Times have clearly changed and so should our recruitment strategies. Today’s professionals have evolved and are on the go. We have become a society obsessed with staying connected, both while we work and while we play.  A 2010 Mobile Workforce study from iPass revealed that over 94% reported that they stayed connected either always or occasionally during vacation. In addition, iPass also discovered that over 96% of mobile employees carried two or more mobile devices, with almost 50% carrying three or more devices. Society’s addictiveness to mobile technology, pervasiveness and sheer dominance gives it a pivotal position as a next generation talent attraction and engagement channel.

According to the CTIA, there were over 302M U.S. wireless subscriber connections as of December 2010. With U.S. wireless penetration now over 96%, employers clearly have a unique opportunity to leverage this vastly untapped recruitment channel. For job seekers, the mobile device serves as an ideal channel for remaining discreet while actively (or passively) exploring the latest career opportunities. Whether a job seeker joins an SMS campaign, views a position on a mobile career site, or responds to a position through a job app, the convenience of exploring new jobs anytime, anywhere, offers an advantage.

Mobile is the one communication and marketing channel employers have been very slow to adopt. However, forward-thinking corporations are finally beginning to recognize that they must innovate in order to effectively compete for the best possible talent. Extensive research from organizations such as Nielsen, iPass, Comscore, Pew Internet, etc., all point to the pervasiveness of mobile. There is no doubt that mobile has the greatest worldwide reach of all mass mediums. It is time we move beyond the question of whether mobile recruiting makes sense. As employers, our focus should now turn to how we create meaningful content for attracting and engaging our target audience. Mobile as a standalone solution is not the answer.  However, by integrating mobile as part of our overall digital recruitment strategy, we are setting the stage for engaging the new workforce in the way they want to be reached.

This post also appears on TalentMinded’s blog. View it here

Enjoy!

Question about my mobile recruiting slideshow? Use the contact form or set up an appointment to chat live.

Live Text-Message Demo…

With the help of my friends over at mResource, I was able to provide a live text-message demo. Webinar attendees participating from the U.S. were prompted to send a text-message with the keyword “SHOWME” to 90206. This simple demo helped to illustrate how easily text-messaging could be used to segment and pre-screen a target audience. The example included some simple questions, a call-to-action, and a redirect to a mobile-optimized landing page. If you are curious on how to piece this type of campaign together, make sure to read my post entitled:  “Mobile Recruiting: The Basics of Building a Campaign”…»

If you missed the ERE-sponsored webinar, you may now easily view the slides below, or download the presentation here.

Click here to view more presentations from Michael Marlatt…».

Watch the recorded version of the Mobile Recruiting webinar:

* Interested in leveraging text-messaging and the mobile web as part of your recruitment marketing strategy? Visit mResource to learn more…»

In Japan, a new generation of job-seekers are using a company called Otetsudai Networks to secure part-time work. While contract staffing is nothing new in the U.S., Otetsudai has come up with an interesting solution to hiring temporary resources. Otetsudai Networks is a geolocation mobile service that matches part-time employees with potential employers.

How does the geolocation service help Job-seekers?

Job-seekers subscribe to the service by completing a mini-C.V. detailing their core skills and expertise. The job-seeker have the option of getting job updates by taking a “GPS reading” on their phone. The candidate’s information is added to the pool of available candidates shown to prospective employers. Once a new opportunity becomes available, the job-seeker is immediately notified on their mobile device of potential employment opportunities within their proximity.

How does Otetsudai’s service help employers?

The service particularly caters to businesses seeking to hire immediate resources with specific skills. Once an employer signs up for the service, they can send requests for immediate help to the Otetsudai Network. Whether the employer is seeking someone for an hour, or all day, Otetsudai sends a list of available prospect candidates within the employer’s immediate proximity. The list shows each candidate’s qualifications, how other employers have rated their work and exactly how far away they are. Employers seeking immediate help will typically receive a list of half a dozen or more people within a few minutes.

As location-based services (LBS) increase in popularity, it’s not hard to envision a day when U.S. companies begin leveraging this technology as a method for staffing its temporary workforce. Although still in its infancy, Layar offers an augmented reality app that provides job-seekers a way to identify new opportunities by scanning what’s around you. It’s simply a matter of time before we see U.S. companies adopting the Otetsudai model of leveraging geolocation to help mobilize a ready-made talent pool.

Does this still sound too good to be true? Watch the video below…

Check out this fantastic presentation by Jeroen Spierings:

Steven Rothberg says:

Is there any doubt by anyone that the way that Gen Y communicates is fundamentally different from the way previous generations communicated? I don’t believe that the ways that Gen Y communicates are better or worse but they certainly are different. For example, this is the first generation to have grown up with cell phones.

Mobile Web is About to Boom : CollegeRecruiter.com Blog.

..but here’s a transcript from the original presentation delivered to the Human Capital Institute in February, 2008.

Softscape’s mobile solution proves that users do not need to be tethered to a computer to better manage their career, teams, and business results, and can complete complex scenarios in half the time of traditional web-based solutions. An industry first, Softscape’s innovative approach to solving global organizations’ evolving business challenges highlights the company’s multi-platform talent management delivery strengths and continued industry leadership.

Softscape Reveals Industry’s First Mobile Talent Management Functionality at HR Technology Conference Shootout.