For several years now, I have been pontificating on the critical importance of mobile devices in terms of the next generation of recruitment. Mobile devices are ubiquitous and offer organizations the opportunity to - quite literally - put their messages in the palms of their candidates' hands. Mobile phones are personal - we don't share them with others. They are always on - unless we are on airplanes and even that is starting to change. They are almost always within arms' reach - and if they are not some of us begin to panic.

Mobile phones are powerful tools for the communication of employer brand messages and we are seeing that mobile phones are increasingly social. In July of 2008 6.4 million Americans used social networks (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc) on their mobiles. In July 2009, that number had nearly tripled to 18.3 million.  

Today, companies MUST develop a mobile strategy for talent attraction and engagement. Leveraging mobile search, mobile video, and mobile career sites along with social media is the next evolution in the employment communications world. 

I have often tried to put the impact of mobile in perspective and I found that Newsweek did a very nice job describing the mobile evolution in a video from their 'Sum Total' series. Check it out below.

Let me know what you think.

Want to know more? Reach out to me with a comment here and join the conversation.

SZE

The advent of 3G cellular nets —plus the widespread adoption of broadband-capable IPhones, Blackberries, and Android-equipped mobiles—promises an exciting new wrinkle in recruiting practice. Government recruiters should be particularly enthusiastic, because this technology effectively creates a new and stunningly inexpensive gateway for engaging recruits with convenient mobile phone access to your Web, online, and video materials.

The linchpin in this approach is the “QR” (or “Quick Response”) code. On the surface, QR codes appear blandly unimpressive. They’re no more than two-dimensional barcodes that contain short strings of text (for instance, a URL, an email address, or a phone number). But when a prospect uses his or her properly equipped mobile (more on this below) to photograph a QR code, the phone immediately cuesup its encoded text string ready for use as a link to the Web or to the autodial function of the smartphone. This means the prospect can connect directly by phone, or open a web site, or download a video or PDF, all without keyboard or touch screen input.

Need an example? Here’s the QR code for Wikipedia’s Mobile main page.

Admittedly, QR encoding represents only an incremental advantage over finger-keying. But it’s more than just a convenience factor. QR codes can be imprinted virtually anywhere, from a brochure or business card to a poster to a Job Fair station to a T-shirt or billboard or bus wrap. If you’re a particularly dedicated ambassador for your agency, you can even tattoo a QR code on yourself (a temporary tattoo of course).

Giving a presentation to potential recruits? Embed a QR code on the projected title page and your audience can download the full slide show, supporting materials, or even a virtual library of supporting materials on the spot, right to their mobile phones. Targeting selected campuses? Place an inexpensive fractional ad in the college daily and embed your QR code in the layout. Bonus: you’ve got the “cool” factor working for you with your primary targets of influence. And because this technology is mobile-based, you can track QR responses geographically.

This technology is already in widespread use in Japan, where it originated, and is enjoying enthusiastic adoption in Europe. Consider the British billboard on the left, which was central to the national promotion of the zombie film 28 Weeks Later. (The image at right is the QR code for TMP Government’s web page.)

Is the adoption curve favorable? The skeptics among you are probably citing the apparent complexity of linking all the elements necessary to complete the engagement cycle here. For instance…

• How do you create printable QR codes for your organization?
  [A: There are many free QR generators available on the Web. Do a Google search to find one.]
• What “apps” are necessary to equip a potential recruit’s mobile phone as a QR reader?
  [A: Just one, and there are scores available, all free. Go to this site (http://www.mobile-barcodes.com/qr-code-software/) for a hyperlinked list of downloadable reader apps.]
• Why are we so certain that potential recruits will embrace this technology?
  [A: Because they already are. In Japan, where this technology originated, its use is nearly ubiquitous. And again…the “cool” factor I mentioned above.]   

On the horizon: a new generation of QR codes. Get ready for the next stage…Mobile Multi-Colour Composite codes (or MMCCs). They pack scads more data into the barcode and can respond to a cell phone scan by returning embedded digital content that includes video, games, imagery, ringtones, and so on. And these barcodes do not need an internet connection to function. The data is all in the image itself.

Ponder that for a moment, and what it could mean for your mobile outreach to potential recruits.

I have spent a lot of time talking in recent months about the concept of "convergence" in which we see old and new media operating side-by-side (think CNN and Facebook for the inauguration.) I have also referenced the convergence in techology as we have seen mobile phones become more than just smartphones; we have seen them become hubs of our daily lives integrating communications (phone, email, IM, etc.), music, movies, games, cameras (still and video), etc.

Patti Maes from MIT recently shared a demo of her newest device at TED. What she showcases is not only currently possible, it is likely to be available soon in one of the next few generations of mobile devices. Enjoy the video. I watched it in amazement.

Let me know what you think.

Want to know more? Reach out to me with a comment here and join the conversation.

SZE

Still not convinced about the Mobile Revolution? Check out the latest Comscore data, which states the number of people accessing news and information on a mobile device has more than doubled in the past year.

How often do you access the internet with your mobile phone? What sites do you visit most often? And, can you imagine NOT being able to do this now?

KL