Job Boards Think Itís Good To Talk - 06/2000

On-line recruitment is clearly the way forward. But a number of UK Online Recruiters have added an extra channel of communication to their offerings. These call-back systems perform a simple function. When someone finds an opportunity of interest, they click on a button on screen. This causes the agency behind the job advert to telephone them directly. Clearly, some believe that itís good to talk.

Jobs4u is one job board which has the system incorporated into itís site. The supplier of their service is NetCall who claim that their service ìcan initiate a live phone call from any digital source, such as a web screen, an email, a mobile phone, a WAP-enabled device or Digital TVî, allowing almost instantaneous communication with a web surfer. In addition to allowing real time connection , NetCall produces statistics on pick up time and provides an answer phone service when the host agency is busy or closed. Jeremy Goldberg, National Sales Manager of Jobs4U enthused: ìWeíve had over 25,00 calls though our system since going live on January 20th this year ñ its proved exceedingly successfulî.

RealCall is another call-back service, though it operates in a slightly different manner. Surfers enter a time and number where they wish to be called, and the system makes an automated telephone call to the agency responsible for the advert asking for the contact to be made. KPMG, the professional services firm currently use the service in the graduate recruitment section of their web site. Jane Brundle, Graduate Recruitment Manager at KPMG said ìWe provided the button because we thought that students would like the idea, but weíve found that those who use our web site, prefer to email usî.

Industry reaction to the services are mixed, but the message is clear. Web Technology is potentially a very potent weapon ñ but only if it is used in the correct places.