e-Recruiting (Essay Sample)

E-RECRUITING
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The use of technology, web based tools and the internet to support organizations in the recruitment process may also be termed as e-recruitment. These tools may be in the form of an online database system that is accessible via a registration and log in portal on an organization’s website or on an intranet. Jobs are advertised on these websites and potential employees submit their details and curriculum vitae via email or the portal. The employer then sifts through the employees’ details when searching for suitable employees to invite for interview. Another perspective to the procedure would be, jobseekers upload their details on job search websites that link them up with potential employers. As at now, it is estimated that between 30% and 40% of job placements are made through the internet by the use of either job sites, individual organizations or online recruitment agencies. (Rashmi, 2010)
E recruitment can greatly enhance the recruitment procedure by improving on procedural efficiency and costs reduction. Since many job seekers get to upload their resumes, academic and experience detail onto online data containers, the industry has a wider variety of information when it is needed. Information on different varieties of potential employees can be accessed in a shorter time period. This is because computer systems and online applications are used. Both the recruiter and jobseeker have access to the wider global market. Since the online systems work throughout the day, the recruitment process can be conducted better with the aid of software.
The recruiter also has the opportunity to scan and filter resumes using desired criteria and requirements like experience, skills, qualifications and pay expectations. E-recruitment is also cheaper than advertising in the employment newspapers. Employers pay per hire and not per posting as is the case in the newspapers. This therefore provides a cheaper solution for those who seek employees as they spend less (Rashmi, 2010)
Most, if not all job portals and websites are available for access 24 hours a day. They contain potential employee data that is updated frequently. It therefore provides a just in time source of potential employee data that recruitment agencies and organizations can access at any time.
Online job adverts may however result in numerous responses. The cost of recruitment may therefore go up if the resources used are inefficient and not capable of handling the requests. Adequate resources in the form of people and technology should be deployed coupled with strong selection methods for the scrutiny of these responses.
Online recruitment involves less human interaction which is usually elemental in senior positions recruitment. This requires that e-recruitment be incorporated into overall recruitment procedures and be utilized alongside other methods so as to get the best out of the recruitment procedure.
Offline methods are usually better in short listing and screening of candidates, negotiations, interviews and convincing of candidates. Therefore, well defined structured application systems have to be designed, integrated and an efficient back-end put in place. Employees should also be trained well to maximize on the features provided by these systems.
Recruitment strategies are continuously being re-designed because competition is high for the talented employees and good employers in the market. Social Media is now playing a big role in the recruitment field and organizations should also be able to research on the new and emerging trend in order not to miss out.
When employees join an organizations, it is usually at different levels in the management or production. The kind of relationships and contracts and relationships that the employees are engaged in usually vary in between the structural short term based transactional psychological relationships and the Relational long-term emotional psychological relationships. When employees join organizations, they usually have their expectations on the kind of relationship they expect based on the criteria upon which they were selected and the activities they are to engage in while serving their respective organizations. The employer should ensure that specific duties and responsibilities are mapped out for the employee on the job posting. The employee should be able to understand the scope under which he or she is to operate and what is to be given in return by the organization. And since the psychological contract grouping shifts over time. The employer should be able to understand and appreciate the different kinds of contracts. This way, the employee can be offered a better and suitable psychological contract content. (Cornway & Briner, 2005)
To be able to get the best employees out of the wide field and numerous applications, e-recruitment systems have to be designed in such a way as to extract the best. These systems have to be linked up with appraisal systems and relevant search engines. Job descriptions have to be written clearly. Job requirements and employer expectations have to be spelled out clearly before the job is posted. This will ensure that potential employees have an opportunity to check whether they fit the specifics of the job they are applying for or whether their qualifications guarantees them a move to the next step in the recruitment procedure. This helps the employer sieve out the applicants and get to the best in the list in a shorter period. (Hopkins & Markham, 2003)
The e-recruitment system to be used is also to be designed in such a way as to allow the potential employees to be able to convey their communication and intra-personal skills, besides their qualifications. This can be implemented using suitable information entry interfaces and even video and audio recording plugins to support such requirements. The systems should be designed to make employees get attracted to organizations and / or increase the number of successful placements made as a result of the utilization of the system. (Gueutal & Stone, 2005)
It is a common argument that there are age, gender, and ethnic differences in the use of online recruitment systems. (Gueutal & Stone, 2005). These systems are more likely to be used by younger, computer literate and well educated individuals. Also, men who are already employed are more likely to use the systems than women who are already employed. Ethnic differences in the usage also occur. For instance, most surveys also show that white candidates are more likely to use the systems than applicants from the minority groups. Use of online systems may limit the types of applicants for a position. Therefore, organizations should also consider this and integrate the traditional recruitment strategies with the new age strategies to ensure they get applicants from the whole spectrum of society. (Gueutal & Stone, 2005).
When using an e-recruitment system to apply for a job, the appearance and structure of the website is very important, as a personal opinion. Colors speak volumes. I would spend more time on a website that has the best color combinations, image and navigational controls arrangement. I should be able to access exactly all important pages from the homepage. The website should be as easy to navigate and use as possible, since, I wouldn’t want to spend a lot of time on the website. The quality of the website also speaks volumes about the company I am to seek employment at, or the agency through which I seek to get employed. The better the quality, the more I will be attracted to the company. It is important to keep up to date job ope...