The use of internet in recruitment

¶ … Internet for Recruitment

Evaluating the Use of the Internet for Recruitment

1,389 between both questions

Discuss whether the use of internet is the most effective means of recruiting managers and professionals

Using the Internet as a platform for recruiting managers and professionals has many inherent advantages and benefits over using manually-based approaches alone. In discussing many of these advantages and benefits, several key assumptions need to be kept in mind.

First, Internet-based recruiting strategies based online generate analytics, metrics and measurements from the first visit to an employment site, microsite or page to resumes being submitted and ongoing communication (Lin, Stasinskaya, 2002). The highly quantifiable nature of the Internet in general and recruiting strategies specifically give human resource management professionals a new level of insight into the recruiting process not available with manually-based methods. The level of analytics that can be used for fine-tuning and further enhancing recruitment sites and pages, down to the actual job description and vacancy definitions is accelerating given the quality, depth and accuracy of data available (Maurer, Liu, 2007).

Second, this analytics fondation of building recruiting strategies online is also making the marketing of positions much more effective as well (Maurer, Liu, 2007). This is particularly true for positions that appeal to Millenials or Gen Y workers (Papp, 2011). Targeting potential employees by demographics, psychographics, education, location, industry expertise, group affiliations via LinkedIn, related websites and news sites they frequently use and social networks is all possible when the Internet serves as the foundation of a recruiting strategy. It is increasingly important for human resource management professionals to see themselves as marketers of opportunities within their firms. The Internet and its innate strength as a marketing medium gives them the flexibility and autonomy to do this, while reporting back results measured with analytics captured. The related area of predictive analytics can be particular useful in parsing or analyzing the significant amount of data generated on recruiting sites daily, seeking out trends and insights into how best to tailor all aspects of the recruitment strategies for the greatest results possible (Lin, Stasinskaya, 2002). Analytics also deliver a significant level of accountability to recruitment efforts, further quantifying the Return on Investment (ROI) of investing in online recruitment programs over the long-term.

Third, firms need to realize that their most qualified potential recruits are very specific about where and how they search for specific information on their careers and seek out new opportunities. The Internet in general, and blogs, websites and microsites specifically have become the second-most trusted resource by many managers and professionals with friends and trusted advisors being the most valued (Maurer, Liu, 2007). Given the fact that recruitment online has only been in existence for under three decades, this fact shows how pervasive and effective the Internet is as a recruiting platform. The most critical point however is that the most valuable and most likely successful candidates for new positions are continually striving to learn more about their industries, and how to excel in their careers. As a result, the more professional affiliations a firm has and the reputation of the hiring firm all play a vital part in attracting high quality candidates for hire. How the Internet assists with this process is that it provides firms with the opportunity to vary their approaches of communicating positions, how the positions are conveyed, in what context, while also underscoring the value of the firm's brand and its reputation in the market. Many of these factors are intangible and defy quantification in Web analytics, yet they must be orchestrated intelligently and with clear focus if recruitment strategies of the Web are to succeed.

Fourth and finally, the Internet gives hiring firms much greater control over the online user experience of candidates, from the graphics and messaging provides, to the online videos of existing employees and how they have found purpose and meaning in their roles. The ability to create and sustain an exciting, intelligent and industry-leading recruitment marketing message, and sustain it with personal video testimonials, is an evolving best practice of online recruiting sites (Pfieffelmann, Wagner, Libkuman, 2010).

In conclusion, these four factors need to be well orchestrated and aligned to a common objective if Internet-based recruitment strategies are going to succeed. Seeing managerial and professional talent as a very vital customer segment is key; it is that perspective of service to a customer that needs to pervade Internet-based recruiting if it is to successful. Underscoring all of these strategies with analytics further quantifies and provides hard evidence of their value.