HR Tip: Career Builder survey reveals five tips for recruiters

Competition for skilled, competent employees continues to heat up. Nearly two in five employers have jobs that stay open four months or longer because they can not find people with appropriate skills. Here are some tips from a July 2013 Career Builder survey:

Be mobile: Mobile job search is growing at an accelerated rate, and employers who aren't mobile-optimized are missing out on key talent they need to find quickly.

• At least half of job seekers with mobile devices spend three hours or more looking for jobs via those devices every week (49 percent on smart phones and 59 percent on tablets).
• 65 percent of workers who search for jobs via mobile devices will leave a web site if it is not mobile-optimized; 40 percent walk away with a more negative opinion of the company.

Reputation makes a difference: When job seekers were asked if they would consider five percent less than their lowest acceptable salary, a significant number said they would depending on the company's image and applicant experience.

• 68 percent said they would accept a lower salary if the employer created a great impression through the hiring process; the challenge here is 29 percent of job seekers don't think employers do a good job of reinforcing why their companies are a good place to work.
• Job seekers also said they would accept a lower salary if the company had exceptionally positive reviews online (67 percent) or if the company had a lot of positive press recently (65 percent).

An employment brand is a must-have: While not a new concept, what is alarming is only 38 percent of employers believe their company has a very clearly defined employment brand. This can adversely impact job seeker perceptions and ultimately application rates.

• Nearly half (46 percent) of workers said a company's employment brand plays a very big role in their decision to apply for a job within the organization; another 45 percent say it plays somewhat of a role.

Unresponsiveness can have a ripple effect: An earlier CareerBuilder study shows that job seekers who don't hear back after applying to an employer are more likely to stop buying products or services from the company. How much are employers at risk?

• 62 percent of job seekers don't feel the companies they have applied to have been responsive.
• On the flip side, 56 percent of employers admitted that they don't respond to all candidates or acknowledge receipt of their applications; 33 percent said they don't follow up with candidates they interviewed with to let them know they didn't get the job.

Flexibility is the new norm: Job seekers are placing a heavier emphasis on a company's ability to provide a good work/life balance when they are considering a job offer.

• 72 percent of workers said it's important that a company offers flexible schedules when they are deciding whether to take a position.
• 44 percent said it's important that the company provide telecommuting options.