I've been asked many times by industry rags and opinion makers where the next talent wave is coming from. I'm not 100% sure, but I do know how top recruiters will tap into it: Mobile Recruiting. 

By the way, I don't mean "recruiting people from or with a mobile phone" but rather reaching our prospects in their new environment, their PDA, handheld web devices, and mobile phones! 

I think this is particularly true for the GenX and GenY (Millennials) who will soon become the majority of the workforce, but overall I think this medium is going to take over throughout all generations of professionals. As a road warrior, I prefer the liberty of my mobile device to the shackles of my desktop. I still use both but would abandon my desktop if I could live without it 100%. Some people already do though, that's the thing! 

Do you think mobile is not crucial to you? It is for top talent: salespeople, consultants and other road warriors like me, or techies, even just metro commuters. For us it is no longer just a phone. Between texting, Web, email, voice and special applications, it's our new lifeline to the world. 

What do you think? 

Unconvinced? Mobile's influence is undeniable. Let me give you some more data: 

Mobile has become the undisputed heavyweight in total usage and mainstream adoption. According to a Morgan Stanley report, "91% of the planet keep the mobile phone within arm's reach 24/7. It is literally the last thing we look at before we go to sleep and again the first thing we see when we wake up."

• GSM World and the CTIA recently confirmed that there are now 4 billion mobile phone subscriptions on the planet, vs. just 1 billion PC owners.
• Mobile subscribers now represent 60% of the population and growing.
  
• In the USA alone, 262 million subscribers contribute to over 75 billion text messages per month.
• Another interesting trend: 12% of US households have abandoned fixed landlines and moved to mobile phones only. 
  
  *(some of this data came to me from Michael Marlatt)

Oh yeah, check out this other blog post over on ERE  

Many no-cost, web-based tools are available from your computer can be used to target people individually and collectively on their mobile. We're presenting on this next week via webinar (check it out here) but before that event I would love collect some "real world" opinions, first impressions, gut feelings, and anecdotes to share. Don't worry - we'll give you full credit if we quote you :)