Recruiters Network

June 29, 2004  

VOLUME 6 ISSUE 20

   
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RECRUITING NEWS

To read the newsletter online - visit www.recruitingnews.com.

Recruiting News is a free electronic newsletter published by Recruiters Network. Recruiters Network is the Association for Internet Recruiting. It is a free organization for HR Professionals and Recruiters.

In addition to our newsletter, we offer a free resource center to enhance recruiting success. Visit us at www.recruitersnetwork.com. 

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IN THIS ISSUE
Newsletter Sponsors
A Note from the Editor
Breaking News
Today's Recruiting News Headlines
Featured Recruiting Jobs
Weekly Article: Corporate Career Sites Continue to Disappoint
Special Trials and Discounts
Recruiting Polls and Trends
 Layoffs and Downsizing Report
Recruiting Essential Bookmarks
Upcoming Conferences
Site Of The Week: Human Resources Executive
Final Note - On The Lighter Side

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Newsletter Sponsors

1. Unlimited Free Job Postings on RetiredBrains.com

RetiredBrains is a suite of 12 sites focused on retirees and seniors
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Employers can post their openings to RetiredBrains at no charge
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Recruiters Network members can post a job simply by clicking
on "Post Jobs" and when the posting tool asks for a credit card,
entering RBFREE and your job will be posted for free. Visit RetiredBrains.com.

2. Recruiters Alliance - Split Network for 3rd Party Recruiters

Work for a recruiting agency and need more job orders? Join Recruiters Alliance's split network to network and do splits with other agency recruiters. Join for only $50, normally $100 a year. Recruiters Alliance does not take a percentage of the split. Visit www.recruitersalliance.com.

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A Note From The Editor

Manpower Employment Outlook Survey Reveals Continued Optimism

... employers continue to show optimism in their hiring plans moving into the third quarter, according to the latest Manpower Employment Outlook Survey, conducted ...

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Breaking News

CRAIGSLIST WEIGHS LA/NY JOB FEES

CRAIGSLIST, the online phenomenon that is equal parts soapbox, singles bar and garage sale, is trying to boost revenues.

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Today's Recruiting News Headlines
View HR/employment news headlines or our Recruiting Newswire.

Please send us with your press releases, news items, personnel changes, etc. Click here for submission instructions.

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Featured Recruiting Jobs

This section highlights several recruiting related positions recently posted on Recruiting Jobs. To view all jobs or to register for a career agent click here.

Looking to hire recruiting professionals?  Post a 60 day job posting ad on RecruitingJobs.com for $225 and be featured in Recruiting News. Register to post >>

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Weekly Article
 Corporate Career Sites Continue to Disappoint
By Peter D. Weddle

We at WEDDLE’s have just completed our semiannual look at the opinions and insights of online job seekers. Our most recent analysis is based on information collected from over 1,000 individuals who participated in an Online Poll we conducted between November, 2003 and April, 2004. As noted in my last column, the respondents demonstrated considerable savvy in their selection of job boards and career portals and had very high expectations for the career management and job search services and support found there.

One of the other areas we probed was their satisfaction with corporate career sites. Historically, job seekers have voted these destinations their single most helpful resource in finding a new or better job. Every year from 1996 through 2001, corporate career sites earned the top spot in our poll, among all of the places job seekers went and methods they used online. In 2002, however, that trend came to an abrupt halt, as corporate career sites plunged to #4 on the list. Instead of being job seekers’ preferred resource online, they languished behind:
 

  • #1: searching the job database at a commercial job board,
  • #2: posting a resume in the resume database of a commercial job board, and
  • #3: conducting corporate research online.
     

Unfortunately, our latest survey continues that trend. We changed the list of alternative destinations, but, once again, corporate career sites end up at #4 on the list.

They follow:

  • #1: niche sites, in general,
  • #2: niche sites that focus on a specific career field or industry, and
  • #3: general purpose job boards.

According to our respondents, they don’t like the static nature of corporate career sites, their failure to provide interaction with or feedback from company representatives, the “one size fits all” kind of information offered on the sites, or the nature of their experience at the site (which makes them feel more like a commodity than a valued prospective employee). Obviously, not all corporate career sites produce this kind of reaction, but apparently enough do to give them a bad name among many job seekers.

I realize that these findings fly in the face of recent reports that employers are now hiring more new employees through their corporate career sites than ever before. However, this happy development is not caused by an improvement in the sites, but by an adjustment in the way they are used. In other words, more hires are being made through these sites because more and more employers are now requiring candidates to submit their applications through them. For the most part, the sites are not drawing new talent in and selling them on the value proposition of employers, but instead, simply function as electronic application collectors. To be sure, that’s one way to justify the investment in corporate career sites, but it hardly comes close to capturing their full potential value for employers.

