Recent research conducted by TMP in association with TARGETjobs reveals that there’s a potential appetite for receiving recruitment communications via a mobile phone. A third (34%) of undergraduates would be ‘fairly relaxed’ to receive information in this way, while a further 13% said they’d be ‘keen’ to (Ri5, June 08). Meanwhile, a study by Nielsen Mobile of more than 15,000 mobile users asked consumers about mobile advertising recall and found that 48.6% of UK users recalled SMS advertising (NMA 11.09.08).

Mobile advertising is an excellent way of providing alerts to jobs that match an individual’s requirements. For example, GradJobs recently ran a targeted campaign on youth mobile network Blyk (which offers free minutes and texts in exchange for users opting in to receive advertising). The aim was to drive students to the Gradjobs National Recruitment Exhibition in London and increase awareness of the Gradjobs recruitment brand amongst students. An SMS was targeted regionally asking students if they were “Looking for a graduate job?” 42% of recipients responded and these were then sent an animated multimedia message (MMS) follow-up with details of the exhibition in their area and were given the incentive to claim a free gift for visiting the Gradjobs stand.

Ali Says: The UK is one of the largest users of text messaging and mobile phones. The potential of the medium as a recruitment communications channel is now being recognised by employers who use mobiles to build brand relationships and generate interest through engaging and interactive campaigns.