Dive Brief:

• SkillSurvey, a cloud-based hiring solutions firm, claims its research has found that candidate references who use mobile devices submit surveys 18% faster those using conventional PCs. The company also notes in a statement that, in the past five years, the number of candidates requesting their references via mobile devices has increased 487%.
• The highest percentage of mobile device use among job candidates, according to SkillSurvey, is logged by candidates applying for openings that require little training, education and experience (41%). The same figure is much less (only 19%) for those candidates applying for positions requiring extensive education, training and experience.
• A Pew Research Center study cited by SkillSurvey found that 77% of Americans now own a smartphone. A separate 2015 Pew study — indirectly cited by SkillSurvey — found that 43% of job seekers used smartphones to look up information about a job, while only 18% used them to submit a job application.

Dive Insight:

Texting has emerged within the recruiting tech market as a viable solution for real-time communication between recruiters and candidates, the latter of whom often complain about the lag time between each stage in the hiring process.

With the skills gap and low unemployment, competition for talent is at its most critical period in decades, and any means of speeding up the hiring process gives recruiters an advantage. Mobile devices are an attractive opportunity, and not just for texting: some employers have rolled out self-scheduling tools for upcoming interviews in a effort to give candidates a more personal experience.

Regardless of the method, though, employers should ensure their recruiting and onboarding processes are thorough without getting too bogged down in the candidate screening and selection processes. Mobile optimization is a near-necessity in the modern era, and machine learning tools have also opened new horizons for HR departments.