Last week I had the pleasure of speaking and attending SuccessFactor’s Success Connect conference where I had the opportunity to discuss the hottest trends in recruiting. The slides to this presentation are embedded below or can be access by clicking here. Mobile was one of the five trends I discussed. In my opinion it is among the most important of the five I discussed. Mobile is no longer a trend. It is a business necessity. Apple’s 24 hour preorder sales this week for the iPhone 6 topped 4 million. This is more than just a good indication of how important mobile is to lives and well-being. It demonstrates how mobile has shifted our lives fundamentally. Mobile is everything.

Mobile is Recruiting Trends Numero Uno

I went to the restroom quickly before my recruiting trends presentation in Las Vegas, largely to soothe my anxiety. My laptop, mifi, pocketbook, credit cards, and ID were all kept in a huge pink bag right behind the platform where I was speaking. I went to the restroom with my phone and my Google Glass (which I was wearing on my face). Because mobile phones are so vital in our life, we leave our wallets, credit cards, and identification at the restaurant table and only bring our phones.

As I began my presentation to a room full of recruiters and HR professionals, I realized that many of them are overwhelmed by the technology and resources they need to conduct their jobs efficiently. Since the release of the iPhone in June 2007, mobile has been the driving force behind all recent technological developments in our world. Since the introduction of the internet, mobile has been the single most significant revolution in the world of recruiting and employment. This is critical to remember when you develop, modify, and plan your 2015 recruiting and hiring plans.

Recruiting is Mobile.

• Recruiting is mobile since our audience is always on the go. Mobile has increased the number of social networks and modified the way websites are built. While apps are fun, and I am considering developing one for Blogging4Jobs, your priority in recruiting should be mobile rendering of your website to accommodate multiple devices other than the iPhone.

Conversations are More Fluid 

• Conversations are More Fluid and the expectation is that they should happen immediately. Ninety-nine percent of text messages are read and received within 90 seconds. The expectation has been set because of mobile that we, as in individuals and consumers expect responses immediately. Your candidates and job seekers expectations are the same and yet only 50% of job seekers receive any kind of communication from a company once they apply for a job opening.

140 Characters is Your New Job Posting. 

• Because of our tiny mobile screens, we consume content in smaller doses, such as tweets, SMS, memes, and email subject lines. You have 140 characters to persuade your candidate to apply in order for job advertising, postings, and announcements to be effective. This also applies to websites, which is why having a mobile-friendly and optimized site is critical. Your mobile career site must be visually engaging and intriguing, just like your consumer product site, while also focusing on bringing job seekers to the relevant information fast so that they can apply.

Mobile is an Information Gathering Activity. 

• Applying for a job opening on a mobile site is possible but it’s still filled with smallish boxes and thumb typing. Recently I made an online purchase from one of my favorite stores, WorldMarket using my mobile device. I messed up the zip code and my purchase was way delayed. It was mailed to another state. Indeed.com’s most recent research tells us that 50% of job seeking is happening using a mobile device. Unless you have a mobile ATS or apply site, the mobile job search is still research focused and that research is happening during work hours. Time Warner reports the peak times for mobile visitors on their careers site were 10-4 PM Monday-Thursday. If a company aims to reach top performing passive job seekers, they need to optimize their websites for mobile to allow for mobile research done covertly.

Mobile, mobile, and more mobile. It is the way we work, live, and interact with those we know personally and professionally. We’ve gone a long way as recruiters. We’ve embraced social recruiting and employment branding initiatives such as tweeting and Instagramming our job openings. To win the talent war, we must think bigger and dig deeper, immersing ourselves in the job search experience of our candidates in order to truly understand the importance and role of mobile for the audience and attention we seek.

Yes, mobile is the root of all future strategies you are planning for recruiting, onboarding and hiring.