Candidate sourcing is a long and expensive process. Online services and software providers promise to make this process more efficient. But how? We took a look.
HR tools have become expensive. In fact, your entire recruitment process can be run within them, from drafting job requirements for a new vacancy to finalising the employment agreement. Some services focus a specific step of the process, such as the posting of job ads. Other recruitment solutions offer a feature set that aims to cover every single step, from start to finish. Your choice depends on whether you feel you only need help with a particular task (e.g. reporting) or would prefer support across the board. As the benefits of using e-recruitment solutions are obvious, here are the main areas of e-recruitment tools:
1. Finding the right peopleFor many positions, it's sufficient to post a vacancy on one of the big online job boards to get a decent selection of useful CVs. But how about the more challenging vacancies? There are alternatives out there that help you find exactly the people you're looking for:
•Targeting:Use target-group specific job boards (e.g. simplysalesjobs.co.uk) to publish your job ads or media channels that allow you to define your target group (such as professional online networks or e-learning websites).
•Databases:If your vacancy is a highly specialised or upper-management position, you may want to use online databases that are explicitly targeted at the people you're looking for (e.g. exec-appointments.com).
2. Minimising the administrative workloadOne of the biggest advantages of e-recruitment tools: They turn tedious manual and repetitive tasks into automated processes, and they do it really well, too:
•Candidate selection:Stop accepting paper and e-mail applications and instead centralise your incoming applications with an online form that is connected to an internal application management solution. You'll receive all the information about your candidates perfectly structured and therefore easy to compare - you'll be able to identify and select matching candidates much faster.
•Talent database:If several of your applicants for a job seem a great match or if you receive a promising unsolicited application without having a matching vacancy, you can save their data in a searchable talent database and, if something suitable comes up, contact them at a later date.
3. Measuring success and costsIt's often difficult to know which of your recruitment activities are more successful than others. E-recruiting solutions can help make that more transparent. They can show you...
•if your employee retention rates are going up or down,•how much time you need to fill a position,•which media channels proved to be more worthy than others,•the amount you need to spend in average for a recruitment project, and•how many open positions you currently have and can expect in the near future.
Do you use online recruitment tools or an HR software in your company? In your view, which advantages and disadvantages do they have? Let us know in the comment section!
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