Best Practices for Online Recruiting Success

Having been intimately involved with running an internet job board for the past 3 years, Ive seen the good, the bad and the ugly when it comes to employers recruiting methods. Some HR professionals and recruiters have not completely grasped the right way of using the web to recruit. What follows below is a set of best practices for you to use when developing and implementing your internet recruiting strategy.

Having been intimately involved with running an internet job board for the past 3 years, Ive seen the good, the bad and the ugly when it comes to employers recruiting methods. From misspelled email addresses to ads with no contact information, some HR professionals and recruiters have not completely grasped the right way of using the web to recruit. What follows below is a set of best practices for you to use when developing and implementing your internet recruiting strategy.

There are 4 key elements to consider when recruiting online.

1.   Your company website
2.   Email
3.   Job Description
4.   Job Sites

COMPANY WEBSITE
Every company has a website, but not everyone is taking advantage of it. Lack of a career" section on your site is ignoring a FREE opportunity to promote your current openings, the benefits/perks your employees gets and what its like to work there. If possible, post your job openings and keep them current. If this is inconvenient try linking off to your job listings on the job site you posted them on. This has the benefit of providing the jobseeker with a fresh list of jobs while giving you only 1 place to update them. Its like getting 2 sites for the price of 1. Many of my clients do this, for an example check out www.impactpersonnel.com (and click on the Jobs" link).

You should also describe the benefits and perks you offer your employees. Let them know what they could expect to receive in the form of health benefits, vacation time, etc.,
You may also want to describe your culture and what its like to work there. By presenting this information in a positive light you can create an image that will make people want to work for your firm.

EMAIL
When it come Email, there are two key points to remember. First, use generic email addresses to collect resumes. Examples of these include jobs@yourcompany.com, hr@yourcompany.com and resumes@yourcompany.com. Using the more common email names like this keeps it simple for the jobseeker. Your tech person can forward any mail coming through these addresses to your email or one of your other recruiters. Be consistent it is use as well and you can ensure that your employees will always know how to refer people by directing them to this easy to remember email address.

The second point about email is one I cant stress enough. Turn on the auto-responder" in your email program so that when jobseekers submit a resume they automatically are informed that it was received. This will go a long way towards resolving the problem of jobseekers thinking it went into some black hole at your company never to be read again. You should confirm its receipt and tell them what will happen to their resume from this point on.

JOB DESCRIPTION
Old habits die-hard when it comes to writing a Job Description for use online. There are still a large percentage of recruiters who still see the online job description as a substitute for the printed version of a newspaper classified. They abbreviate words, fail to disclose key requirements or location and generally limit the copy to a few sentences. One of the best benefits of using the web to recruit is that you are NOT limited by space to describe your opening. You need to fully describe the job duties and list the requirements needed to qualify for consideration. Stress the fact that no jobseeker will be considered if they do not meet the minimum requirements for the job. In addition, give a brief synopsis of your company and list your web address.

Your description should also list multiple ways to apply via email, fax, regular mail or by going to the career or jobs section of your website.

JOB SITES
Finally there are the Job Sites themselves. A web savvy recruiter knows there are additional tips and tricks when it comes to making efficient use of them. The first tip centers on the date on your job listings. Jobseekers are crazy for fresh" listings with a recently posted date. Stay on top of your jobs by refreshing their dates once a week to ensure a good response rate. When the job has been filled, pull it down as quickly as possible.

Dont rely too much on national job boards like Monster or HotJobs when it comes to deciding where to post. They tend to cast a wider net and youre likely to get more out of state resumes than you bargained for. Local or Niche sites can offer more targeted results while allowing you to spend less. Look for other ways to stand out on a job site such as upgrading to a featured listing" with your logo or by getting space on the sites home page. Also look for package deals that give you multiple or unlimited postings for one price over a longer term. If you know youll be hiring it may save you money overall for the year.

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Chris Russell is President and Founder of the local job board FairfieldCountyJobs.com and can be reached by email at chris@fairfieldcountyjobs.com or by phone at 203.767.7393.