On-Line Recruitment - An Insider's
View July 2002
As
the working population of the UK continues to evolve and develop,
every industrial sector must learn to adapt and adjust to their
changing expectations and aspirations if they wish to attract candidates
of the appropriate calibre to their businesses. Rupert Ellis, Operations
Director of Candidate One Limited and Founder of www.jobjobbed.com
takes a look at the future of recruitment in the UK.
Evolution
is inherent within the Retail Motor Industry, which, by its very
nature, continues to update and revise its products and services
in line with both customer expectation and the strategies employed
by its competitors. This is compounded and complimented by advances
in design and technology that refine product performance and efficiency.
Surely this approach should also be adopted in terms of the very
life-blood of the industry and one of its few remaining differentiating
factors? - it's staff!
As
a former participant in the Retail Motor Industry, I recall experiencing
the ritual of taking tea with Leon Levy when we met to discuss my
career options in his office / sitting room. Since the early Eighty's,
I have sat in a good many similar meetings, as a Candidate, as an
Employer and as a Consultant. While the content of the meeting is
not the topic here, the route to that meeting, to identifying potential
candidates and career opportunities, most certainly is.
For
simplicity, lets assume that we can divide the recruitment process
into two camps, those "looking for work" and those "looking
for workers". If we go on to assume that all companies have
an active policy of appointment from within, each will therefore
consider their own employees for any arising appointments before
looking outside. Any vacancy that does not have a suitable internal
candidate needs to be communicated to candidates appropriate to
the requirements of that role. Similarly, an employee that is looking
to change employer will do likewise, but will have the added benefit
of time and opportunity on their side. I can tell you that our job
boards are busiest between 2.00pm - 4.00pm on a Monday and Tuesday
afternoon when over 35% of candidate registrations and searches
are executed!
Let us consider some relevant facts:
In
the US, 95% of all job seekers have their resume posted on at least
one recruitment website. (The UK percentage is a more modest at
circa 60%, although this still represents a significant number of
candidates looking on-line for alternative work!)
There
have recently been a number of surveys and much research into web-based
recruitment within the UK. As a result we now know that the average
online job seeker is 32.2 years old and earns £24990p.a. Additionally,
this person has 10.5 years of work experience since leaving full
time education and last started a job with a new employer 3.9 years
ago. More importantly, this research also tells us that over 60%
of candidates have actually applied for work on-line and that 68%
of respondents stated that the Internet was their preferred method
of searching and applying for jobs. Moreover, before applying, 65%
of candidates conduct their employer research online too.
We
appreciate that there are numerous factors preventing UK companies
from investing in on-line recruitment, especially those involved
in the Retail Motor Industry. A lack of resources to implement the
project, a lack of knowledge about how to integrate on-line recruitment
into their recruitment strategy and the worry that they will not
be able to market, maintain and update their requirements to maximise
the potential of their investment. These concerns can be overcome
by outsourcing the project to specialists in this area, something
we at Job Jobbed have relevant experience in overcoming.
Where
does this leave us? The Motor Industry must realise that what appear
to be the myths surrounding on-line car retailing in the UK simply
do not apply to on-line recruitment. While it is a fact that 1:13
adult Europeans made an on-line purchase last month, very few of
these were Cars! Besides, business plans demand increasing efficiency
from departments and staff, particularly in this sector with margins
under constant attack and an already modest return on investment.
Cutting costs and increasing productivity can only be taken so far.
The
Internet now offers a great leap forward in achieving your recruitment
goals, therefore, with a growing trend in favour of e-recruitment
from candidates, if your company fails to have an effective strategy
for web-based recruitment then you are probably disappointing a
considerable number of prospective employees while loosing them
to those competitors of yours that do!
Further
information on Job Jobbed's profile of services can be obtained
via e-mailing rupert@jobjobbed.com
or by telephoning 01453 887508.
Rupert Ellis
Director. Job Jobbed Limited
July 2002
Back
to news index
|