleading, sensible use cases seem to be a form of science fiction

Like early early experiments on the world wide web, most mobile recruiting experiments are attempts to mold existing business structures to the new media. The first job boards were long lists of job openings. Search, the single largest characteristic of web technology, did not make its appearance for many years.

As a mass media in its own right, mobile technology is most suited for handling quick, simple and repeatable tasks like scrolling through and checking off lists, setting appointments, publishing and consuming short email and other forms of message, indicating pleasure and displeasure, finding and connecting with local services, documenting and logging expenses, getting and following directions and progress monitoring.

As a result, the initial impact of mobile integration will be to start to cleave recruiting workflow into two major pieces: the quick and convenient and the thoughtful and deliberative. Expanded workflow flexibility will come from process redesign rather than the current strategy of overlaying mobile functionality on existing workflow.

Much of Recruiting workflow is broken. Employment website integration with the Applicant Tracking System creates a disjointed and badly designed experience for the company and the candidate. Heavy investment in Employment Brand is destroyed when a candidate leaves the well designed company website and heads into the ATS ghetto. Attempts to paint the company in a positive light are sabotaged by clumsy search results and ineffective process integration. The situation is so extreme that third party organizations devoted to championing the candidate’s right to a respectful process are gaining rapid traction.

About the author

John Sumser

John Sumser is a principal analyst for HRExaminer, an independent analyst firm covering HR Technology and the intersection of people, tech, and work. John’s mix of experience over the course of his career gives him a broad and unique perspective on the industry. Like anyone trying to process a lot of information, he is two or three steps ahead in some areas and still learning about others. Sumser’s work includes deep research into the nooks and crannies of HR Technology to identify and explain rapidly evolving trends. Built on a foundation of engineering, design, and philosophy, John’s seeks to understand and advise clients on where their technology works best, for whom, and in what context. Each year, John examines the insides of hundreds of companies, their products, and ecosystems. He delivers vendor analysis by building the framework from which to deliver the critique. He is constantly connecting and making visible the front end of change. He can help you see the path of evolution and the risks on the journey. The HRExaminer is Sumser’s vehicle for understanding and explaining the inner workings of the industry. With three weekly podcasts, and written commentary, he covers emerging ideas, the state of the industry, and the executives who operate it.

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