B+-+e-Recruiting

__ e-Recruiting __ What exactly is e-Recruiting? e-Recruiting can be simply stated as the management and support of the recruiting process electronically. In today's technologically focused work environment, organizations have moved much of their recruitment process online due to the speed and efficiency by which job candidates can be matched to existing job vacancies.  Bet You Didn't Know...
 * 1) Approximately 91% of Fortune 500 currently implement an e-Recruiting process
 * 2) Nearly 20% of all hires are now coming from online sources
 * 3) Such companies such as CISCO recruit entirely online

General Recruiting Process Before we get too in-depth regarding e-Recruiting, it is important that we fully understand the principles of recruiting as a general process. The recruitment process refers simply as the adding, maintaining, replenishing or expanding the workforce. Recruiting requires sourcing candidates, screening applicants and thus, selecting those candidates deemed qualified in fulfilling the specific demands created by the job vacancy.

Job Analysis An important aspect of the recruitment process is determining and analyzing the requirements specified by a job. Job analysis involves defining the job and determining the employee behavior necessary to perform the required tasks.

The job description of a vacant position within the organization is a vital component of job analysis. It generally lists the tasks, functions or responsibilities of a position that an organization is seeking to satisfy.

Through analyzing jobs, organizations may also specify the knowledge, skills, abilities and behavior (KSA) that they seek in a potential candidate.

What is the Organization Trying to Convey? It is extremely important that we, as an organization, try to communicate our "message." This message conveys what we are trying to communicate about: the organization, and about the job.

One way to help communicate with candidates is to offer Real Job Previews (RJPs). RJPs occur when naive expectations of job applicants are lowered to match organizational realities. The advantage of RJPs is that it provides potential applicants with information on both positive and negative aspects of the job. RJPs can take the form of videos, testimonials or short tests. A good example of a short test is offered by [|sheetz.com]

Realistic Job Previews best work under certain circumstances:
 * 1) The circumstances of employment allow the applicant to be selective in accepting a job (low unemployment)
 * 2) The job applicant has unrealistic job expectations (a young, inexperienced applicant)
 * 3) The job applicant is incapable of meeting difficult job demands

Overall, RJPs hold numerous advantages. Successful implementation can lead to increase job satisfaction, decrease turnover rate and lower acceptance rates.

Traditional Sources of Applications A main component of the recruitment process involves sourcing applicants. Sourcing refers to the identification and uncovering of candidates through recruiting techniques. The applications an organization receives to satisfy a certain job vacancy can be divided into two categories: internal applicants and external applicants.

Internal Applicants: The definition of [|internal applicants] is used to determine eligibility for staff applying for positions advertised internally only. Vacancies advertised internally allow employees the opportunity to move into different areas within the organization or the opportunity of a promotion. Internal applicants allow the organization the opportunity to match skills an employee is known to possess with the skills a job vacancy demands.

The organization is equipped with the work history of an internal applicant, which allows for quick screening to determine if the applicant is qualified to fulfill the desired open vacancy. Human Resource data is immediately available as well as previous performance appraisals which may be on record. When a vacancy is fulfilled via internally, it can also contribute to a positive work environment, as staff and employees are aware that potential promotions stay within the current workforce.

Another key advantage of internal applicants is the cost-efficiency factor. Recruiting internally is cheaper due to the fact that advertisement costs are almost non-existent. When recruiting internally, the advertising of vacancies require as little effort as a posting on bulletin boards or on the company website.

External Applicants: A majority of applicants an organization receives are considered external applicants.  So What Attracts Candidates? It is extremely important that we, as an organization, understand the elements that attract potential candidates. A crucial aspect of this is understanding the characteristics of the recruiter. The candidate must recognize key characteristics of the recruiter. A candidate may not wish to work with a recruiter who is deemed to have little knowledge of the specifications of which an organization is looking for. The recruiter must portray an image of the candidate being their first and most important priority.
 * Walk-ins, Direct Applications
 * Advertising- Newspaper, Journals, ect.
 * [|Times Union of Albany] has great information of job vacancies in various industries
 * Employment Agencies
 * An Employment Agency is a company that matches workers to open jobs. Employment Agencies can be designed to find temporary or permanent employment for candidates.
 * Educational Institutions
 * Professional Organizations
 * Labor Unions
 * Job Fairs
 * Job Fairs are recognized as an exposition for employers, recruiters and schools to meet with prospective job seekers. Job fairs in a college setting usually offer opportunities for entry level jobs.
 * Employee Referrals

Other characteristics that are important to candidates involve the characteristics of the sources of recruitment that is chosen. This refers to the channels of recruitment that a candidate has chosen such as web-based or traditional methods.

