Dive Brief:

• CareerBuilder has launched a new mobile experience that uses augmented reality (AR) to enhance job seekers' searches. The move allows seekers to scan their surroundings with their phones and watch information bubbles appear on their screens that inform them of available jobs nearby and the expected pay tied to those opportunities.
• The app also populates resumes for job seekers, automatically sending them to preferred jobs if the user consents to the function. The software can send job seekers automatic alerts about new postings, too. It boasts a hyper-localized job search and encourages users to consider their career paths by showing them more lucrative jobs that require little training and options for building their skill sets.
• "Job seekers are consumers and they expect to have the same fast, easy consumer experience that they have on other sites like Amazon," Humair Ghauri, CareerBuilder's chief product officer told HR Dive in an email. "Having a real-time, 3D, augmented reality view of job openings provides a richer experience for job seekers."

Dive Insight:

Recruitment strategies have certainly come a long way from the days of boring blurbs in the classifieds. As the competition for talent tightens, employers' recruiting tactics sharpen, and job seekers can choose from a long list of mobile-friendly initiatives to help them find the perfect gig. No more newspaper and red pen for them.

LinkedIn heralded its voice messaging feature in August. The interface allows candidates and recruiters to communicate hands-free, skipping the task of typing. Capango took a page from popular dating apps, creating a mobile-first platform in which job seekers scroll through opportunities and "swipe right" when a post intrigues them. And last year, McDonald's recruited workers through Snapchat. The fast-food giant encouraged applicants to submit 'Snaplications' with the app.

The trend is clear: Recruiters will nix the online application process of yesteryear for an easy, smartphone-centered approach if it means an uptick in candidates. And it very well may: 60% of job seekers abandon online applications before they hit submit because it takes too long or involves too much effort. "Especially when the labor market is as tight as it is right now, you can't afford to ignore mobile," Ryan Eberhard, SVP of product at ZipRecruiter, previously told HR Dive.