Sorry iPhone users, if you’re a customer of Hire, Google’s applicant tracking solution, you’ll have to wait to enjoy hiring on-the-go the way Android users soon will. According to multiple Android alert blogs, a native app has been seen in Google Play. It has yet to be officially released, however.
Of course, the other caveat is you actually have to be a Hire customer to use the app, regardless of your smartphone of choice. From the screenshots and the landing page description, the same functionality that users get on the web is available.
Here’s a rundown:
- Candidate access — Manage your pipeline without a laptop or desktop computer.
- Alerts — Get notified of important updates on-the-go.
- Scheduling — Schedule or modify interviews in real time, updating Google Calendar in the process.
- Complete view of interactions — Gmail and Calendar integration means every candidate interaction is recorded
- Collaboration — Notes and other information is shared with the hiring team in real time.
If you have an Android phone (I do not), you can download the app, but you’re forewarned that it’s in development and may be a bit buggy still. No word yet on when an official release will happen. To date, over 1,000 downloads have occurred, according the the app store.
Also no word on an iOS version, but I have to think it’s coming soon.
This is a good move, and likely an easy one for Google to make, since it owns Android. The list of applicant tracking solutions with a native app is pretty light, especially considering how many vendors there are. A quick glance on my iPhone shows players like Breezy HR, Indeed, Workable, and SmartRecruiters, but that’s about it.
There’s a lot of room for growth in this area, and Google is officially an early adopter compared to its peers. As recruiters get younger and more mobile every year, the preference to have a tool that fits their lifestyle becomes more and more important. At some point, not having a native app could be a big negative, putting those who do in a good place, now including Google.