HR and Marketing: How the "Google to Indeed to Career Site" Food Chain Changes the Game...

I'm up over at Kinetix client iMomentous talking about the new math related to how candidates find your open positions in today's world, with a big hat tip to Bob Corlett.  Check it out:

"Let’s examine how much mobile really matters looking at some of the numbers shared by Bob Corlett in the Washington Business Journal.  You like numbers?  How about these numbers? (see references for Bob’s stats by visiting his blog at Staffing Advisors):

-Ten times more job seekers start their job search on Google than anywhere else.

-Indeed is now reported as the #1 source of hire for employers in the US.

-How did that happen?  Two out of three searches of any kind originate on Google. And Google job searches often lead job seekers to Indeed. Indeed has three times more unique visitors per month than the job boards.

-More than one out of every three minutes spent online is now spent “beyond the PC” on smart phones and tablets. Already 30 percent of Indeed’s total candidate visits are mobile. They encourage it.

-Only 4 percent of job seekers start their job search with a specific company in mind. So if your ads are not in the right place to be seen, you won’t be considered. And if somehow candidates do see your ad, 34 percent will not apply if your application process is too much of a hassle.

So, the call for a mobile-friendly careers site in recruiting is pretty clear.  The chain of command goes like this these days – Google to Indeed to Your Career Site, where a decision on whether to apply is made. At least one out of three candidates are doing that on a mobile device, so why wouldn’t you have a mobile-friendly site ready for mobile users?"

What do you need to differently with that in mind?  Other than thinking about the impact of mobile, you need to think like a marketer.  There's millions of things for a job seeker to read on the web when they fire up Google - so what makes your openings notable?

Probably nothing.  Which is why you need to put on your marketing hat and write better headlines and copy to your job postings.

The irony - job seekers give your job posting the same amount of time you give their resume as a recruiter - about 5 seconds.  If there's nothing compelling in there, why should they care?

They won't.  At least the right candidate won't.  Start thinking more like a marketer with your copy.

Comments

[Randi Sandlin]

Kris,
Completely agree! Wish I had your ability to write in a fun and compelling manner. You rock.
Thanks
Randi