Internet recruitment helps HR careers
Embracing the right mix of traditional and non-traditional recruiting tools currently available, including the Internet, gives HR professionals the opportunity to position themselves within their companies as essential contributors to the bottom line. The competitive edge in today’s market goes to organizations that master this mix, resulting in long-term retention of employees capable of translating corporate vision into daily behaviours and activities at all levels.
It’s hard to believe it was just a few years ago that HR professionals wasted long hours reviewing piles of unscreened paper resumes at the expense of other skills. Ironically, this was also a time when word of mouth, executive search firms, career fairs and newspaper ads made up the entire gamut of resources for attracting candidates.
Today, the inclusion of online tools in the recruiting mix has opened the gates to unlimited candidate access and electronic screening, and consolidated resume storage with decentralized access. Coupled with traditional methodologies, online tools and solutions can help maximize efficiency for HR professionals, freeing them up to focus on providing strategic HR counsel to senior management.
A RECRUITING REVOLUTION
During the Internet “gold rush” of the mid-1990s, savvy entrepreneurs saw an opportunity in the HR industry, as companies scrambled to meet unprecedented hiring demands. The vision for addressing this problem through the unlimited reach of the Internet resulted in the birth of the online job board.
In the early days, players in the online job board space were many. Excitement about the potential of the new Internet frontier meant venture capital funding was easy to secure — the ratio of risk to reward was very alluring — so barriers to entry were few and potential gains were high.
But more often than not, sound business principles took a back seat to enthusiasm. It wasn’t long before the online job board was touted as the next wave of recruiting — something that could replace costly fees, ineffective classifieds and the inefficiency of paper resumes.
But as confusion about measuring the value of job boards began to emerge, skepticism about the long-term viability of Internet recruiting arose. Eventually, business models with a clear value proposition and a sustainable and defendable competitive position surfaced, while the others dropped off.
Fundamental business principles came back into play, and only a handful of job boards passed the business requirements for success. Surviving models are evolving continuously, but the Internet has earned a legitimate place as part of the mix of sourcing channels in the recruiting industry.
CREATING THE RIGHT MIX
The potential of online recruiting has been proven. How? Today, Canadian companies that integrate online services with their internal HR resources comment not only on significant increases in the speed and cost-efficiency of hiring they have experienced, but also on their ability to attract better-qualified candidates, thanks to the extensive reach, desktop control and screening tools available.
Increasingly, successful HR professionals recognize the importance of developing an Internet strategy to complement traditional recruiting methodologies.
Whether the corporate recruiting priority is time-to-hire, cost-to-hire or quality and fit of candidate, the various online and offline solutions available can provide the right mix for success. In preparing to recruit, HR needs to assess its own business needs to determine whether the best course of action includes retaining a search firm, encouraging employee referrals, hosting a job fair, and so on.
Likewise, online partners can provide solutions for all recruiting priorities (time, cost and quality), through such services as electronic resumes, customized pre-screening, applicant tracking systems, corporate Web site integration, career fairs and consulting services. These features and services are continuously expanding as companies demand to see more of what technology can deliver.
However, above all else, the qualified human touch that an HR professional can provide is, and will continue to be, an essential element in the recruiting process. An effective, strategic recruiting program will always incorporate the following steps:
•plan priorities and budget;
•articulate the desired profile and selling themes for each position;
•prioritize sourcing options;
•screen out candidates of poor fit and unrealistic expectations;
•assess candidates based on past performance;
•close the deal with a compelling offer; and
•activate a long-term integration program from the moment the offer is accepted.
GETTING THE MOST OUT OF HR EXPERTISE
By reducing a previously administrative-intensive workload and blending a powerful mix of appropriate sourcing channels, recruiters can focus their energy on maximizing hiring efficiency and employee retention, and demonstrating their essential value to the company’s bottom line. They will be able to deliver a streamlined recruitment process that frees up their time to help the company manage its most valuable asset… its people.
Recruiting tools, resources and methodologies will continue to grow and change, but with HR as in any industry, the basic, time tested principles remain the same. Forward-thinking companies and HR professionals will proactively stay attuned and keep an open mind to new trends, assess them against traditional rules and constantly integrate best practices of yesterday with those of the present. By embracing new solutions that help to relieve the burden of the rest of their workloads, HR professionals can focus on effectively contributing to their organizations’ business objectives and fiscal management, and ultimately speed their own progress into increasingly senior roles.
Mike Boydell is president of HotJobs Canada Inc., a leading Internet-based recruiting solutions company. Boydell has more than 10 years of strategic planning and management consulting experience and is featured regularly on City-TV’s all news station, CP24, as an expert in recruiting and retention. He may be contacted at [email protected].
