What is online recruitment?

Online recruitment uses the power of the internet to match people to jobs. Fundamentally, it is about
advertising vacancies on either job sites or corporate websites. At this very basic level it is particularly
effective at getting a high level of response. While it may generate hundreds more applications than
traditional print advertising, simply attracting more candidates is only part of the job. The current view is
that truly effective online recruitment could be as low as 10% of the top blue-chip corporate companies.

The real strength and power of online recruitment, when done properly, lie in harnessing internet
technology to not just attract candidates but to deal with them too. In this sense it is also about
streamlining the recruitment process -so busy HR departments can give a better recruitment service to
their colleagues in finance, marketing, sales and manufacturing. Plus it frees up more of their time for
more value-added tasks.

A specialist software provider, such as HR Portal, can develop bespoke application programmes for
recruiters that will save time, effort and money. They can automate the pre-selection process by setting
'killer questions' (that only the top candidates will answer correctly), profiling and scoring, psychometric
tests and automatic CV scans to look for key words such as qualifications and experience.

What are the benefits of online recruitment over traditional recruitment?

There are many benefits to be had by recruiting online: here area few.

1) Wide geographical reach

Advertising online opens up a much wider candidate pool than advertising in print. This gives you a much
better chance of finding the right candidate for the job. Note, however, this is only a benefit if sifting,
sorting and grading tools are applied to the applications coming in. Otherwise you'll have hundreds to go
through manually which becomes a liability. As we said, the advertising is only part of the effective online
recruitment.

2) Speed

Jobs posted online go live in literally minutes and candidates can - and do - respond immediately. HR
Portal has a great statistic from one of its clients HFC Bank: from the vacancy appearing online to the
candidate appearing in the interview room took just three hours. While this was an exception, it proves it
can be done.

For companies needing to recruit staff quickly to handle extra work, cover sickness, leave or other staff
shortages, the option to advertise, select and appoint people within (typically) 48 hours is a huge bonus.

3) Lower Cost

This may surprise you but technology in online recruitment is not expensive. By saving on time, design
and print costs and targeting precisely the best sites for the best candidates, online recruitment is a very
cost-effective option.

Not only that, but the hours saved through automating the pre-selection process represent a considerable
cost cut in terms of HR time needed to get candidates to the interview stage. Suddenly, HR staff have
time to do more productive things.

4) Automating the Process

Automating the application process also gives a level playing field to all candidates - whether they come
directly to your company's site, via a recruitment consultant or in response to a print advertisement. For
many larger organisations, achieving consistency of handling candidates across many branches or
regional offices can be a problem: online recruitment solves it.

5) Interaction with candidates

Working online via websites and email is the way of the future. It's not just the youngsters who are logging
on to find jobs either. Recent results from NORAS shows 35% of all users are over 35. It's quick, personal
and direct. Questions are answered in seconds and information is immediately accessible. What better
way to establish whether the candidate is right for you (and indeed that you are right for them)?

Another benefit is that candidate information can be held on file (your own searchable CV database). So if
someone is not quite right for the job for which they're applying, you can see if their skills and profile
match another job better. Working online opens up communication channels and enables you to go
directly to the candidate either immediately or at a later date when an opportunity arises.

Part 2 - Where to start?

The online recruitment market is a jungle of jobs and job sites it's true. To attempt to walk through it
without falling down some holes, getting trapped or even swallowed up by less scrupulous lions in the
industry, you're best to seek professional advice.

HR Portal is a good start point (www.hrportal.co.uk) as it offers a unique combination of skills where it
marries unparalleled media knowledge (it posts more than 250,000 jobs a year to sites) with software and
web site design expertise. HR Portal knows the industry inside out and is well aware that 'one size' does
not fit all.

Every company has a different set of criteria and HR Portal tailors its services and products to meet
individual needs.

First and foremost, you need to establish what you want. There are three main points of entry into the
market:

1. Media Buying

This is where you simply seek someone to place your adverts on the right job sites and negotiate the
media rates. Sounds easy but in fact it can be a hit and miss affair if your adviser doesn't know the market
particularly well.

Beware: there is a right and wrong way to buy online media advertising. There's a world of difference
between posting your ads to the sites you think are right (because you've heard of them or their name
sounds OK) and posting to sites you know are right (because hard quantitative data has proven they yield
the best candidates for given jobs).

HR Portal has been gathering this hard data for years and updates it daily. It is based on how many
candidates respond to each vacancy from each job site. They are now also measuring
candidate quality by job site. After all, it's better to target a smaller site that will yield a handful of suitable
candidates than a bigger player that throws you hundreds of unsuitable people.
And there's more ...

As a major player in media buying in its own right, HR Portal enjoys economies of scale with the job sites.
These cost savings are handed on to its clients, enabling them to buy online media at a far reduced rate
than they could achieve alone.

2. Media Buying with Pre-Selection/Sorting

It is advisable to supplement your intelligent media buying with a quick, effective candidate handling
process. This way, the true benefits of online recruitment will be realised.

A good Application Service Provider will develop and tailor such a programme to your business: don't just
accept the cheapest programme - it is unlikely to be flexible. Make sure it meets your needs. Insist it is
tailored to your business and check there will be strong support to get it up and running and maintained.
HR Portal is very service and support orientated: experience has shown that partnerships with its clients
are far more fruitful than just selling and leaving.

Furthermore, HR Portal finds that over time its clients' needs change: it is far easier to accommodate any
updates and upgrades within an on-going relationship.

3. The Full Monty

Well not literally as in the film, but an impressive display of skills and expertise nevertheless.

HR Portal can take a job on from scratch: build the website, develop the candidate assessment and
management software, identify the best job sites and post ads to them. It's all part of its HRExtranet
service (www.hrportal.co.uk/r63a11).

HRExtranet blends seamlessly into a corporate website, adding a new dimension to the company's public
face. As far as candidates are concerned, they are dealing with the company, not a consultant or an IT
specialist. And indeed they are: you, as the recruiter, have control of the system, can see applications
coming in and their progress. You can pick up the better candidates and fast track them to interview. You
can see which sites and, if you're using them, which recruitment consultants are bringing in the best
quality people. Ultimately you can improve your service to your functional colleagues and fill their
vacancies more quickly at lower cost. Behind the scenes, HR Portal works alongside you, tracks the site

Not so difficult after all

By now you should feel more confident about venturing online to recruit staff. Once you've tried it out,
you'll be unlikely to revert to print-only advertising. Online recruitment can offer so much more in terms of
value, efficiency and effectiveness. It is the ultimate in flexible and responsive job advertising.

But remember, if a job's worth advertising, it's worth advertising properly.

Take time to research your options. Talk to some professionals in the marketplace and go for someone
who can prove they have the right combination of media knowledge, buying power and software skills.
Finally, make sure they will take time to understand your needs so you can invest in a partnership rather
than a simple buyer/seller agreement.