EmploymentMetrix.com

Beyond.com’s Mobile Job Apps Are Predicted to Experience a 1000% Increase in Downloads

The way in which people have secured employment has certainly changed over the years. While employers of retail establishments may still place “Help Wanted” signs in their windows or place ads in the newspaper, they’re probably missing out on reaching thousands of candidates if they don’t place their job opportunities online, because the first place job seekers turn to nowadays is certainly the internet. And while the internet is amazing (nice job Al Gore) it has certainly amplified our need for immediacy, which brings us to the Smartphone.

With more than 20% of mobile phone users owning a Smartphone and with the current unemployment rate at a steady 9.6%, it is no wonder that the number of mobile app downloads for job searching is exploding.

We asked Jason Stevens the Mobile Applications Manager at Beyond.com, the world’s largest network of niche career communities, for his expert opinion on mobile apps as well as searching jobs on the go.

EmploymentMetrix: Do you think Smartphones are here to stay?

Jason: Yes, whether it’s an iPhone, Droid, Blackberry, Palm, etc…we’re only going to see more of them. By 2014, it is predicted that the internet will be more frequently searched on a mobile device than on a computer, which is very impressive. In fact, Beyond.com has experienced a boom in our mobile app downloads already, so much so that we predict a 1,000% growth from last year.

Additionally, several companies are planning for the future of mobile apps as organizations are investing hundreds of thousands of dollars to build apps as they see that platform as the future, so that is also a good indicator.  

EmploymentMetrix: When searching for a job what types of job apps are downloaded most frequently?

Jason: When searching for a job the job apps that are most frequently downloaded are those that are geared toward a specific industry or niche. Also, in general when it comes to apps, those that are branded from a trusted organization are typically downloaded most frequently. So if you already have a relationship with a user, they’re more likely to download your mobile app. 

But overall, the job apps that I’m seeing a lot of downloads for, and when I say a lot, I mean hundreds of thousands of downloads, are for niche job boards like TechCareers.com, HealthcareJobsite.com, ManhattanJobs.com and so forth. Which makes sense, if you’re in the market for a new job, why sift through hundreds of job opportunities that are not in your field or in your area? Searching by a specific industry or in a specific area is the fastest way to find a job.

Just to give an idea of the free mobile apps that are most downloaded for business purposes here is a look at the top mobile business apps in iTunes:
EmploymentMetrix:  What are your future plans for the mobile space?

Jason: Right now our apps, allow job seekers to search and share relevant jobs as well as read valuable articles and watch videos to help them find a job faster. As we continue to explore the mobile space we are working toward allowing the user to do even more from their mobile device.

We will also keep on top of the latest mobile trends and make the necessary investments to offer our users a quality product.

EmploymentMetrix: Do you value the feedback you receive from your users?

Jason: User feedback is the most important feedback we receive. If our users have suggestions—we want to hear about. In fact, we’ve already made several updates to our job apps based on suggestions from our users.

Given the increase in Smartphone use, it won’t be long until we hear more and more reports of successful job searches being conducted strictly through mobile job apps.  In the meantime, keep on downloading!

 

Online Recruitment: Past, Present & Future

The evolution of recruitment has certainly changed over the years.  Back in the day you would post an ad in the local newspaper and wait for the resumes to come in via mail or fax, but now that everything is so instantaneous and there are so many paths that the recruitment process can take it is hard to pin point where the online recruitment process is going to end up. 

Luckily, a few weeks ago, Mark Anderson, Senior Director of Enterprise Sales from Beyond.com presented on the topic of Online Recruitment, how it started, where it is now, and where it will go in the future at HR Florida. 

Thanks to everyone who attended Mark’s session and for those of you who were not able to be there, you can watch it here:

Beyond.com Joins The Network, Replacing Yahoo! HotJobs

Beyond.com, Inc., the world's largest network of niche career communities, today announced it has been selected by The Network, the largest online recruitment solution in the world, to be their exclusive provider of recruitment services in the U.S. market for their multinational clients, replacing Yahoo! HotJobs. The Network is used by more than 1,000 customers with access to a pool of 100 million jobseekers across 121 countries. The relationship represents a natural partnership for Beyond.com, particularly on the heels of the Yahoo! HotJobs (NasdaqGS: YHOO) acquisition by Monster.com (MWW 11.03, -0.03, -0.27%), and The Network's need for U.S. representation by a leader in the career space.

The relationship allows numerous multinational organizations, many already leveraging The Network for their hiring needs, to fully utilize the Beyond.com Network of thousands of niche industry and geographic career communities to obtain even more relevant candidates for their positions. In addition, Beyond.com will be in a position to expand its portfolio worldwide through the extended reach of The Network.
 
The Network's addition of Beyond.com adds another market leader to its growing community within the online recruitment market including representatives in over 100 countries such as StepStone, a division of Axel Springer AG, Germany's largest newspaper and third-largest magazine publisher, TotalJobs.com, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Reed Elsevier Group plc, a FTSE 100 company and one of the world's largest publishing and information companies, Jobs.ch (Switzerland), Workopolis (Canada) and Jobstreet (Asia Pacific), among other dominant market players.

"We are honored to join a global organization whose members include the leading job boards around the world that have demonstrated success to thousands of employers and millions of candidates," said Rich Milgram, CEO, Beyond.com. "As the need for global recruiting becomes more and more critical, we are proud to be positioned as the natural Network partner for the U.S., and we look forward to working in tandem with our fellow partners in the member countries to provide unsurpassed global recruitment solutions."
 
Steven Lewis, International Director, Totaljobs Group and Managing Director, The Network says: "We are delighted to welcome Beyond.com to our global alliance and look forward to leveraging its relationships and reach to provide a more integrated service to recruiters looking for international jobseekers. Their proven experience in the U.S. and depth of network will be extremely valuable to our international clientele."