Online Recruiting

Online recruiting has exploded and now represents the primary avenue most companies are using to attract new employees. The internet offers the variety and cost savings every company needs to consider.  Although there are hundreds of recruiting sources, online recruiting has to be part of your recruiting strategy.

As for choices online, there is everything from the very large, multinational sites (Monster, Careerbuilder, etc) to thousands of local and niche job sites. The choices are truly staggering.

That is both the good and bad news.

With so many choices, what is the best path to quickly and cost-effectively attract top candidates? While I could certainly write a book on the subject, in this article you will be presented with set-by-step process to get started.

Five Step Strategy To Jumpstart Online Recruiting

Research

The first step is to research both your position and the available places to post the job online.

Start with the job. It is critical to clearly understand what is needed in a new employee. What does the person need to accomplish to be labeled successful? What must the person know? What skills does the person need to meet your performance expectations? And, how does the person need to behave to be successful on the job?

The answer to these questions makes it possible to build a template of the successful person. This template leads to some additional questions. Where is the person working now? Where does the person live? What does the person do for fun? What does the person read? How does the person stay current?

The answers to these questions help you to "WORK BACKWARDS". Online recruiting is much more effective when the message reaches the right audience. Instead of casting a wide net, spend efforts in the places the candidate is already looking.

Armed with the answers to all these questions, start to identify the best places to post the online ad. There are literally thousands of job boards where ads can be posted. Post the ad where the target candidates are most likely to see it.

The best way to find local or niche job posting sites is to pretend you are looking for a job. Go online and act as if you are trying to find a job identical to one you want to post. Use multiple search engines and keep track of the results.

This simple research technique often identifies the best places to post job ads. Try it now. If you were in Seattle and had an opening for an HR professional you might search: hr job seattle

Strategy

The next step is putting together the strategy. This can be as simple as choosing which job board to post the ad. But also think about budgeting, timing and resource utilization.

Start by putting together a calendar that lists each site and the date ads will be posted. Have a place to record the cost if the site requires a fee. Have a place to record the results. Also, it is critical to determine the logistics of responding to the submissions. (This is critical to your company reputation)

Finally, who is going to manage the project? Make certain to assign responsibility.

Write The Ad

All good ads have three components: Headline, Body, Call to Action. Online ads needs to have all three if they are going to be successful.

The headline has to be attention-grabbing and enticing. You just can't get away with the old boring "Project Manager". The purpose of the headline is to grab their attention and get them to read the rest of the ad.

The body copy must be written about the candidate! Don't talk about you or your company. Instead make the ad about them. Instead of, "We have been in business for 25 years ..." try "Imagine working for a stable company with 25 years of positive results..." The difference is staggering.

Write each line of the ad with "What's in it for them" at the front of your mind.

The final piece of your ad is the call to action. Before writing the ad, decide what is the most desired response. Do you want the person to call? Do you want them to send a resume? Do you want them to visit your website?

Make the most desired response crystal clear to every who reads the ad.

Track Results

There is a bit of trial and error to online recruiting. Make certain to track the results from every ad placed. This lets you know which ads are working and which sites are delivering the best results.

Adjust as Necessary

The final step to online recruiting efforts is to adjust as necessary. Test new sites. Test new ads. Try winning ads on different sites. And, add new ads on sites that you know draw well.

By following these five steps online recruiting efforts can be optimized.

Social Networking and Online Recruiting

Social networking, including sites like facebook, myspace, twitter, etc., is beginning to transform candidate recruiting. It is opening new doors for employers and job seekers to connect in ways not possible before.

Social networking sites will continue to evolve and appeal to more and more targeted audiences. Pay attention and take advantage of the trends in social networking. Specifically, keep track of the tools that help identify and attract candidates.

In conclusion, online recruiting is here to stay. It is not a fad. The internet has created an environment where identifying and attracting candidates online is faster and more cost effective.  This needs to be one of the recruiting sources you consider as part of your recruitment process.