|
Featured
Article
Internet
sites evolving into hot-button recruiting device
Christina Guest Staff Writer
The hottest
source for recruiting today is a click away: the Internet.
The Internet
has become one of the most popular ways to post jobs and find workers,
and it has gained popularity in recent years for many reasons.
Timeliness is
one. Jobs can be posted within hours of an opening, and resumes
can be accessed and received 24 hours a day. Internet ads are creating
faster responses for employers and job applicants, making the hiring
cycle speedier than ever before.
Cost is another.
The Internet is inexpensive compared with radio, television and
newspaper advertising. A job posting costs from $25 to $100 a post
on an Internet site, compared with about $2,000 for a display ad
in a daily newspaper.
"Posting
jobs on the Internet has become substantially more common,"
said Jim Maloney, executive director for the Regional Consortium
for Technology, "and it's very effective."
Last year, more
than 70 percent of U.S. companies used the Web to advertise and
recruit employees, according to the American Management Association.
And Jobtrak.com recently reported postings of more than 400,000
jobs for employers across the country, with 35,000 job seekers hitting
the site daily.
People who want
to participate in the online job-hiring craze can choose from about
5,000 job search engines. In addition to other popular recruiting
venues.
An employer
interested in using the Internet for recruitment has a number of
options.
They include
signing up with a recruiting network, such as monster.com or career
mosaic, and posting jobs as they arise. Another option is reviewing
posted resumes by searching for key words, such as systems engineer,
or by reviewing resumes in a certain field.
Maloney said
that once a resume is posted on the Internet, it will flow among
many companies that otherwise may not see it.
"Once you
enter cyberspace you're in there for a while," he said.
Making a
splash
The Internet
has become so important that two Kansas City recruiters have focused
exclusively on Internet recruiting.
DiscoverME began
two and a half years ago but first appeared on the Internet in January.
The Internet recruiting company not only asks candidates to post
their resumes, it also requires them to take a personality test.
"We use
personality as a basis for hiring," said Carol Rudder, chief
executive officer. Rudder said the company signed its first client
in May and has added several since.
"We completed
our first placement six weeks ago," she said, "and we're
getting great feedback."
DiscoverME has 20,000 candidates online, ranging from financial
services to health care-related jobs. And the company shows no signs
of slowing down.
"Online
recruiting is a hot spot right now," she said.
Primebyte.Com,
previously KCIS Careers.Com, made its way to the Internet in November
1998. The Web site started as a vehicle for finding information
technology workers, but it now covers all professions. Primebyte.Com
is a unique Web site because it is a database program rather than
a text-based program, like many of its competitors. Database programs
allow detailed and in-depth searches, such as by types of jobs and
years of experience; text-based programs show only resumes.
William DeFoor,
president and CEO of Primebyte.Com, developed the search engine
mainly to aid his consulting company, DeFoor Consulting Inc., a
professional contracting firm. But Primebyte's reach is still growing.
"We were
successful enough to take it to the next level," DeFoor said.
"We will continue to press the Kansas City market, but we're
also moving to the national level."
DeFoor said
the company's goal was to have a significant presence in 25 cities
by the end of next year.
"We have
started deals with 16 cities so far," he said.
Thus far, 22
companies are involved in Primebyte. Of those companies, 16 post
job openings, and six are members, who get special treatment such
as applicant tracking and a first look at candidates.
Memberships range from $5,000 to $21,000, depending on features
such as access to search engines. Companies can also post their
openings for $500 or post openings and use the search engine for
$1,000. Candidates
don't pay to post their resumes or search for job openings.
But many companies
are still choosing to post job openings on their own Web site.
Midwest Consulting
Group Inc. has posted its job openings on the company's Web site
for three years. The company's Web site provides information about
the company and its clients, as well as allowing applicants to apply
online.
Glenn Houston,
director of recruiting, said the company has tried online services
in the past and been unhappy with the results.
"We hire
a lot more people through our own contacts," he said. "There
are a lot of candidates out there who are looking for the highest
bidder. And they're not the employees we're looking for."
Article sourced
from http://www.workforceonline.com/feature/00/04/27/0006386.htm
Copyright
1999 American City Business Journals Inc. Click
for permission to reprint (PRC# 1.1652.263535)
•
Archives
• Top
|
