River Island turns to online recruitment

High street fashion retailer River Island has turned to online recruitment to hire sales staff for its 200 stores across the country.

This is the first time the company has used online recruitment in this way and it is hoped the initiative will help reduce costs as well as ensure that the best quality people are employed, Onrec.com reports.

Previously, job applications went through a central recruitment team before being forwarded to stores for short-listing and interviewing.

It is hoped that the new method will both reduce the administration time for managers as well as making the process fairer for applicants as they are now all going through the same system.

Lisa Astbury, director of Changeworknow, highlighted the benefits of hiring through the internet, saying: More and more information is online and employers will miss out on talent if they don't tap into online recruitment.

Welcoming the move, ClickAJob Marketing Manager Anders Jensen anticipates that the trend to moving online can only increase.

Instant turnaround is just one of the plusses that employers expect, particularly in staffing up for the festive season peak, he says.

With facilities like email alert, not only is a job online immediately, if the requirements match a previously entered request, the candidate looking for it is immediately informed too, he points out.

Such same-day results make all the difference to a retailer who has to respond quickly.

Woolworths has also announced that it will be using a new online recruitment method to hire its Christmas staff this year, Personnel Today reported