PLANET |

Become a Registered Guest
Login Help
Lost Password?

	RecruitScapes

July 2003 - Using the Internet for Recruiting Employees — Pros and Cons

Thanks to new technology, landscape contracting companies are taking advantage of their computers and the Internet to better manage their people. In fact, finding new employees over the Internet has become increasingly popular, along with using the specialized job sites that support this effort. The catch is to figure out how to use this new technology to enhance your recruiting effort.

The Mighty Internet and the Job Seeker

The Internet offers several alternatives for locating job applicants that go far beyond traditional newspaper advertising. Just as an example, for a moderate cost, employers can access any number of Internet employment-related databases, some of which focus on specialized functions or industries. In many instances, these sites allow employers to advertise their openings and ask candidates to simply transmit their resumes by e-mail or to complete an online profile. Lists of these databases can be found in many bookstores, or an employer can simply access an Internet search engine like Yahoo or AltaVista and enter keywords for an informational search. According to a study conducted jointly by the Employment Management Association and Society for Human Resource Management, the current estimate of career sites on the Internet is fast approaching 100,000.

One of the more innovative approaches to using Internet technology for “large company” staffing purposes is one that is employed by Home Depot. Each Home Depot store has an in-house kiosk linked to the company Web site. The Web site allows a job seeker to find company information, including job availability, and then apply online. On request, the text can be translated from English into Spanish. All information is immediately transmitted electronically to in-house staffing personnel, who perform the necessary follow up. This information is then stored in the company human resource information system.

Systems like this “all-in-one-solution” for Home Depot and the more traditional Internet-based methods mentioned above will augment traditional recruiting methods, and most certainly generate more candidate flow.

Easing the Pain

The Internet has made it easy for both job seekers and employers. Job seekers can be more passive in their search. All they have to do is post their resumes or complete online employment profiles and let companies come to them. In essence, candidates can shop themselves around with little additional effort beyond posting their resumes in an online resume bank or even placing them on their own personal Web sites.

Similarly, it is easy for employers to contact candidates who, by posting their resumes, have invited job offers. For many employers, this psychologically “takes the pressure off,” making it more comfortable for them to contact a job seeker.

Where’s the Rub?

Unfortunately, for most recruiters, finding the right candidate, to borrow from an old adage, is still like trying to find a needle in a haystack — you have to move a lot of straw to find what you are looking for. The huge number of resumes that the Internet creates adds to the challenge. The question is, “How can one efficiently wade through dozens, if not hundreds, of “hits” before locating the two or three most qualified candidates?” Adding to this dilemma is the fact that the landscape industry does not generally enjoy a specific classification on the vast majority of Internet job sites. Instead, it is most often “lumped in” with “agriculture” or “service” categories. This can be confusing when using keyword searches, since acronyms and skill terms used in one industry may have different meanings in another.

In addition, candidates seeking mid-senior-level management and sales positions often do not use Internet-based job posting services. They generally still rely on “word of mouth” referrals, direct sourcing by recruiters, and their own industry network contacts.

What to Do

There is no question that Internet-based recruiting services can lend value to a company’s overall employment strategy — and, furthermore, they are here to stay. In the final analysis, though, it is how a company develops and manages the overall staffing process that really counts. Technology-rich companies can still find themselves floundering in their recruitment efforts if they initially target the wrong audience or ask the wrong questions once they decide to invest time with a job seeker. In other words, job searches ultimately fail because companies do not know what they are looking for to begin with or they fail to base their hiring decisions on the right criteria.

Internet-based employment services will not magically transform your recruiting effort. Instead, they should be viewed as another tool in the overall staffing arsenal. When used correctly, they will augment other staffing techniques and increase the number of viable job candidates who walk through your door.

7/03

By Larry Fish, President, GreenSearch, 1117 Perimeter Center West, Suite 500 East, Atlanta, Georgia 30338, www.greensearch.com