Reference Checks Go Mobile: SkillSurvey Reports 560% Increase in Candidates’ Use of Mobile Devices for Reference Checking
Wayne, PA (PRWEB) June 18, 2015 -- SkillSurvey, the leading provider of hiring solutions that address critical points in the talent lifecycle and the premier provider of online automated reference checking, today released findings on the use of mobile devices during the reference checking and hiring process. Analytic insights mined from SkillSurvey’s large dataset show a 560 percent increase from 2010 to 2014 in candidates using mobile devices to complete the reference-checking process using SkillSurvey’s flagship Pre-Hire 360® solution. The number of references using mobile devices to provide feedback via Pre-Hire 360 increased 423 percent in that same four-year period.
“These data results make it clear that mobile technology is further enhancing our patented online reference technology allowing hiring organizations to reach a diverse candidate and reference pool and making it faster and easier for references to respond anytime with detailed, job-specific feedback,” said Ray Bixler, CEO of SkillSurvey. “As a mobile-first organization, we’re tapping into this trend and ensuring that all candidates and references have fast, easy access to our hiring solutions. The end result is that employers get more and better information about job candidates to support their hiring decisions.”
Human resource professionals are placing great importance on being able to complete key parts of the hiring process using mobile technology. According to a recent report from Bersin by Deloitte, almost one in three HR professionals said that their top app choice would be one that supports recruiting or the candidate application process.
The availability of reference checking through mobile and tablet devices is opening up the ability to share quality reference information on a more diverse job candidate pool, with respect to amount of previous work experience, age, gender and race/ethnicity. As the Pre-Hire 360 data show, mobile devices also speed up the process, and certain sectors are adopting mobile at a faster rate. Key insights from SkillSurvey’s analytics of candidates and references who completed Pre-Hire information with a mobile device include the following:
Mobile speeds it up:
• Candidates using mobile devices respond 42 percent faster than those completing Pre-Hire 360 on a PC.
• As a result, reference feedback is available 21 percent faster (1.4 vs. 1.8 days) when candidates use mobile devices instead of a PC.
Hospitality and retail are leading sectors for mobile response*:
• Candidates for hospitality jobs, along with their references, were more likely to use mobile devices (17.8 percent) to complete the reference-checking process than candidates and references for jobs in any other sector. Candidates for retail positions were also high (15.5 percent).
• Reference responses via mobile were even higher: 27 percent of references for candidates for hospitality jobs used mobile to complete Pre-Hire 360; job families that had the next highest mobile reference response rates included retail (23 percent), transportation/material moving (23 percent), and protective services (20 percent).
Mobile usage varies by education level, gender and ethnicity:
• More candidates applying for jobs requiring little to no previous training (17.4 percent) use mobile devices than those applying for jobs requiring extensive training (5.3 percent).
• Candidates using mobile devices are almost two times more likely to be Gen Y (born in 1980 or later) than other generations.
• There are also slight gender differences: 12 percent of female candidates use mobile devices to complete the Pre-Hire 360 process, versus 8.2 percent of male candidates.
• As for differences by race/ethnicity: African Americans (16.8 percent) and Hispanics (13.2 percent) are more likely than whites (9.4 percent) and Asians (6.2 percent) to use mobile devices during the hiring process.
About SkillSurvey®
SkillSurvey provides cloud-based solutions to help human capital management professionals manage critical points in the talent lifecycle using data and insight to more effectively recruit, hire and manage employees to drive business results. The company’s flagship solution, Pre-Hire 360®, is an award-winning, patented technology that utilizes a unique combination of behavioral science and talent analytics. SkillSurvey’s Pre-Hire 360 reference solution is scientifically proven to provide data that can be used to drive more informed hiring decisions based upon feedback provided by references on a candidate’s past job performance. The company also offers an extension of Pre-Hire 360 in the form of a passive sourcing solution, The Q®, and the recently launched Credential 360® , a new solution that helps hospitals and healthcare organizations improve patient care outcomes by expediting the professional credential verification process. SkillSurvey’s cloud-based software products are being used by 1,400 companies, institutions and organizations. Visit SkillSurvey at http://www.skillsurvey.com, and on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter.
SkillSurvey®, and Pre-Hire 360® are registered trademarks of SkillSurvey Inc. or its affiliates and are registered in the U.S. and other countries. SkillSurvey’s Pre-Hire 360® is a patented solution. For more information see http://www.skillsurvey.com/patents.
© 2015 SkillSurvey Inc. and its affiliates.
Media Contact:
Joseph Germani
Sloane & Company
(212) 446-1899
jgermani(at)sloanepr(dot)com
*SkillSurvey analyzed job family categories (N=24) containing more than 500 candidates.
Joseph Germani, Sloane & Company, +1 (212) 446-1899, [email protected]
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