E-recruitment, the need for process control. - 07/2001

There is a need for both integrating and automating the recruitment process, to ensure the benefits of using the Internet to recruit are delivered. The crux of the issue is that early e-businesses tried to run before they could walk. E-recruitment suffered from this in the early days with glorious dotcom claims to change the industry overnight. This was a non-runner from day one, as has been proved. The successful e-recruitment suppliers are now providing solutions using a combination of old established procedures and new methodologies. One must live with the other. Old tried and tested processes work, and must continue.

The purpose of E-recruitment is to add value to the existing process control, incorporating agency & traditional media suppliers, as well as the new media channels, to dramatically improve the workflow, and deliver a substantial saving in cost per hire.

E-recruitment as a fundamental business process is the removal of complexity, waste and paperwork, introduction of good sound workflow systems and reliable database applications. You need to take a fundamental strategic approach as to the objective.

Every organisation needs to make cost savings through efficient work procedures. The Internet is a communication channel that delivers such efficiency providing it is used logically and not as a ëmagic pillí. It is widely acknowledged that the Internet is the ideal application for recruitment, and many major software suppliers are currently building this function into their CRM products.

Online recruitment (or E-recruitment) is set to change the way in which companies recruit. One leading survey last year showed 73% of the worldís largest companies had stated 2001 as the year they would be adopting an e-recruitment strategy.

However, e-recruitment applies to all employers, SMEís as well as major international corporations. Not all employers can afford to engage highly expensive CRM strategies, when their primary requirement is purely to use the web for recruitment. There is a huge demand to supply a cost effective service, which is affordable by the majority of corporations. Our business is like any other software service, it should offer a low user, low cost entry point, with the capability of scaling up as the recruitment requirement increases. Employers should be able to engage online recruitment services without breaking their HR budget. With a 5 user entry point, one HR employee, and four line managers, a company can process a large recruitment requirement, using the Internet to handle all of their recruitment processes from vacancy to hire. They are able to continue using their existing recruitment agencies, ëpress advertisingí, direct applications, and in addition they can post vacancies to Internet job boards. They then receive CVs from all suppliers in one central area, and the software manages the process though to hire.

This is the way to, both reduce the costs associated with hiring by using Internet job boards as well as traditional methods, and take the opportunity of making cost savings through the efficient management of the recruitment process. Both must apply.

Many SME employers, with limited budgets, are concerned that a strategic move to e-recruitment could affect their existing hiring process. They need a fast learning curve, ease of use, and total control over the process. The most obvious approach is for e-recruitment providers to offer a free trial period to allow the employer time to familiarise themselves with the concept with no financial commitment. Whilst online recruitment is not revolutionary, it does represent a sea-change in methodology. Employers need time to assess the substantial savings that are achievable with not only direct costs, but in management time of key employees engaged in the hiring process.

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