Administrative policies and practices are also important to candidates. A candidate must match his/her preferable administrative approaches of an organization with the policies and practices of an organization that has available vacancies.

Furthermore, the candidate is attracted by the characteristics of a job. These characteristics can include the difficulty of task identity, task significance, skill variety, autonomy and feedback.

What are the Necessary Steps to a Successful e-Recruiting Program? Now that we fully understand the procedure and ideologies of recruitment, we can begin to discuss how the e-Recruitment process works. In short, there are three key steps that need to be fulfilled. Naturally, the first step is to attract qualified applicants. Those companies who have implemented e-Recruitment procedures use the advantages of the web to recruit applicants. Applicants may search company websites to view job vacancies that an organization may currently offer. Via the company's website, the organization may present a favorable image regarding how their company is viewed. The organization can also market key characteristics of the company to attract suitable candidates. In addition, the organization possesses the ability to convey through the web what is considered as their "Message."

The second step regarding e-Recruitment involves sorting the collected applicants. Through e-Recruitment, companies have the ability to screen applicants for the knowledge, skills and abilities (KSA) that are currently being sought by the organization for what ever purpose it is needed for. This step allows for quick, simple and a cost-efficient method in determining which candidates best match the needs an organization wishes to fulfill.

Managing the candidate relationship is the final step. The e-Recruitment process must allow for interaction and feedback between the candidate and the recruiter.

The Positives of e-Recruitment In today's working environment, organizations are turning to e-Recruitment more each day due to the vast advantages that can be capitalized upon. These advantages are primarily economic advantages and competitive advantages.

Economic Advantages
 * Compared to traditional approaches, e-Recruitment is approximately 1/20th as expensive
 * The hiring process can be cut by 6 days
 * The reduction of reliance upon headhunters can cut the costs using such options require
 * Resumes can be scanned to determine who possesses desired skills
 * The use of Keyword Searches
 * May allow for more objective reviews of skills

Competitive Advantages
 * The number of applicants received by an organization will increase
 * Allows for a much wider selection of suitable candidates to fulfill a certain need or demand
 * The ability to compare with other organizations to determine which personnel needs they possess
 * The ability to advertise the corporate image
 * Websites are now regarded as the "first impression" a candidate will gain of an organization. This can be referred to as the corporations "front door"

  The potential downside to e-recruiting  **Hindered Diversity **  Today, e -Recruiting can have an adverse impact on the diversity within an organization because not all people have the skills, or access, to effectively utilize e-recruiting applications. This raises the question as to whether, or not, protected groups have equal access. This phenomenon has been dubbed the [|digital divide].

Another potential problem with e-recruiting is that it can allow for an influx of unqualified applicants. There is scanning software available to weed out under-qualified applicants and it can be quite effective like the one used at [|Human Genome Sciences], which allows the management there to contact only 10 people by phone for interviews, as opposed to their previous average of 50. The use of personal data is a serious issue in the information age, where information is a commodity and there are information pirates wishing to gather information to benefit themselves at the expense of the targeted individual. The FTC has a list of recommendations for the business community on the topic of [|information security] (click on "Read the Guide").
 * Privacy Concerns **

Electronic applications and the information contained in them must adhere to state laws. The gray area is apparent when we have interstate commerce and state laws that differ from one another. The  safest course of action would be to adhere to the most stringent guidelines and take necessary action to protect data. In other methods of job hunting, the application of a candidate is known only to the employer who receives the application. But in the e-recruiting world, the candidate profile and resume are public, open to any employer who subscribes to that system. This raises a lot of concerns for candidates who may not want their current employer to know that they are actively looking for another position. From an employer perspective, when resumes of employees are freely floating on the Internet, it creates concerns of secrecy of business contacts, trade secrets and other company activities being available to competitors, vendors and customers. The reach of the Internet creates much more damage when such leaks occur than what would happen through other means. e-Recruiting options   General Purpose Job Boards  These are typically places where all job types can be posted. They are good because they have high traffic but, they can be expensive and there is limited quality control. Examples are [|monster.com], and [|careerbuilder.com].  Specialized Job Boards  These can be good because they are more specific in targeting niche applicants but, they sometimes have poor brand recognition. Examples include [|dice.com]and [|marketingjobs.com].  Development options

