Specialist candidate sites key to recruiter profitability in 2007

As we start 2007 it is clear to us that the challenges for recruiters will continue. With the well publicised reports on skills shortages in key sectors and the ever present demand for profitability, pressure to find the right candidates in the right timeframes will remain critical. This is where our mission of being the UKís largest network of specialist jobsites, combining the power and efficiency for clients of a large candidate attraction business with the targeted focus of specialist sector sites is spot on.

Andy Baker, Managing Director of hotonline says ë2006 has been a momentous year for hotonline, ending on a high with the release of new or completely redesigned sites. Our network now boasts more than 30 specialist jobsites dedicated to the individual sectors of IT, engineering and telecoms; finance; students and seasonal workers; graduates; construction; retail; education and public sector, as well as having the leading UK site dedicated to jobs direct from employers.

For recruitment consultancy, ad agency and direct employer clients we are now able to offer access to an industry-leading set of specialist jobsites, each focussed on delivering great candidates in their own sectorsí.

To deliver a network of this calibre, requires significant resources in people, technology and promotion. hotonline has the backing of Trinity Mirror plc and is a key part of Trinityís growing digital operation. Trinity is the UKís largest newspaper publisher, with a portfolio of more than 500 media brands. This includes some 240 local and regional newspapers, five national newspapers and four sports titles, as well as over 300 websites.

One area Trinity has given hotonline significant resources to invest in is the exploitation of advanced network technology, including critical data capture and product innovation. Lydia Goldberg, Director of Product Development at hotonline says ìone example of the radical development that investment in technology has given us is our CV Search product, with its new location feature. This is sleek and simple functionality to use and it allows you to zero in to within 200 metres of a candidateís location. And with our 1-click CV download feature, getting access to our candidate database has never been quicker or easierî. Lydia is expecting 2007 to see further such improvements in matching technology between a job and a CV across all jobseeker types, ìwe already offer advanced candidate search for users to generate closer matches through our feature ëpeople who applied for this job, also applied for these jobsí and we are looking forward to adding further such featuresî.

In addition to investment in product, hotonline is investing heavily in marketing and the building of brands in each specialist sector. ìBy bringing traditional brand marketing values to the online recruitment environment and building a team to support each and every aspect of our channels to market, we are seeing a huge impact on our clients and candidates. This can be witnessed, not just in the highly targeted marketing and relevant promotions to individual sectors, but also in the development of partnerships from career content and advice, through to exclusive brand partnerships which will benefit our clients and candidates. Watch this space for more news very soonî, says Joanna Shulman, Head of Marketing.

Finally, to back-up product development and marketing, leading job boards need first class customer service. hotonline puts customer service at the backbone of its overall success. Yvette Hernandez, Customer Service and Key Accounts Manager says, ìOur clients are our partners. It is our job to maximize their recruitment campaigns across our network and equally to support the back office CV database and job posting functionality that they have direct access toî.

In our view online recruitment is now a proven, cost-effective recruitment tool. We expect clients in 2007 to continue to shift their spend online and to increase their investment in measuring which jobsites really deliver a return on their investment. As part of this, we expect a continuation of the shift towards specialist sites and we believe hotonlineís network of niches is well positioned to benefit from this and deliver outstanding results to clients.