The Year in Online Recruitment

By Paula Santonocito, NA Features Editor, Online recruitment magazine

Another year is coming to an end, and what a pivotal year itís been. Onrec takes a look at 2007 as it relates to online recruitment, and what 2008 may hold.

Itís the economy

As industry veterans and long-time recruiters know, employee recruitment is driven by several factors, including the economy. A booming economy equates to more hiring activity; companies experiencing high growth add to staff. By the same token, greater availability of job opportunities results in increased turnover.

A booming economy impacts recruitment in other ways as well. Technology and innovation advance more quickly when the overall business climate is strong.

After several years of economic growth, there are signs that the party, while maybe not over, will definitely become more subdued. Indeed, 2007 has been a turbulent year. The subprime mortgage lending crisis has resulted in widespread layoffs at many financial services firm. There has also been a ripple effect as a result of the downturn in the real estate market. Insurance companies, construction companies, and building suppliers have been among those employers to reduce staff.

But the real estate market isnít entirely to blame for the downturn. Earlier this year, outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas, which tracks job cuts by industry, cited ongoing layoffs in the automotive industry. And ongoing they are. In November, Chrysler announced it would lay off another 12,000 employees.

Nevertheless, hiring in several industries continues at a strong pace. Employers in health care, for example, continue to add new jobs.

Still, analysts point to record high oil prices, declining home prices, an unpopular war, and an extremely volatile stock market as concerns that could result in more cautious consumer spending--which would, in turn, impact the overall economy. In November, U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke warned that economic growth is expected to slow.

Yet, whether times are good or not-so-good, several recruitment trends and tools seem likely to prevail.

Increased use of video

Lights. Camera. Action. Employers have become filmmakers, creating videos to further the recruitment process.

The video trend was originally focused on candidates, as video resumes debuted on the small screen. Now, concerns by employers about possible legal ramifications, as well as the time required to view video resumes, have led to a shift in the use of technology.

Employer videos, while not yet ubiquitous, can already be found at several corporate careers sites, at websites like CareerTV, and at a number of job sites.

ìEmployer recruitment videos bring alive for the candidate what it is like to work for the employer and who the candidate will be working with,î says Steven Rothberg, President and Founder of CollegeRecruiter.com, a leading career site used by college students and recent graduates searching for internships and career opportunities that recently entered into a partnership with CareerTV in order to bring employer videos to its job-seeker audience.

Videos provide more information, and itís the kind of information that influences candidate decisions, according to Rothberg.

ìCandidates tend to eliminate employment opportunities using objective criteria such as whether theyíre qualified for a job, the location of the job, its compensation, etc. But they choose to pursue employment opportunities based on subjective criteria such as culture, people, and management style. It is very difficult to accurately convey those types of subjective criteria in a job posting ad but very easy to convey them in a recruitment video,î he explains.

For employers seeking younger workers, videos can be especially effective.

ìI do believe that videos resonate with all jobseekers but especially the Millennials to which CollegeRecruiter.com is targeted as theyíre the ones who are the most comfortable with technology and therefore most use job boards such as CollegeRecruiter.com, video sharing sites such as YouTube, social networking sites such as Facebook, and even employer web sites,î Rothberg says.

Building on the potential of blogs

This past year has also seen a tremendous increase in the number of blogs. To compete in the expanding blogosphere, bloggers are upping their game by providing richer content. Among best-in-class bloggers are those that use podcasts and videos to add depth to their offerings. Joel Cheesmanís blog Cheezhead is an example of a multimedia blog.

Nevertheless, industry analysts indicate that, as a recruitment tool, blogging hasnít delivered on its potential--at least not yet.

A recent research report from Bullhorn, a provider of on-demand, front office staffing and recruiting software, finds blogs are a source of new, useful tips and tricks, and they allow for networking. But, when it comes to actual sourcing, Bullhorn finds blogs are less successful than other recruitment tools.

Almost two-thirds of Bullhorn survey respondents (63 percent) report never having used a blog in their work. Meanwhile, a majority of professionals (69 percent) report using blogs to search for candidates less than once per month, and only 9 percent say they use blogs daily. Even among respondents who use blogs, feedback suggests blogs and sourcing donít go together: Seventy-eight (78) percent of blog users say the blog they use most often has a minor or negligible impact on their placement ratios and/or their profitability.

