When you leave the house there are a few things you try to not forget – keys, wallet and, these days, phone. With such a vast user-base as that of mobile phones, it made sense for employers to jump on the bandwagon to begin using mobile applications for recruiting people, and not just in IT jobs.

While the natural assumption would be that the technology industry itself would be the first to get in on the app revolution for recruitment, and perhaps most specifically the software side of things rather than a database manager position, in actuality some big, non-tech brands have made their own foray into it.

McDonald’s, one of the largest companies in the entire world, not only has a mobile app that lets you find your nearest restaurant and see nutrition information, it also has a careers section. The page loads an employer brand video, which highlights the benefits of working for the company, and it also lets users fill out an application or even directly email a restaurant manager about employment opportunities.

Cummins also has a very in-depth mobile app, providing detailed company information alongside news, history, facts, videos and details about its sustainability practices. In addition to that, users can search for jobs by category or location, and although it is not possible to apply for a job through the app itself like McDonald’s permits, users can apply via Facebook, LinkedIn or email.

Providence Health & Services has taken the idea of an app for recruitment a step further and been more creative. With the app, users are able to leave a business card for positions that catch their eye, meaning employers can see their basic info but it doesn’t take the time of filling out an entire application form, and users can share positions on social media sites. This app is somewhat unique, but could be a telling sign of what to expect in the near future.

Recruitment through mobile apps is not just limited to companies themselves. The recruitment agency Adecco has its own app that has such features as links to relevant career news articles, collated from respectable websites. This feature gives users an incentive to check the app frequently. The app also includes a YouTube feed of the company’s video channel so applicants can see more about the company they’re applying to work for.

QR apps are also taking the mobile world by storm. If you’ve ever seen a square box with black lines in it in newspapers and signs and wondered what it is, it’s a QR code. Essentially, these are barcode-like tools that take you to a certain webpage when scanned. Smart phones have apps to read QR codes while others have the ability as a native function.

Employers have caught on to QR codes by placing them in newspapers, at trade fairs and on public transport. People can simply point their phone’s camera at the code and be taken directly to the website, recruitment website, specific job details or the company’s contact page. Some recruitment sites now even include a QR code by each job vacancies so that applicants can save the position to view later, which is quicker and easier than emailing the link to themselves.

So smart phones have become more than ways to keep in touch with contacts and social media, they have now infiltrated how we look for jobs. With so many smart phone users being app-savvy, and the placement of QR codes being so prominent that more and more people understand what they are and how they work, the move to utilise them for recruitment purposes is one that is certainly here to stay.