If you build it, they will come: employer recruitment web sites
Few employers are using their own internet sites to advertise job vacancies. Gemma Frankland, head of Best International's internet recruitment service, explains why...
Software Source (article updated June 2002), 01 Jan 2000
Integrating web-based elements into the recruitment strategy is something many organisations do once they become confident about using IT within the HR function.
Evidence that internet recruiting is the way forward includes the savings made by e-recruiters in the US. Cisco, for example, estimates a 45 per cent reduction in recruitment costs since using the web as its core recruitment channel. In the UK, Lloyds TSB, Shell, Arthur Andersen and Corus are some of the blue-chip companies enthusing about web-based recruitment.
Then there are the statistics: 1.2 million adults in the UK use the net to find jobs each month, and nearly 40 per cent of 25- to 34-year-olds say they will find their next job online.
Yet a recent survey by Best Research found that 30 per cent of FTSE-100 firms do not have a recruitment web site, while 25 per cent of the remaining companies use the web only to recruit graduates. So why are most UK companies failing in this area? There are two reasons.
Split responsibilities
First, developing and financing a recruitment web site often falls across several business functions: HR, marketing, IT and finance. Few UK companies have a designated Internet manager and, without a champion, the project loses focus and momentum.
Second, fear of the unknown. There’s been lots of hype about e-recruitment, but little practical information on the best way to do it. Recruiters believe the web can source only IT specialists or graduates. This is no longer true.
Increased internet access means that online candidates now come from a range of industries, backgrounds and levels of seniority.
Often, recruiters head for one of the many internet job boards. But you would have to advertise on most of them to reach a significant proportion of jobseekers. And your advertisement is competing with those from up to 10,000 other companies, often without your corporate branding.
What’s more, candidates are losing faith in job boards, because they offer only an online replica of traditional advertising without adding value.
Incorporating a recruitment section within your company web site is the smartest way to recruit on the internet and is cost-effective. A good site can take only four weeks to develop and cost as little as £30,000 - comparable to a quarter-page advertisement in a national newspaper. Once up, the site should sit at the hub of your recruitment activities, with both internal and external candidates using it. There is still a place for traditional recruitment channels, but a corporate site will reduce your dependence upon them.
Raising awareness
Attracting traffic to your site needs planning. Companies report that around 20 per cent of visitors to corporate sites will migrate to the recruitment section if it is signposted clearly. To increase traffic, the recruitment section should be promoted by banner advertisements on job boards and by your press advertising. The key is to use small, highly branded advertisements that contain your web address and little else. This increases awareness of your site and reduces your advertising bill.
But the site must be up to scratch. The average candidate is prepared to spend no more than 10 to 15 minutes looking at your pages, so make them quick and easy to navigate. This will mean simple graphics, concise job descriptions and outlines of your development and remuneration policies.
Visitors also need to be reassured that the site is kept up to date. It should be interactive, with search functions and online application. Simple technology can be used to screen applications before adding them to a database and then to provide your recruiters with a range of tools to search this database and contact applicants directly.
Most significantly, the internet can change your relationships with candidates. Until now, it has been difficult to reach "passive" jobseekers. The web allows you to capture candidates’ details as they enter your site and start an online dialogue with them about their career aspirations and ideal job profile. This information will allow you to build long-term relationships with candidates and to contact them when a suitable vacancy arises. It will also help you to develop an insight into what candidates expect from you as an employer.
My prediction is that we will see a race to get online this year as more organisations realise the benefits of corporate web-based recruitment. The leaders will be rewarded by a reputation for innovation and the cream of candidates. The rest will be left playing catch-up.
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