Online Recruiting Systems, Capstone Project Example

Topic

The researchers would like to evaluate online recruiting systems’ efficiency in human resources, in particular focus on issues regarding evaluation and metrics. In the past decade, e-recruiting has grown greatly. Companies are using the Internet as a tool for hiring. This process has revolutionized the way people search for job and the way companies recruit.

Thesis

The researcher will examine to what extent online recruitment can be a valuable tool for pre-screening applicants by making recruitment more effective and less costly.

Aims

• To show how e-recruiting can produce unlimited exposure for companies
• Discuss how e-recruiting cost are much lesser than traditional recruiting
• Use of e-recruiting provides immediate knowledge of vacancies
• E-recruiting enables immediate employee and candidate interaction
• E-recruiting can provide a link to human resources systems

Summary of Research to Date

In the last 10 years, online recruitment has increased rapidly. Research has proved that about 50 percent of all new hires in the United States are found through online resources. Online recruitment has become 27 percent more popular for employers and candidates in the United States. For example, one study conducted found that 64 percent of American companies use some form of online recruitment (Kerrin&Kettley, 2003)

Review of Literature

The success rate of e-recruitment was examined by Plessis and Frederick’s (2012) research. The authors found that online selection was the most successful method for clerical staff.  The success rate of selection among managers and technicians was around 33 percent.  The 2001 study of Pin, Laurden, and Saenz-Diez found that in Germany, America, and the United Kingdom, a large proportion of people visited e-recruitment websites. Further, back in 2001, over 4 million people visited Monster.com on a Monday morning. Since then, the popularity of the website has increased, and today more than 75 million users are signed up for the site alone (Smart Recruiters). Poorangi, Razavi and Rahmani’s (2011) research found that e-recruitment was effective in reducing costs of human resources and improving operational effectiveness within the HR department,

The integration of the human resources information system can be beneficial for e-recruitment.  Dhamija (2012) states that this method is more effective for low-profile role recruitment than higher management human resources. This is because assessments and pre-screenings are less relevant to unskilled work. Measures can be set to determine the suitability of an employee for a job as a “joiner”, (i.e. experience) during the online recruitment process. Barber (2006) states that the cost of recruitment can be significantly reduced by implementing e-recruitment, while the process can become faster. E-recruitment is more flexible, giving the company the ability to fill critical need jobs. The third benefit mentioned by Barber (2006) is a wider access for a pool of talent. Further, the lack of supportive infrastructure within the HR department was likely to reduce the effectiveness of e-recruitment. The outsourcing of e-recruitment has also been found to reduce effectiveness, as it limited the company’s ability to integrate recruitment systems in their human resources infrastructure.

According to Kerrin&Kettley, 2003,  one of the significant advantages of e-recruiting is the diminished amount of work that the administrative staff will have. They believe this is so because e-recruitment can be automated and other tools can be used to incorporate other information systems.  Malinowki, Keim, & Weitzel, 2005 added that the amount of automated task can vary depending upon the size of the company. They noted that the companies that have high levels of technology use may have their activities incorporated with their human resource departments, which eliminates redundant paper work for both employees and management.

Another great tactic of e-recruiting is the ability of recruiters to access those passive candidates. Often people with passive personalities are shy and don’t perform well on face to face interviews. E-recruiting benefits them greatly. This allows these persons to find jobs with better working conditions, higher salaries, and even management possibilities (Kinder, 2000) Also, candidates who are able to search and apply for jobs online ensures that the candidate is technology savvy. In 2000, ninety percent of all American college graduates were searching for jobs using the Internet (Bartram, 2000).

The shift in technology is steadily growing, which further urges companies to make the move to e-recruiting. According to research, if companies do not integrate more advanced e-recruiting tools, the company is exposed to competitive disadvantages and an uncertain future (Kerrin&Kettley, 2003).

In 2002, a study was conducted on online recruiting in the UK. About 100 companies participated in this study. Of that number, 34 replied to postal questionnaires about how they found potential employees. They responded that internet agencies provided fewer candidates, but the candidates were substantially better than traditional applicants (Galanski, 2002).

A survey conducted by 2009 by Williams found that e-recruiting cost drastically less than traditional recruiting methods. He also stated that on-line methods were more popular among job candidates with 66 percent preferring online recruiting services. In addition, the human resource services of those companies also reported that their company’s website was the recruitment tool for most new hires.

Online-Recruiting

Online recruiting is completed using computers only. The online system can be used any time and any place by both job seekers and recruiters (Foster, 2005). With online recruitment all activities are completed via the Internet. The applicants can submit their applications directly to the company’s database. Self-assessment and pre-screening can be conducted by a manager from the comfort of home or office. Interviewing can be completed via email or Skype. Essentially, e-recruiting saves time and money. Martin & Hetrick, 2006, said that online recruiting saves the organization time and cost by improving its productivity, efficiency, and effectiveness. Of all the advantages that e-recruiting provides, accessibility is the greatest. The systems are available 24 hours a day and a person in Jamaica can apply for a job in Paris if they so desire. Another positive aspect for e-recruiting for companies is the fact that online allows the company access to a larger number of prospects than would be possible with traditional recruiting.

Conclusion

The above research and study of literature has revealed that e-recruitment can provide companies access to a larger pool of talent, provide faster processes, and reduce the cost associated with filling jobs. The author of the current study recommends that companies use e-recruitment, in particular focus on pre-screening employees.

Works Cited

Barber, L. “e-Recruitment Developments” 2006. Web.

Bartram, D. (2000). Internet Recruitment and Selection: Kissing Frogs to find Princes. International Journal of Selection and Assessment, 8 (4), 261-274.

Cullen, B. (2001). E-recruiting is driving HR systems integration. Strategic Finance, 83, 1, 2225.

Dhamija, P. “E-Recruitment: A Roadmap Towards E- Human Resource Management”. Journal of Arts, Science & Commerce Vol. – III, Issue–3(2), July. 2012 [33]. 2012. Print.

Dysart, J. (2006). Electronic recruiting. American School Board Journal, 193, 7, 27

Foster, L. (2005). Confronting the Global Brain Drain, Knowledge Management Review, New York, p-28

Kapse, A., Patil, V. and  Patil, N. “E-Recruitment” International Journal of Engineering and Advanced Technology (IJEAT) Volume-1, Issue-4, April 2012. Print.

Kerrin, M., &Kettley, P. (2003). E-Recruitment: Is it Delivering? Institute for Employment

Kinder, T. (2000). The use of the Internet in recruitment – case studies from West Lothian,

Malinowski, J., Keim, T., & Weitzel, T. (2005, December 31). Analyzing the Impact of IS

Martin, G. & Hetrick, S. (2006). Driving Corporate Reputations and Brands from the Inside: A Strategic role for HR, Global Reputation Institute Conference, USA.

Pin, J.,  Laurden, M. and  Saenz-Diez, I “Internet recruitment power. Opportunities and effectiveness. 2001. Web.

Plessis, A. and Frederick, H. “Effectiveness of e-recruiting: empirical evidence from the Rosebank business cluster in Auckland, New Zealand” Science Journal of Business Management, 2012. Print.

Poorangi, M.,  Razavi, S. and Rahmani, S. “An Evaluation of the Effectiveness of E-recruitment Practices for SMEs in Malaysia” 2011. Web.

SmartRecruiters. Blog. Web. 2010. http://www.smartrecruiters.com/blog/smartprofile-monster-com/

Scotland. Technovation , 20 (February), 461-475.Studies. IES Authors.Support on Recruitment Processes: An E-Recruitment Phase Model. Pacific Asia Conference on Information System (PACIS) 2005 Proceedings.