E-Recruitment Case

ABSTRACT

The traditional method of recruitment has been revolutionized by the emergence of the Internet.

Presently, many local governments and nonprofits have adopted e-Recruitment. In the past few years, the Internet has dramatically changed the face of HR recruitment and the ways organizations think about the recruiting functions. Many organizations are already using e- Recruitment to post jobs and accept resumes on the Internet, and correspond with the applicants by e-mail. Despite the trend, however, issues raised as causing concern with e-Recruitment included the quantity and quality of candidates applying using web-based tools, confidentiality and data protection, and ensuring diversity of applicants. To address this problem, this paper helps to examine the pros and cons of e-Recruitment and its increasing scope in the recruitment process of a company. The objectives are to understand the trends and practices of e-Recruitment in the recruitment process of a company, discuss the advantages and disadvantages of e- Recruitment, and offer some development implications.

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E-RECRUITMENT

E -recruitment refers to the use of the Internet to facilitate the recruitment process by advertising jobs or contact applicants electronically. It can be conducted by using an

organization's own Corporate Web Site or a Web-based job site. According to Schreyer &

McCarter (1998), e-Recruitment refers to "the recruitment process, including placing job advertisements, receiving resumes, and building human resource database with candidates and

incumbents." Moreover, Vidot (2000), suggested that e-Recruitment is the use of Internet to attract high quality candidates; reiterate their company profile and branding and streamline application and selection processes. Many people new to online recruitment think that using job

sites is only effective if you are looking for young net-savvy "Facebook" users. Research shows that the average age of candidates using job sites is around 35 years old. Online recruitment is

now a standard part of job-hunting; no matter the age level. There is growing evidence that

organizations are using Internet technology and the World Wide Web as a platform for

recruiting, however, e-Recruitment still has its own limitations and shortcomings. By gaining an

understanding of the advantages and challenges associated with the different approaches that are available and being used, a better understanding can be reached on how to get the most out of e-

Recruitment systems.

The most commonly cited advantage of e-Recruitment is its ability to reach a wider range of audience. Millman (1998) cited in Rozelle & Landis (2002) suggested that online recruitment

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E-RECRUITMENT

offers an efficient way to identify and classify a virtually unlimited number of jog seekers.

Correspondingly, e-Recruitment allows employers to broaden the scope of their search, as a result significantly increasing the likelihood that high-quality candidates will be found (Markevieius, 2000). The employer can search on different skills and attributes to find the right

candidate. In a way, it is seen as a way of bringing qualified candidates to the employers.

From the candidate's perspective, they have an enormous number of jobs that they can apply to. In contrast, a newspaper may not even have one post that the job hunter requires.

Reaching a larger target means a greater number of job seekers. Thus, the larger the number of applicants, the greater chance that qualified applicants will surface.

Aside from having larger applicant pool, e-Recruiting is also cost-effective. Rather than

paying to take out an ad in a newspaper that only reaches a limited number of people, posting job

openings on the Internet costs much less, and, reaches a broader audience. Even paying for

postage, gas costs when dropping off a resume and calling phone numbers in job openings have

been eliminated with the introduction of e-Recruiting. Research shows that it cost nothing to put

a job vacancy on a company website costs, while in comparison, putting one on a job board

usually only costs a few hundred dollars. When you consider that a recruitment consultant fee

for a candidate could be anything up to 20% of the first year's salary, and that advertising in a national newspaper can cost thousands, you can immediately see the cost savings possible with

online recruitment (Whatjobsite, 2009).

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E-RECRUITMENT

Posting a job opening on the Internet takes only a few minutes. With a global reach, job

seekers often respond to e-Recruitment postings on the same day with their resumes. The

moment human resource departments receive resumes, the recruitment process starts; initial screenings through virtual tests and interviews can be immediately conducted at the discretion of

the employer. A job vacancy can be put on a job site in the morning, the first applications arrive

by lunchtime, and a candidate interviewed by the end of the day. It is not even often like this. But the fact that such things do happen so quickly gives an indication of just how quick recruiting online can be.

Online recruiting allows an employer to advertise a vacant position quickly, and often inexpensively. However, some disadvantages may also be associated with this recruiting

method. Employers complain that they get buried in resumes when they post on sites like

Monster (Schweyer & McCarter, 1998). Since there is a greater pool of applicants there will be

more applicants to screen and track. Many HR professionals feel that Internet recruiting creates

more work because there are a greater number of unqualified applicants through which to sort.

More resumes must be reviewed, more e-mails dealt with, and specialized applicant tracking software may be needed to handle the