Embracing the right mix of traditional and non-traditional recruiting tools currently available, including the Internet, gives HR professionals the opportunity to position themselves within their companies as essential contributors to the bottom line. The competitive edge in today’s market goes to organizations that master this mix, resulting in long-term retention of employees capable of translating corporate vision into daily behaviours and activities at all levels.
It’s hard to believe it was just a few years ago that HR professionals wasted long hours reviewing piles of unscreened paper resumes at the expense of other skills. Ironically, this was also a time when word of mouth, executive search firms, career fairs and newspaper ads made up the entire gamut of resources for attracting candidates.
Today, the inclusion of online tools in the recruiting mix has opened the gates to unlimited candidate access and electronic screening, and consolidated resume storage with decentralized access. Coupled with traditional methodologies, online tools and solutions can help maximize efficiency for HR professionals, freeing them up to focus on providing strategic HR counsel to senior management.
A RECRUITING REVOLUTION
During the Internet “gold rush” of the mid-1990s, savvy entrepreneurs saw an opportunity in the HR industry, as companies scrambled to meet unprecedented hiring demands. The vision for addressing this problem through the unlimited reach of the Internet resulted in the birth of the online job board.
In the early days, players in the online job board space were many. Excitement about the potential of the new Internet frontier meant venture capital funding was easy to secure — the ratio of risk to reward was very alluring — so barriers to entry were few and potential gains were high.
But more often than not, sound business principles took a back seat to enthusiasm. It wasn’t long before the online job board was touted as the next wave of recruiting — something that could replace costly fees, ineffective classifieds and the inefficiency of paper resumes.
But as confusion about measuring the value of job boards began to emerge, skepticism about the long-term viability of Internet recruiting arose. Eventually, business models with a clear value proposition and a sustainable and defendable competitive position surfaced, while the others dropped off.
Fundamental business principles came back into play, and only a handful of job boards passed the business requirements for success. Surviving models are evolving continuously, but the Internet has earned a legitimate place as part of the mix of sourcing channels in the recruiting industry.
CREATING THE RIGHT MIX
The potential of online recruiting has been proven. How? Today, Canadian companies that integrate online services with their internal HR resources comment not only on significant increases in the speed and cost-efficiency of hiring they have experienced, but also on their ability to attract better-qualified candidates, thanks to the extensive reach, desktop control and screening tools available.
Increasingly, successful HR professionals recognize the importance of developing an Internet strategy to complement traditional recruiting methodologies.
Whether the corporate recruiting priority is time-to-hire, cost-to-hire or quality and fit of candidate, the various online and offline solutions available can provide the right mix for success. In preparing to recruit, HR needs to assess its own business needs to determine whether the best course of action includes retaining a search firm, encouraging employee referrals, hosting a job fair, and so on.
Likewise, online partners can provide solutions for all recruiting priorities (time, cost and quality), through such services as electronic resumes, customized pre-screening, applicant tracking systems, corporate Web site integration, career fairs and consulting services. These features and services are continuously expanding as companies demand to see more of what technology can deliver.
However, above all else, the qualified human touch that an HR professional can provide is, and will continue to be, an essential element in the recruiting process. An effective, strategic recruiting program will always incorporate the following steps:
•plan priorities and budget;
•articulate the desired profile and selling themes for each position;
•prioritize sourcing options;
•screen out candidates of poor fit and unrealistic expectations;
•assess candidates based on past performance;
•close the deal with a compelling offer; and
•activate a long-term integration program from the moment the offer is accepted.
GETTING THE MOST OUT OF HR EXPERTISE
By reducing a previously administrative-intensive workload and blending a powerful mix of appropriate sourcing channels, recruiters can focus their energy on maximizing hiring efficiency and employee retention, and demonstrating their essential value to the company’s bottom line. They will be able to deliver a streamlined recruitment process that frees up their time to help the company manage its most valuable asset… its people.
Recruiting tools, resources and methodologies will continue to grow and change, but with HR as in any industry, the basic, time tested principles remain the same. Forward-thinking companies and HR professionals will proactively stay attuned and keep an open mind to new trends, assess them against traditional rules and constantly integrate best practices of yesterday with those of the present. By embracing new solutions that help to relieve the burden of the rest of their workloads, HR professionals can focus on effectively contributing to their organizations’ business objectives and fiscal management, and ultimately speed their own progress into increasingly senior roles.
Mike Boydell is president of HotJobs Canada Inc., a leading Internet-based recruiting solutions company. Boydell has more than 10 years of strategic planning and management consulting experience and is featured regularly on City-TV’s all news station, CP24, as an expert in recruiting and retention. He may be contacted at [email protected].
