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HighTech
Women Join HighTech Women |
HighTech Women & Business... Recruitment Truly
HighTech Recruitment |
Opinions on On-line Recruitment? Give us your feedback... We want to hear from you. Any thoughts on on-line recruitment? Do you agree/disagree/have more to add? We'd love to have your feedback. Please click here and let us know. |
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The most frequently cited reason is 'lack of required experience on the part of the applicants', cited by just over 70%, with 'lack of technical skills' coming in at 64%. Often the recruitment campaigns are just not attracting enough applicants in the first place. This finding is supported by a separate study conducted by FOCUS Central London. Over a quarter of respondents found the recruitment process to be more difficult than they had anticipated and 11% of employers end up appointing individuals with less than the required qualifications, skills and experience. Unfilled vacancies can impact productivity, profitability and growth. Worse though is compromising on quality and hiring candidates who will struggle to meet required expectations. The challenge for organisations is to widen the talent pool and to be ready to act swiftly and decisively when looking at new recruits. Technology can be an important ally. The CIPD Recruitment Survey Report reveals that "The Internet seems to have entered the mainstream of recruitment practice", with nearly half of the respondents using the Internet when recruiting for certain posts. STRATEGIES FOR WINNING THE WAR! I CAST YOUR NET - Sourcing New Methods - In the last couple of years, Job Boards and/or Job Sites have proliferated as the e-commerce side of recruitment. There are many types of Job Boards offering services that include:
IT professionals were the earliest adopters of the Internet for job seeking but the profile is changing. In a recent report entitled "Going to Work on the Web" the Association of Graduate Recruiters reports that 88% of final year students (across all subject areas) actively job seek on the net as their preferred method. But quality doesn't always come to everyone, as 'serial' job hunters find it increasingly easy to e-mail their cvs at the push of a button. Beware the Job Board who promises vast numbers of cvs with no mention of quality. Traditional methods - are more important than ever. A key to any successful recruiting campaign is to attract as many quality applicants into the selection funnel as possible. Advertising, careers fairs, posters, staff recommendations, creative PR activities, open days or evenings etc are all important sourcing tactics in the talent war as indeed are agencies and head-hunters. II MARKETING MATTERS - Sell, sell sell. In a tight labour market it is the candidates who wield the power. "Why should they come and work for you?" becomes just as important a question as "Why should your clients buy your product from you?" Marketing skills are essential as evidenced by the number of creative and impactful job advertisements seen in trade journals and national press. Advertising space is expensive - not everyone can afford a half page spread in the Times or Telegraph. The careers section or job pages on your corporate web site can do as much, if not more, at a fraction of the cost and can provide one of the essential ingredients in a successful recruitment campaign: clear and sufficient job and company information. Today, organisations that don't provide information of this nature on their corporate web site are conspicuous in their absence - people do look for it! Tips and advice for that frequently sought information:
III SEIZE THE MOMENT - capture those who have a bias for action. Many organisations cite 'bias for action' or 'action orientation' as an important skill in the job profile. People who possess this quality usually expect to see quick results. The recruitment process is often a disappointing experience as their cv and covering letter gets sent off into a black hole with, at best, an acknowledgement that it has been received. At worst, they may even have to phone for an application form before they can apply. Another essential ingredient for a successful recruitment campaign is therefore: make it easy and meaningful for candidates to apply. Many organisations using their corporate web site as an integral part of their recruitment strategy encourage applicants to seize the moment and e-mail their cvs immediately. This approach, which we call 'First Generation' Internet recruitment, is a double-edged sword. It widens the net but can increase the number of candidates that need to be screened and qualified to such an extent that recruiting functions can't provide the levels of responsiveness needed to capture those quality applicants and get back to people quickly. This is where technology can be a potent ally. IV GATHER AND USE INTELLIGENCE TO ACT SWIFTLY On-line application forms are starting to appear on web sites. A replica of the paper application, these are then forwarded to a special in-box for initial screening. These applications can sometimes be time-consuming for applicants to complete and will often request information that is not part of the initial screening decision eg schools, hobbies. This still leaves the HR function or hiring manager to manually sift the applications. 'Second Generation' sites have taken the application process a stage further showing that another key ingredient for a successful campaign is use the technology to automate the qualifying process and track applicants. Identifying the screening criteria - the 20% of information in the cv on which screening decisions are based - and building this into an intelligent, on-line application process can revolutionise how candidates are qualified and handled. By using tools that can assess skills and experience, candidates can be actively screened as they apply. This is intelligent use of technology and the web. Tips for success here are:
Candidates can be given feedback as they progress through the process, enabling you to build a relationship at an early stage. You can spot the top talent almost as soon as their application is submitted - something that is not possible if their paper application happens to be half way down a pile of 150 cvs!! You can monitor the effectiveness of the campaign through on-line statistics and get in touch with the 'star' applicants within hours rather than days. The rest of the success will depend upon how good your assessment process is. Once you have hired the best they will hit the ground running. The challenge then is to keep them - but that's another story! Sources:
Lesley Nash is a co-founder and MD of Changework Now Ltd, a consulting organisation that helps businesses develop web-based recruitment strategies. Do you have comments or suggestions or other ideas in this field? Give us your feedback. ©
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