Here are three important statistics every employer, recruiter and HR manager should know:
- Nine out of ten job seekers plan to search for new opportunities using their mobile devices.
- Almost half of job seekers use their phone for their job search at least once a day.
- One in four job seekers will not apply for a position if the job listing or application process isn’t mobile friendly.
What does that mean for you? Simply put, it means that your job listings must be optimized for the best possible mobile experience. Otherwise, you’re leaving lots of fantastic candidates on the table.
With these seven easy steps, you can make your job listings irresistible to mobile applicants.
1. Keep job titles short
On a desktop or laptop computer, long job titles aren’t a big deal. They fit nicely in your web browser. Switch to a mobile device, though, and suddenly long job titles take up half the screen. Cut each job title down to 50 characters or less.
2. Delete extraneous text
While you’re tightening up job titles, take a look at the job description itself. Too much text is overwhelming on any screen, whether it’s desktop or mobile.
A good rule of thumb: Job seekers on their phones should be able to scroll down the page less than four times to reach the very end of your job description.
3. Break up paragraphs
White space is incredibly important to job seekers reading on their phones. The denser the text, the harder it is to read, and the quicker they’ll give up and move on to the next listing. Insert double-spaced paragraph breaks every 2-4 sentences to make sure it’s an enticing read.
The last thing anyone wants to see is a screen full of unbroken text from top to bottom.
4. Watch out for bullets, numbered lists, symbols
Most job postings have a list of bullet points calling out responsibilities, benefits or desired candidate qualifications. That’s fine, but keep in mind that formatting can and does change on certain mobile devices.
Make sure your bulleted or numbered lists are double-spaced for easy readability, and that any symbols are rendered appropriately on mobile. Especially that pesky ampersand (&). Borrow a different brand’s phone from a colleague to see how things change from device to device.
5. Use a listings site that offers clean mobile design
Don’t use a job search site without a fully optimized mobile design as part of their package. Your listing should look equally good on desktop, laptop, tablet and phone—no matter where the candidate of your dreams might be searching.
When weighing your decision about where to post jobs, don’t forget to check out their listings from your phone to see exactly what candidates will be seeing. The text should be legible, buttons easily clickable and everything should be laid out nicely onto the small screen.
6. Make sure candidates can take action in the moment
In addition to looks, functionality is crucial. What good is updating your copy to be mobile-friendly, and using a nice mobile-friendly design, if nobody can actually apply to your job from their phone?
The job search sites you use should allow applicants to submit their information right from their device. They should also be able to save, send or share a position they like. Take a look at Mediabistro’s job search site from your phone to see mobile functionality done right.
7. Do quality control from your phone
Once you’ve posted an open position, your job has just begun. Take out your phone or tablet and read your entire listing as if you’re a candidate doing a search.
Ask yourself:
- Does the job title fit nicely on the page?
- Is there enough white space within the text?
- Are bullets, numbers and symbols rendered accurately?
- How many times do you have to scroll down the page to read the full job description?
- Can you apply, save, send and share from your device?
Now it’s time to try out your newly optimized job description on Mediabistro’s job search site. (Mobile friendly, of course!)
Topics:
Job Descriptions
