E-recruiting value explored in 3-year survey - 09/2001

A year and a half of negative news and financial weakness for the dotcoms has greatly affected Internet initiatives in corporations across the globe. Combined with general economic slowdown, many companies have put off necessary investments in their own web presences.

For recruiters seeking to hire students at either the university or graduate levels, however, this could be a costly mistake, according to new research.

Hanrick Associates, a U.S.-based Internet services firm, recently revealed some surprising results from its three-year study, ìE-Recruiting: Winning the Talent Warî. The study focuses on the Internetís role in job searches among recent graduates from university and graduate business programs across the United States and draws on primary data from over 750 jobseekers.

According to Hanrickís survey, over 85% of jobseekers check company websites before submitting their resumes, a percentage which has steadily increased over the last three years.

Over 65% of these jobseekers say that recruiting-specific material on the web influences them ìprobably a good dealî or ìdefinitely quite a bitî in their subsequent choices.

ìItís really striking,î said David Rickard, Hanrickís CEO. ìWeíre bombarded with terrible news about online businessesí struggle to make money, yet the Internet as a whole continues to become ever more pervasive in our everyday lives, proving especially essential for information-gathering tasks.î

Indeed, corporate websites have become the primary information source about a company for jobseekers, outranking more traditional mechanisms like campus information sessions and word of mouth from family and friends.

Even more surprising is that this result held true at the beginning of the job search, during resume submission, and just before interviews.

ìMany people often assume that the corporate website is for people just learning about a company. Our data shows that this information is important for people through the entire process,î says Rickard. ìEven as they meet people at the company and learn more, users still revisit sites numerous times, relying on web content for recent news, updated content, and to differentiate between companies.î

Further confirmation comes from the survey, with 85% of respondents calling regularly updating of recruiting websites ìvery importantî.

What They Want:
Hanrickís survey delved further into what works and doesnít work on career websites. Respondents made it clear that ìinformative materialî and ìregular updating of materialî were the most important website elements to them, with both rating an average of 4.9 out of 5 in importance.

Users in their comments and ratings made it clear they preferred substance over style. As one wrote, ìCompanies still spend way too much effort in meaningless glitzy flash presentations that everyone skips. Iíd much rather the effort go into high-quality information about their company and what they represent, presented in a readable format.î

These substantive categories scored far higher than more glitzy elements like fonts (2.7 out of 5), colours (2.8), logos (2.8), and multimedia (3.2). This does not imply that companies should be staid or boring in their sites ñ clever design still rated a 3.8 out of 5 ñ but it does reveal usersí preference that recruiting website developers concentrate on informative content, presented in a navigable, clear fashion, rather than whiz-bang technology for its own sake. This result has held constant throughout the 3 years of Hanrickís survey, which began in 1999.

What sort of content is most useful and appealing to jobseekers? Hanrickís survey takers had a wide range of views on the subject, but most were able to agree that company background and recent news/events were the most important areas, with 82% and 76%, respectively, rating these very important. Subjects also liked the ability to review industry information, with 68% calling it very important. This is especially notable given the consistently negative result we get at conferences when we ask HR directors how many have legitimate industry-wide information on their sites, content that goes beyond touting their own company.

Users had more varying opinions of ìfuzzyî material, like employee testimonials and culture information, with the majority rating each as being ìsomewhat importantî.

Will following these guidelines have impact on companiesí ability to attract workers? Survey data suggests that it does indeed. Over 75% of jobseekers say they typically spend more than 10 minutes on a recruiting website, and if the site is compelling, 78% note that they will spend more than 20 minutes on the site. These ìstickinessî levels far exceed average visit lengths to e-commerce sites, and savvy recruiters know it represents a golden opportunity to communicate their firmís message as persuasively as possible.

In summary, companies considering how best to use their websites as recruiting tools need to remember several lessons: focus on ease of use over needlessly fancy site design, update the information frequently, and provide solid information about the company and its businesses, rather than trying all-too-obvious attempts to carry favour with fluffy PR spin. In a world where good recruits must be treated with the same respect as any business customer, savvy HR managers will find a critical edge by tailoring their sites to create a lasting, positive first impression. Especially in this time of reduced investments by competitors, a smart approach to developing solid web infrastructure can pay long-term recruiting dividends.

www.ehanrick.com