Article: Real Candidates through Virtual Recruiting: Why Use the Internet?

The world is changing at light speed and those organizations not changing with it will be left behind, scavenging through leftovers for the talent to help them limp into tomorrow. If you are not exploiting the Internet to staff your organization you are losing time, money, and, of course, the best talent available.

Forget studying rate cards for deadlines and publication dates. Forget waiting two weeks to get an ad placed in the Sunday paper. The Internet is available 24-7, with often no wait at all for an ad to be available to millions of users. In fact, it is not uncommon for Internet ads to generate responses e-mailed right to your computer from qualified, interested candidates within a half an hour of posting. They are all just a simple cut-and-paste away.

Many job posting web sites also offer customized application forms, creating a convenient, virus-free pre-screening option, useful for human resources professionals and amateurs alike.

Sick of sorting through piles of unqualified applicants who barely change the “insert title of job here” line on their cover letters? The Internet helps you put your position description in front of the candidates you want to reach, effectively putting you in the driver’s seat.

Most job posting sites offer few restrictions for space, easing the burden employers once felt carefully crafting mini-paragraphs that squeeze unintelligible abbreviations into a certain number of newspaper column inches. Position descriptions now do double duty, announcing the opening, and describing the challenges facing the successful candidate and the organization she or he will serve, informing and exciting qualified individuals to apply.

Employers can provide keywords – the roadmap for job seekers to locate your posting on the Internet – with postings. For example, looking for a Communications Director for World Wildlife Fund in Washington, DC, is eased by directing potential applicants with keywords such as communications, public relations, environment, environmental advocacy, advocacy, communications director, communications manager, non-profit jobs, executive advocacy jobs, Washington DC, District of Columbia and much, much more.

In addition to more space, the Internet is also far cheaper than newspaper advertising. Lengthy, detailed Internet ads run every single day for months, for a one time fee of about $100 to $300 per posting. New York Times classifieds start at $150 for just one Sunday advertisement of about 20 words, and that includes your contact information!

Add up the benefits – speed, convenience, targeting, and economic value – and it’s almost impossible to understand why organizations looking for talent in such a tight job market would not use the Internet, especially when most job postings sites offer toll free help lines to ease the process for the non-Internet savvy. Whether you use the Internet regularly or don’t know where to find the on ramp to the electronic superhighway, start posting today and then sit back and watch your inbox overflow with candidates.

ExecSearches.com offers consulting services for organizations wishing to harness the recruiting power of the Internet in the following areas:

· Internet Recruiting Strategy Development

· Writing Effective Position Descriptions and Ads

· Comprehensive Internet Recruiting Training

· Customized Online Application Forms

· Research for Niche Sites, News Groups, Listservs

· Reference Checking and Interviewing

Please contact one of our professional recruiters at info@execsearches.com for more information.