__<span style="background: white none repeat scroll 0% 50%; font-size: 12pt; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial; color: black"> Application Service Providers __ <span style="background: white none repeat scroll 0% 50%; font-size: 12pt; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial; color: black"> Outsourcing of the recruiting function to a company that develops and runs your software and processes is one option. Companies like [|iCIMS] allow organizations to use their customized web platform to post jobs online in several places from one application. They also allow anyone in the company, who has authorization, to screen applicants and resumes. While iCIMS has the ability to streamline data to an existing HRIS through a CSC data feed other companies may not provide the same benefit. __<span style="background: white none repeat scroll 0% 50%; font-size: 12pt; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial; color: black"> Hybrid Solutions __ <span style="background: white none repeat scroll 0% 50%; font-size: 12pt; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial; color: black"> These are traditional sources which also provide e-recruiting opportunities. Use of these would allow for advertising experience. The organization can utilize multiple channels for recruiting. Use of these allows for price bundling but, because of lower traffic, a posting may look like a static print ad. __<span style="background: white none repeat scroll 0% 50%; font-size: 12pt; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial; color: black"> Corporate Career Site __ <span style="background: white none repeat scroll 0% 50%; font-size: 12pt; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial; color: black"> This is by far the most flexible way to handle recruiting because it is developed and designed for your organization. Applicants who apply are looking specifically for your organization but, there are high costs for development, no guarantee of new applicants, and the need for a strong IT staff; Like that of [|Exxon Mobil]. <span style="background: white none repeat scroll 0% 50%; font-size: 12pt; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial; color: black"> <span style="background: white none repeat scroll 0% 50%; font-size: 22.5pt; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial; color: black; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'">Some Guidelines to Remember <span style="background: white none repeat scroll 0% 50%; font-size: 12pt; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial; color: black"> 1. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal"> <span style="background: white none repeat scroll 0% 50%; font-size: 16pt; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial; color: black"> You can get applicants to your website but, you can’t make them apply. 2. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal"> <span style="background: white none repeat scroll 0% 50%; font-size: 16pt; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial; color: black"> E-recruiting can increase the number of applicants but, not necessarily the quality of applicants. 3. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal"> <span style="background: white none repeat scroll 0% 50%; font-size: 16pt; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial; color: black"> Like Human Genome Sciences you should have good screening software; it must be reliable. 4. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal"> <span style="background: white none repeat scroll 0% 50%; font-size: 16pt; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial; color: black"> When attracting candidates a “What you see is what you get” approach is best. Candidates should not be enticed by false hope. 5. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal"> <span style="background: white none repeat scroll 0% 50%; font-size: 16pt; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial; color: black"> Be sure to add a personal touch when dealing directly with candidates; systems are very impersonal.

6. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal"> <span style="background: white none repeat scroll 0% 50%; font-size: 16pt; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial; color: black"> If you can use targeted recruiting, then you should. 7. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal"> <span style="background: white none repeat scroll 0% 50%; font-size: 16pt; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial; color: black"> The marketing of your recruiting website is important. It should convey an image of what you are looking for, ie. Professionalism, prestige, or encourage all to apply, etc. 8. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal"> __<span style="background: white none repeat scroll 0% 50%; font-size: 16pt; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial; color: black">Do Not __<span style="background: white none repeat scroll 0% 50%; font-size: 16pt; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial; color: black">let e-recruiting be your only source; if you recruit at university job fairs you may get a different set of applicants than if you just recruit from the public.

<span style="background: white none repeat scroll 0% 50%; font-size: 22.5pt; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial; color: black; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'">The Information Environment Ø<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal"> <span style="background: white none repeat scroll 0% 50%; font-size: 14pt; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial; color: black"> Googling Candidates; you should know what information is out there about you and know that it is accessible to the public Ø<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal"> <span style="background: white none repeat scroll 0% 50%; font-size: 14pt; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial; color: black"> Social networking; Some organizations use these programs for recruiting. It is also very important that you pay attention to how you represent yourself online; A picture of you sleeping on the sidewalk, and your friends comments about how they had to carry you home probably will not help your chances of being hired.

<span style="background: white none repeat scroll 0% 50%; font-size: 12pt; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial; color: black"> <span style="background: white none repeat scroll 0% 50%; font-size: 12pt; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial; color: black"> <span style="background: white none repeat scroll 0% 50%; font-size: 12pt; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial; color: black"> <span style="background: white none repeat scroll 0% 50%; font-size: 12pt; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial; color: black"> <span style="background: white none repeat scroll 0% 50%; font-size: 12pt; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial; color: black">