Kim Boutard
Recruiter app: The five features that enable recruiters to hire on the go
July 26, 2019, Product Update, How to
- 3 months
- 35 hours of user interviews
- 143 screen iterations
- 305 hours of testing
- 10 jugs of beer (we restrained ourselves!)
- Countless sleepless nights
- 1 surgery
That’s what went into launching our JobAdder mobile recruiter app update last October. Since then, we’ve released five new updates!
Our mobile team experts have an average of 10 years of experience under their belt and have revamped the JobAdder mobile app to help make the future of mobile recruiting more manageable, and user-friendly.
The mobile app is 99.9% crash free with star ratings of:
4.8 on iOS
4.2 on Android
The aim of our mobile app is simple. Recruit anyone, anywhere at any time.
Last year, the team started with a simple but tough question:
“What are the most critical actions our users do on a mobile recruiter app, and how can we make those more accessible and simple to execute?”
The mobile team began the process by talking to JobAdder users to discover their wants, needs and experiences.They conducted 15 user interviews to foolproof their concepts and designs.
Throughout that process, I was humbled to learn how willing and interested they were to help us improve the JobAdder recruiter app that they use every day.
Here are the updates we announced in October 2018.
1. Revamped homepage
Our users told us loud and clear, “just give me the information I need on my homepage, none of the stuff I don’t, and easy access to the actions I want to take.”
Searching for contacts, job orders and candidates
The original homepage displayed recently viewed records and had a search function with filters for phone numbers OR names OR positions OR emails. A lot of people didn’t use those and searches would often wind up in a dead end.
"I use the filters to search phone numbers, but sometimes I forget to change the filter and have zero results when I know the record exists in the database. Then I realise I have to change the filter and search again. I love the idea of an all-in-one search!"
Quick search
- In the new homepage, the old search filters were replaced with universal search.
- We get it. You’re on your phone, you want to be able to call, SMS or view resumes. So the team made these actions super easy to access from everywhere.
- The colour coding was replaced for each record type (ie. green for candidates, red for companies etc) with clear icons.
- And last but not least, a highlighting function was added. Words that are being searched for are highlighted in the results page, which helps users find what they’re looking for without having to read every single line on the screen.
Although these may sound like small improvements and quite natural behaviours, there are actually a combination of factors that make a good product a great product and create stickiness.
Access jobs & new applications
Next, our team wanted to validate another assumption: That our users would want to access their open jobs and receive new application notifications directly from the homepage of the mobile recruiter app.
We fine-tuned our new designs internally, testing them before going into the wild. Here’s some of the feedback we received:
“I like this new look and it’s easy to understand. It has all the relevant information for a quick overview of my jobs i.e company name, job title, new applications.”
“I really like to see the logos of my clients and profile pictures of candidates. We work with humans, not data. First thing I’d do is access my new applications.”
The crunchy part was usability, where the team hoped that the first thing users would tap on was the new application action button to check for new applications. This appeared to be the main action our users took when testing the flow!
After gathering all the feedback, we made a few tweaks here and there, and boom! We had a winner.
From the new homepage users can directly access:
- Their open jobs
- New job applications
- Settings by tapping the avatar
- Create candidates, contacts and jobs by tapping the FAB (Floating Action Button)
2. New job application flow
Next, the team wanted to provide a better way for users to screen and shortlist applications on their mobile recruiter app. Some jobs can receive 100+ applications overnight so it’s a constant battle to stay on top of them. How could we make it simpler?
The job application flow was a difficult challenge to tackle! This is where our user interviews really came into play to help the team find the right solution.
What our test users had to say:
"I check resumes 95% of the time and then cross check the candidate on LinkedIn. I’d like to know their previous applications, which job they applied for, the date of application, if she/he was successful when applying to another job, who the recruiter was, and who managed the job etc."
"I really like the design of the applicant page. It’s super efficient, it cuts my workflow from 6-8 steps to 3-4 steps! Knowing the application history is an easy indicator to reject serial applicants."
Our testers mentioned that the following information was needed to help them screen job applications efficiently:
- See at a glance “serial applicants” with applications history
- Placement history
- Preview resumes
- Access LinkedIn profiles
- Call or email candidates
- Candidate location
In terms of design and development, it was definitely a challenge to fit all the required information into one screen! Several versions were tested to achieve the end result.
"All the important information is available (placement and application history, resume, source of the application, call). I love it."
