Today, businesses conduct most, if not all, their affairs online. Can recruiters do the same? Online recruitment opens doors to more candidates and streamlines processes. There are both advantages and disadvantages of online recruitment to keep in mind.
What is online recruitment?
What is internet recruitment? Online recruitment, or internet recruiting, is a way for businesses and recruiters to use the internet to find and interact with candidates and eventually extend a job offer.
You can post job openings online, email candidates, and even set up interviews via video calls with online recruitment.
Many job searchers rely on the internet to find open jobs. As a result, it makes sense that you might try online recruitment methods to enhance your candidate search.
Advantages and disadvantages of online recruitment
You probably already rely on use of the internet for recruiting to fill job orders, since recruiting is almost completely digital. Keep in mind the disadvantages and advantages of online recruitment.
1. You might see an increase in the number of applications
Using online recruitment for posting jobs will increase the number of applications you receive. You can reach people outside of your client’s locality.
Advantages
You will receive more applications by taking your recruiting online, since you can reach a wider radius of interested applicants. This lets you widen your search for the perfect fit so you aren’t constrained.
Out of all Americans searching for jobs, 79% use online resources. Job seekers rely on the web to see what kind of jobs are out there. The benefits of online recruiting are being leveraged by candidates, and recruiters need to follow suit. If you submit your client’s open position to online job posting boards, you are bound to see an increase in the number of applications.
Disadvantages
Even though you will get more applications to choose from, more isn’t always better. Some concerned talent acquisition professionals have gone so far as to ask – do job boards work anymore? The surplus of unqualified applicants is one of the biggest disadvantages of internet recruiting. You could spend long periods of time sorting through the applications, especially if you don’t have recruiting software that leverages one of the best applicant tracking systems available.
Receiving more applications also means you could end up with a lot of candidates who don’t quite fit the job description. You might weed through 500 applications and find that there are only 15 qualified enough for an interview.
2. You can look outside of the client’s locality for qualified candidates
Using online recruitment can expand your search and help you find more qualified candidates.
Advantages
Since you go outside your client’s radius and reach people from all over, you might have better luck finding an applicant who meets the qualifications of the job.
If your client needs an employee with a specific set of skills, you might only find qualified candidates outside the immediate locality.
For example, there might be a high demand for chemical engineers in your client’s area but not enough people with the necessary qualifications.
Disadvantages
Going outside the immediate locality to find qualified candidates might be necessary, but there are some problems that could come up. You might have the candidate turn down the job due to distance-related problems, like needing to relocate.
If you look outside the immediate area for candidates, you might be wasting your time. In fact, one study found that a 30-45 minute commute increased the probability of employees quitting by more than 92%.
3. Online recruitment provides another means of communication
Online recruitment opens up the door for a whole new means of communication. You can keep in contact with people via email, through job posting websites, or through video calls.
Advantages
With online recruitment, you have means to communicate with candidates easily instead of needing to talk over the phone or in person, which could cost you time.
If you use recruiting software, you can send mass emails out to candidates to save you time and streamline the process. Candidates can send their applications in right on the job posting site or to your email address. They can ask questions over email.
If you want to conduct a pre-screening interview, you could set up a video call to help narrow down the candidate pool.
Disadvantages
Even though communicating online can alleviate immediate stress and save you time, it could end up costing you. Online sourcing strategies are less personal than over the phone or face-to-face, which could be a turnoff for some qualified candidates.
Communicating online might also paint a completely different picture of an applicant than if you had met them in person. If you are going to communicate online, make sure both you and the candidate are on the same page.
4. You might save time using internet recruiting methods
Sometimes, you might get so busy you can barely catch your breath. Online recruitment methods, like conducting a Google resume search, could end up saving you some precious time.
With a Google resume search, you can insert keywords related to the required qualifications and quickly find resumes.
Advantages
Using online recruitment methods can save you time and energy by simplifying your candidate search. Strategies like doing a Google resume search help you find leads to reach out to.
The search lets you look for qualified candidates by typing in keywords. That way, you spend less time sorting through resumes.
Disadvantages
In saving time, you could end up missing out on great candidates. Some qualified candidates might not be considered if they use different terms to describe their skills than the keywords you look up in your Google resume search.
5. Client and candidate satisfaction
The best part of recruiting is making those placements. If you know that the candidate is a good fit for your client, you can rest easy that you have found a match made in heaven.
Advantages
Relying on online recruitment might lead to a client hiring the perfect candidate. You have more people to choose from, and you can even use social media like Facebook and LinkedIn to learn more about candidates.
If both the client and candidate are satisfied, your client’s business decreases the chance of an early turnover, which is a win for everyone.
Disadvantages
In some cases, online recruitment can lead to an imperfect candidate-client match since you conduct your affairs primarily online. Trying to juggle online recruitment advantages and disadvantages will take some time. Without meeting the person and talking with them in person, you might know less about how they will fit in the business’s culture.
As a result, you could miss out on someone else who would’ve made a better match. And, your client will be dissatisfied if they lose a new hire due to a bad fit.
Combining online recruitment with traditional techniques
If you use online recruiting in combination with traditional techniques, you can strike a perfect balance for your recruiting. Use online recruitment to reach out to more candidates and streamline your recruiting process steps. But, make sure you spend enough time getting to know the candidate before passing along their information to your client.
