The IQPC Exchange / Enhance Media Benchmarking study - 11/2001

On the first day of the Online Recruitment Exchange a benchmarking questionnaire was distributed to all delegates. This looked at different aspects of online recruitment and was intended to give participants an accurate snapshot of the current state of online recruitment. As all completed questionnaires were anonymous it also gave the chance to collect information and opinions that individuals might be unwilling to offer in a public forum.

How many UK job boards do you currently advertise on?

0 job boards 28%
1 job board 13%
2 ñ 5 job boards 51%
6 ñ 10 job boards 8%
10 or more job boards 0%

Average number of job boards used = 2.5

How much have you spent on online recruitment in the last 12 months?

0 - 1,000 14%
1,001 - 5,000 23%
5,001 - 10,000 9%
10,001 - 20,000 14%
20,001 - 50,000 23%
50,000 17%

Average spend in the last 12 months = 21,000

Do you think that you have had a good return on your investment in online recruitment?

Yes 24%
No 34%
Not sure 42%

Does your FD or MD think that you have had a good return on your investment in online recruitment?

Yes 21%
No 34%
Not sure 45%

Faced with the growth of online recruitment (OL), traditional suppliers haveÖ

Dropped their prices 17%
Increased customer service 8%
Resold core benefits 22%
Do not regard OL as threat 42%
Other 11%

Which method provides you with the better source of quality candidates?

Generic job boards 14%
Sector specific job boards 19%
Own corporate website 41%
Not sure 27%

How do you anticipate your online recruitment activities changing in the next 12 months?

Increasing 89%
Not changing 11%
Decreasing 0%

Do you think that new technologies, such as WAP and iTV, will have an impact on your recruitment practices?

Yes 44%
No 25%
Donít know 31%

Do you currently use CV mining technologies such as web spiders to target candidates on the Internet?

Yes 14%
No 68%
What are web spiders? 19%

How easy has it been to buy and use backend technologies aimed at managing your candidate database?

Very easy 0%
Difficult 41%
Interested but not managed 47%
Not interested 12%

Liasing with the IT department to manage your corporate website or integrate backend technology has beenÖ

Very easy 3%
Easy 19%
Neither 42%
Difficult 25%
Very difficult 11%


The biggest issue facing online recruitment in the UK isÖ

Improving the quality of candidates 31%
Implementing new technology 0%
Integrating backend technology 50%
Standardising terminology 8%
Other 11%

Several key implications can be taken from the results of the survey:

Half of those surveyed felt that integrating backend technology was the biggest issue facing UK online recruitment. However it does not appear to have been easy to buy and use such systems. This has implications for the suppliers of technology solutions who must make purchasing and implementation of these systems easier if they are to succeed in the market.

While the average online recruiter advertises on 2.5 job boards and has spent over 21,000 in the last 12 months there is uncertainty regarding whether this spend has been a good return on investment. This emphasises the importance of measurement in developing online recruitment strategies.

Traditional suppliers may be complacent in the face of online recruitment.

Corporate websites currently provide the best source of quality candidates. This has possible implications for the future of job boards in the UK. Rather than supplying candidates, job boards may take on the role of web portals, directing candidates to corporate websites where the application process can be more proactively managed.

Despite uncertainty regarding return on investment the future of online recruitment appears to be healthy. No one surveyed said that their online recruitment activity would decrease while 89% thought it would increase in the next 12 months. Uncertainty regarding return on investment emphasises the need to accurately monitor online recruitment activity.

Over one third of those surveyed felt that the relationship with the IT department had been difficult or very difficult. With the changing role of the HR professional and the need for close relationships with other departments, such as IT and marketing, this could pose some organisations with problems in the future.

www.enhancemedia.co.uk