Shortlisting applications
Two types of interactions were built to shortlist applicants.
1.Rejecting applicants
Swiping left will reject a candidate, update their status and create a note to the record.
For more rejection options, simply tap the rejection button at the bottom of the screen which will display a list of specific rejection actions eg. Unsuccessful – Visa, Unsuccessful – Skills, Too expensive etc.
"Sometimes a candidate doesn’t match the job they applied for but he/she would be a great candidate for another job I have at hand. If this happens, it’d be great if I could add the candidate to another job when reviewing applications."
"I’d usually like to tag myself when writing a note on a record to provide more detail on why I reject or progress a candidate."
"I often use notes when shortlisting applications, to understand why I’ve made a decision to progress or reject an applicant. Would it be possible to show these options in the new flow?"
You asked, the mobile team answered! These two options (Add a Note and Add to Job) are now available in the new ‘Reject Actions’ section.
2. Progressing applicants
Using the same gesture, users can swipe right to progress an applicant in the next stage of their workflow.
To move a candidate to a different stage (or if the swiping action isn’t for you), users can tap the ‘Progress’ button to access all the stages of their workflow, (ie. In Review, Internal Interview, Submit Candidate, Client Interview, Reference Check, Offer).
Progressing candidates will update the job application status, move them to the selected stage and create a note on the record.
Our users love this feature on their mobile recruiter app, especially Kasia Mieczkowski, Managing Director at Eye For Recruitment.
“I enjoy the ease and convenience of being able to shortlist candidates on the go from the JobAdder mobile app, as well as having the ability to change the candidate application status there and then knowing it will automatically sync everything across. The convenience and features it offers saves time and helps with productivity in our day to day tasks, regardless of where we are working from.”
Video cover letters
Last but not least, if an applicant has attached a video cover letter, users will be able to review it directly from the job application page.
Our current updates
Our JobAdder mobile recruiter app gives users complete freedom to action tasks in real time. By recruiting on-the-go these newly created updates can help better manage your workload. Since October 2018 here are the five newly updated features on our mobile app. They include:
- @mentions
- Create a job order
- Candidate matches with skill tagging
- SEEK screening questions
- Job filters
@mentions
For those tagging fanatics out there the @ feature which is available on our JobAdder desktop, is now available on our mobile app!
Collaborate with your teammates and keep them informed on new applications, requests, events and more. If you’re on the go and need to inform a colleague of an urgent matter you can alert them straight away.
To do this and @mention a colleague, simply open a new note, type the @ key and follow it with their name.
Once completed, your note will alert your colleague just like it would in the desktop version. Don’t forget our speech to text feature! Do you need to reach out to a colleague but you’re rushing to the office and ideally don’t want to risk a pedestrian collision? Speech to text has got you covered. Simply tap the speech icon, record your message and hit send.
Here’s what you would receive if you were tagged in a note.
[Your colleague’s name] has mentioned you in the job application form for [candidate name].
“[Your name] I think [candidate name] would be great for your role.”
View Job Application in JobAdder
Need to see it in action? Here’s a video of @mentions in full swing.
Create a job order
Our mobile team have updated this feature to create a new job from the mobile recruiter app, in as little as 4 steps. Complete more work while you’re on the go and have your new jobs up and running the moment you enter the office.
Whether you’re on the home screen or jobs page, create a new job order by tapping the + sign and selecting New Job (or the suitcase icon).
Once completed, fill in the desired fields in the create a job screen. Tap the ‘Create’ button in the upper right-hand corner and you’re done.
What’s even better is that most of the fields will be pre-filled by the user beforehand. This will help them create new job orders without having to re-enter fields that they usually use when creating new jobs, ultimately becoming a great time-saving hack allowing you to create your new job orders even faster.
Candidate matches with skill tagging
Looking for a candidate with a particular skill or number of skills? Automate your candidate matching in the mobile app by utilising ‘Job Skills’. The recruiter app now lets you add them straight to a job.
Perhaps you require your applicants to have a Bachelor’s degree, hospitality experience or something more specific. With candidate matching, you can choose to select any or all of the skills required.
This updated feature is a perfect way to extract more value from your candidate database and talent pool.
Here are the steps to candidate match with skills. You can also follow the steps on our support article.
