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• May 3, 2010


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Tech Recruiters: Is Your Company Career Site iPad Friendly?

By: Michael O’Dell

Okay, so the iPad has only been out for a matter of weeks but it’s already causing all sorts of controversy and changes in the personal and mobile computing world. 

This month, Apple CEO Steve Jobs posted a “hot news” piece (manifesto maybe?) as an answer to all the critical press the iPad was getting regarding its move away from Flash.  Having read the piece, I tend to side with Mr. Jobs on this one.  To be open (and to extend battery life) there will be no Adobe Flash on the iPad.  Instead the device utilizes H.264, HTML5, CSS and Java to render animated images and video.

Also, the move to the tablet format changes how users interact with sites.  Most specifically, how they input data.  The touch screen keyboard is not very useful if you want to type a document.  To really do that, users will have to tether the device to a keyboard doc or wireless keyboard.

The iPad is a game changer in a lot of ways.  For our purposes, it is a game changer in recruitment.  The change the iPad has on recruitment will not be evident to most of us for some time still.  Users will employ the iPad to do Facebook, Twitter, everything.  One UK recruitment consultancy released what it is calling the world’s first iPad app for recruitment.  Kudos to Harvey Nash for being on the bleeding edge of this technology.  Now, in reality the app is simply an emagazine app for the company’s bi-monthly executive job openings classifieds mag. 

However, it will still be a bit before job seekers will start applying to jobs heavily using the device.  Today, few job boards are prepared to accept applications from mobile devices; whether it is a cell phone, iPhone, or iPad.  These changes are in the pipeline though.

With just one million iPads sold so far, the novelty hasn’t quite worn off enough that large scale recruitment efforts are being undertook on it.  There are a couple of companies that may have started feeling the pain though.  As I mentioned earlier, the iPad doesn’t accept Flash.  So what happens when your career site is built in Flash or contains Flash objects like video?

International media outlet and business news source Bloomberg has already run into this issue.  The company’s career site starts with a Flash movie.  Viewing that today renders a dead link.  Motorola, McDonalds, ASML, PepsiCo, CIA, and the U.S. Army all are in this same boat.

So, big deal right?  Who cares?  The honest answer is that for the majority of users, the iPad’s inability to show flash on your organization’s career site is a non-event.  But what if you are a Bloomberg or a company that hires a lot of tech and IT professionals?  What if you are an IT staffing firm?  Now, we really have a problem.

IT professionals go to work at organizations that are seen as leaders in tech, not laggers.  No techie I know wants to go work on legacy AS400 systems or program in COBOL any more.  They want the latest and greatest.  If your career site doesn’t showcase the latest and greatest (that is have the ability to show a video in a format other than Flash on your career page), then you have instantly lost credibility as a technology leader in that job seeker’s mind. 

Those companies looking for graphic design, programming, cyber security and other in-demand, highly skilled IT skills must take note.  If you think you may be in trouble with the iPad, take a quick glance at your career pages.  Do you have any videos or animated objects etc. on the page?  If you are not sure, as your HRIS team or help desk folks.  They can quickly and easily point out Flash elements to you.  Then go request changes be made.  You will not be fired this week if your Flash videos don’t play.  You may be fired a year from now when you pipeline of talented IT professionals dry up because your career page turns them off.

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