This sponsored post is produced in association with iCIMS.
Job hunting is a pain. You’ve wished it was easier, but you have no power over that — the employers do. And if they’re smart, they’ll make it easier for them to hire you. Companies need to provide candidates with functional career portals that are optimized for the “Internet everywhere” age if they want to keep pace.
[aditude-amp id="flyingcarpet" targeting='{"env":"staging","page_type":"article","post_id":1459055,"post_type":"sponsored","post_chan":"sponsored","tags":null,"ai":false,"category":"none","all_categories":"business,dev,entrepreneur,mobile,","session":"B"}']In 2013, talent acquisition solution provider iCIMS conducted extensive research of more than 60,000 jobs and surveyed more than 700 job seekers. According to the results, many companies are missing out on top workers because they aren’t taking advantage of the full arsenal of online talent acquisition tools.
The modern job seeker: Online and mobile
Job seekers are increasingly turning to technology in their job hunt, with 86 percent using mobile devices to find a job. Their use of mobile technology goes beyond simply applying for jobs. They want to receive alerts, track their application status, share their résumés and portfolios, and even share information on social networks.
In addition, these mobile applicants are turning to video technology as a part of the recruitment process, even creating video cover letters. According to iCIMS, candidates see video technology as a part of the recruitment process for a number of reasons. More than 40 percent use it to help them stand out among applicants, and 20 percent say it helps to show creativity. For companies looking to attract top, creative talent, relying on email and job-portal sites simply won’t work — functional career portals that are ready to accept all forms of applications and media are imperative in today’s talent market.
Bringing candidates from contemplation to completion
When experience tells you that some methods for applying to jobs are simply a waste of time, you stop applying those ways. According to iCIMS’ research, more than 42 percent of job seekers prefer an online application process through a company’s career portal over all other means of applying for a job.
ICIMS also provides a couple of pointers on turning passive candidates into applicants. First, make jobs easily accessible through a career portal seamlessly linked to your corporate website. Second, include quick access to current employees’ LinkedIn profiles or Twitter pages to build candidate engagement by letting them get to know your employees.
Our research finds that nearly 70 percent of job seekers drop off before submitting an application because the employer’s application process is too long. Again, there are a couple of things the modern talent seeker can do to help applicants along. First, choose an applicant-tracking system that automatically goes over a job seeker’s uploaded résumé to reduce data entry. Next, permit job seekers to apply using a social media profile such as LinkedIn, Google+, and Facebook, so that they don’t have to waste time making a profile and password just for your site. Finally, test it out and make sure that your job applications do not take longer than 15 minutes to complete.
For more insight into jobseeker and talent acquisition trends, go to www.icims.com/hire-expectations-institute.
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