- Navigate to the ‘Edit Job’ screen
- Tap ‘Job Skills’
- Enter your desired ‘Job Skills’ and choose to match any, or all, of the skills you input
- The matches found with the selected skills are displayed on the page
- Tap ‘Confirm’ then hit ‘Save’
Steps to review the matches:
- Tap ‘Matches’ in the ‘Details’ tab of a job
- The strongest match is shown at the top with their rank listed on the right-hand side
Final steps on how to add matches to a Job:
- Tap ‘Add Job’ to add the matches to a job, directly from your database
- Tap ‘Confirm’ and you’re done
“The JobAdder mobile app does everything. It helps us shortlist applicants,, map talent and search for niche skills. The mobile app keeps us informed before face to face meetings and interviews enabling us to build stronger relationships."
SEEK screening questions
You may be familiar with SEEK screening questions when posting a job ad. If not and you have just started using JobAdder, SEEK screening questions work like this.
- SEEK provides you with five recommended questions that are best aligned and specific to your open role.
- These questions are set as part of the application process where candidates have the choice of selecting response options or inserting their own.
- Your candidates are then ranked based on the number of questions they answer successfully.
If you are using SEEK screening questions, our mobile recruiter app now displays your applicants answers and SEEK Screen score on their profile.
Their Screen score is displayed as a percentage in accordance with the role’s requirements and provides you with a quick snapshot of the candidate’s suitability to the role. You can even tap their score and view the breakdown of their responses.
Make a more concrete decision on whether to continue them through the recruitment process, and select progress or reject directly from the same page. Instead of diving into an applicant’s resume and cover letter to uncover whether they are eligible for the role, use SEEK screening questions and access the information directly via the JobAdder mobile app.
Recruitment on-the-go is essential for recruiters who need access to information without wasting valuable time. Mick Laulu, Business System Admin at Australian Recruiting Group commented on just how useful the mobile app is, especially when it comes to their team’s efforts.
“The mobile app is a great tool to work on the go. It enables our recruiters to check incoming job applications and update status’ on the go without missing a beat. It’s a great tool to quickly access client or candidate details with the ability to call, text or email easily from the app. The app is a necessity for a couple of our teams and they couldn’t function or meet performance expectations without it.”
Job filters
Recruiters require options to be as efficient as possible and with advanced job filters on our mobile recruiter app, it can give them just that.
Filter your jobs at specific stages and make selections on particular filters that you require or prefer. Perhaps you need to see jobs with a single location but with two recruiters. Our users can access this with the touch of a finger.
Filter your jobs by:
- My Open Jobs, Open Jobs and All Jobs
- Groups
- Recruiters
- Categories
- Stages
- Locations
- Work type
Sort them by:
- Newest Job/Oldest Job
- Earliest stage/latest stage
- A-Z/Z-A
- Lowest fees/highest fees
To access the advanced job filters follow these steps.
- From the home screen, tap the menu button then ‘Jobs’
- Tap ‘Filter’ in the top right-hand corner
- Select your filter categories, options and sorting, as desired
- Tap ‘Show’ in the top right-hand corner to view your results
Once completed, remember to reset your filters.
What’s next?
The JobAdder mobile team have monthly release cycles and strive to perfect and update our product with an understanding of our users wants and needs.
Future developments are always in the works with our mobile team, where they will be adding to the job order feature the ability to select evaluation templates, and interview scoring.
The team is investing a lot in automation, understanding user workflows and creating smart task management which will remove the repetitive admin tasks, allowing recruiters to focus on meeting candidates and closing jobs.
Voice technology is particularly important to us, especially when it comes to the future of mobile recruitment and the industry as a whole. Voice is the future and we consider voice commands to be extremely important.
Email syncronisation will be key to keep all conversations in JobAdder as any email sent from the recruiter app will be copied into the JobAdder system. There’s also Temp and Contract, where the team can quickly contact candidates when the user is away from their desk and require a candidate as soon as possible. Meanwhile, Bulk Actions, which will deliver multiple SMS to candidates and submit multiple candidates to a client is coming real soon.
It may be best to say that the JobAdder mobile team are constantly on the move. Mobility isn’t an afterthought and we strive to build a product that suits our users’ needs, therefore we always validate their assumptions and designs with our users.
“I'm a big JobAdder fan, working with them for 10 years and I’ve seen huge workflow improvements over that time. I think JobAdder are doing a great job with the mobile app."
Kim Boutard
2019
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