At best, the jury seems to out on whether blogs offer potential for recruitment. It may have to do in part with perception about what blogs can deliver. ìI think the jury will always be out on blogs as a recruitment tool for those who are not using them as such,î says Dennis Smith, Director of Talent Strategy & Acquisition for WorldLink, Inc., a global technology consulting, services, and outsourcing company, and Editor of WirelessJobs.com, a blog about the wireless industry. ìI've been using a blog as a recruitment tool since 2004--Microsoft recruiters even longer. It is a primary source of candidates, but will never be a primary source in the likes of a big job board.î

There is also the issue of approach. Smith explains: ìMost of us that are using a blog as a recruitment tool are doing so to target specific candidates. Mine is easy; I go after folks in the wireless industry. Candidates will never come to my site in droves, but candidates focused on the wireless industry will--and do. And those that come are even more useful because they are typically targeted toward my recruitment niche: wireless.î

Smith also points out that when looking at the effectiveness of blogs as a recruitment tool analysis cannot be focused solely on number of hires. ìOver the last four years I have connected with thousands of jobseekers I would not have connected with otherwise. But they found my site by doing a Google search, and visited the blog even when they werenít looking for a job,î he says.

Looking at the effectiveness of blogs from this standpoint requires a shift, not only away from numbers, but away from the traditional pursuit of candidates.

Smith sees his blog as a tool for attracting candidates, with the emphasis on attracting.

ìWeb 1.0 tools were all about ëpushingí ourselves on to jobseekers (jobs on job boards; spam email). Web 2.0 tools are about ëpullingí people/candidates in. They are tired of being ësold to,í and I believe that finding a way to bring value to them via information on a blog is a great way to pull them in,î Smith says. ìItís probably poor grammar, but I like to say that, ëgood blogs pull.íî

Connecting with todayís candidates

Whether itís through blogging or video, going forward, recruiters will need to focus more on pulling candidates in. The reason often cited for employing more sophisticated recruiting techniques is ìthere are more jobs than candidates.î But it also has to do with an increase in sophistication among jobseekers.

Thereís no longer any debate: The Web has evolved significantly; it is now in a new phase. However, when Web 2.0 is discussed itís typically from the standpoint of what technology brings to the equation. Itís important to recognize that users have also moved from their own technological infancy to become more capable. Todayís jobseekers are no longer novices; theyíre familiar with a variety of online experiences. They know how and where to look for jobs, how to research companies, how to network, and more. In other words, tired sites and outdated processes arenít going to resonate with Web 2.0 candidates.

Time is also important to these jobseekers. As a result, there has been a growing preference for niche sites. Going forward, niche sites will likely become stronger, and some niches may get honed even further. Years ago, a number of niche job boards tried unsuccessfully to create more specialized offshoots. Those moving in that direction today are finding audiences, provided of course all the right elements are in place.

Jobseekers are attracted to job sites that can deliver what they want--and itís certainly no different when it comes to employers. Todayís candidates look for an employment experience that fits. Accordingly, an organizationís brand identity continues to be a key element in attracting applicants.

And big companies arenít the only ones leveraging--or attempting to leverage--employer brand. The U.S. government, not-for-profit organizations, and mom-and-pop shops are among those employers focused on communicating an image that resonates with jobseekers.

Videos and blogs can both further employer brand; but these are merely tools for message delivery. An employerís message must be clear, and today it should be articulated somewhat differently. To some extent, recruitment still involves selling an organization; but today it is more about, as Dennis Smith says, ìpulling people/candidates in.î

As candidates have become more sophisticated ìconsumers,î the hard sell has become less effective. And as for telling people what they want to hear, well, tools or no tools, thatís never really been the best strategy.

Itís a lesson some employers have learned the hard way. As employer brand expert Jo Bredwell, now Senior Vice President for integrated talent solutions provider Bernard Hodes Group, told Onrec last year: ìYou can be very successful, but only very successful briefly. You will attract people whom you wonít be able to retain.î

Paula Santonocito is a journalist specializing in employment issues. She is the author of nearly 1,000 articles on a wide range of topics, including online recruitment, which she has covered since the early days of Web-based employment advertising and candidate sourcing. In addition to serving as features editor of Online Recruitment Magazineís North American edition, she is AIRS News editor, overseeing news content for the global recruitment training and technology solutions company at www.airsdirectory.com. Articles by Paula Santonocito are featured in many global and domestic publications and information outlets, including HRWire, a publication to which she regularly contributes. She can be reached at psantonocito@yahoo.com.