Job Applications Go Mobile in India

As internet usage through mobile devices continues to rise sharply in India, using this platform for engaging with a larger audience has become a necessity. And, the recruitment industry is no exception to this. The days of walk-in interviews are gradually walking out of the scene as mobile technologies take the spotlight. What was merely a speculation till 2011 is now turning into a reality – an increasing number of candidates are shifting to a mobile-friendly job application process.

This statement is not a whimsical imagination but a reality; a report conducted by one of India’s leading online job portals highlighted that about 20% of the total job applications received by the surveyed companies came through mobile apps. Let us explore the recent trend 360 degrees…

What’s driving the "Mobile" Trend?

For the Jobseekers: India is the second-largest market for smartphones and tablets globally, and people use these devices for all sorts of purposes, ranging from instant messaging to making dinner reservations and now, to hunt for jobs as well. Owing to the newly cultivated obsession with all instant things, the job seekers prefer to send their applications as soon as they come across an opportunity during the mobile search.

For the Employers: Almost the entire working population in India is using smartphones. While these devices offer them ease of searching and applying for a job, they also allow the recruiters to reach a larger set of prospective candidates. Thusly, around 65% organizations have a comprehensive mobile recruitment strategy in place. As mobile-friendly sites get higher rankings in organic searches, the move also benefits companies with Search Engine Optimization.

What are the Challenges?

For the Jobseekers: Given the small size of screens and the absence of inbuilt support for Microsoft Word and PDF files on most devices, candidates find it difficult to modify resumes before applying for different jobs. Also, keeping the resume on some mobile devices is a hassle, to overcome which, one will have to use cloud storage services.

For the Employers: Though companies have acknowledged the ease and speed of the mobile recruitment process, many of them still have reservations about whether their apps would be able to generate enough results. Additionally, companies will have to face the challenge of managing hundreds of resumes coming in through mobile apps, which can be a cumbersome task. Hence, only 25% organizations have included a specific ‘career’ page in their mobile apps so far.

The challenges like blocked many such innovations during their introductory phase, but technologies came to the rescue and established them as common practices. Regardless of the reticence from some companies on the subject, mobile-based job searches and applications are expected to shape the future of hiring processes. But will that mean the end of job application procedures, as we know them, is a question only time can answer.