How can you do that—realize more fully the potential value of your corporate career site? The following are my tips for creating and managing a site that will attract and sell the best and brightest, whether they are looking for another job or not:

Don’t design your site to attract active job seekers. They’ll come anyway. Design the site so that it provides a compelling reason for passive job seekers—those who aren’t looking for a new job—to visit. For example, offer a job agent so that passive prospects can be shown your postings privately and without having to look for them (in your job database). Also, write postings that do not require the submission of a resume—most passive job seekers don’t have one and won’t be bothered to create one. Instead, use language and functionality that encourages them to apply by filling out a short form with no more than seven questions.

While functionality is important, it’s the experience that counts. And, ironically, the best experience for passive job seekers is similar to that of a print newspaper. Its classified ads get noticed because they are embedded in a range of content that appeals to the readers. Whether they like sports or news or recipes, they’ll find what they want in the newspaper, side-by-side with jobs. That doesn’t mean, however, that your site should try to outdo The New York Times. Instead, ask some of your “A level” employees what kind of work/life content most interests them, and then provide that content on your site.

A site’s experience is also shaped by interactions, so create a dialogue, not a lecture. Give your site’s visitors a way to ask questions and then, make sure you answer them in a timely fashion. (One poll, several years ago, found that 40% of the sites that provided the functionality for submitting questions, never bothered to answer them—that’s certainly an experience, but not the kind that will sell the best and brightest on an employer.) In addition, set up one or more listservs or discussion forums on your site that deal with topics of interest to your key recruiting demographics. Have them administered by your best employees so that these conversation areas become a place where other top workers can hang out and share their views with their peers.

Provide a way for your visitors to create their own experience on your site. Establish separate entranceways and areas on the site for key demographics and then tailor the content to their interests and needs. For example, you might offer separate doorways and areas for soon-to-be college graduates, diversity candidates, veterans, mid-career professionals, your organization’s alumni and other cohorts important to your recruiting success. Such areas offer a more personal and appropriate introduction to your employer and, as a consequence, are better able to sell its value proposition.

There’s obviously much more to creating and operating an effective corporate career site. The practices above, however, will help you establish a site that is the exception to the rule. They will produce an online experience that is so helpful and interesting, so different and compelling that it will attract and sell even the most passive of job seekers.

About the Author

Peter Weddle is a recruiter, HR consultant and business CEO turned author and commentator. Described by The Washington Post as "... a man filled with ingenious ideas," he has earned an international reputation, pioneering such concepts as Human Capital, Career Fitness and the Internet as a resource for recruiting and HR management. He has authored seven books, edited six others and published dozens of articles in professional and trade magazines. He writes a weekly column about online recruiting for CareerJournal.com from The Wall Street Journal and a monthly newsletter that is distributed worldwide. In addition, he oversees WEDDLE's Publications, the leading print publisher of newsletters, guides and directories about employment resources on the Internet. Known for their accuracy and usefulness, WEDDLE's publications have helped to put job seekers, recruiters and HR professionals on the Information Superhighway to success. Indeed, the American Staffing Association has called Peter Weddle the "Zagat" of the online employment industry.

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Special Trials And Discounts

Below is a partial list of trials and discounts that companies have extended to our readers. Click here for full list. If your company is interested in offering a promotion/discount, please contact us.

1. Internal Corporate Phone Directories - 10% off

If you use corporate phone directories to find suitable candidates, this unique service may be of interest. Corporate Contacts has directories of many companies which list name, direct phone number, title and often email addresses. They have directories for many industries, like pharmaceutical, Big 5 CPA/Consulting, etc. Mention Recruiters Network to receive a 10% discount. Contact Stan @ (301) 587-1819. These directories are a great way to recruit from companies in your industry.

2. RecruitingJobs.com - Save 25% on first posting.

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3. Recommended Leading Niche Boards - Get Focused, Go Niche.

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Hispanic / Bilingual : LatPro.com
Human Resources : Jobs4HR.com
IT Professionals : Computerwork.com
Logistics / Transportation : JobsInLogistics.com
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Military Transitioning : DestinyGroup.com
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Telecom / Wireless: TelecomCareers.net

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5. Internal Corporate Phone Directories - 10% off

If you use corporate phone directories to find suitable candidates, this unique service may be of interest. Corporate Contacts has directories of many companies which list name, direct phone number, title and often email addresses. They have directories for many industries, like pharmaceutical, Big 5 CPA/Consulting, etc. Mention Recruiters Network to receive a 10% discount. Contact Stan @ (301) 587-1819. These directories are a great way to recruit from companies in your industry.

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Recruiting Polls and Trends

According to the June survey of 130 executive recruiters conducted by ExecuNet, search professionals are expecting a strong job market in the second half of the year.

A majority of recruiters (73%) report that business conditions in the executive search industry have improved in the past 30 days — up from 63% last month. During the first six months of 2004, recruiters received a 16% increase in the number of search assignments from clients. Looking ahead, firms are expecting an additional 20% increase in assignments during the second half of the year.

View Complete Study at execunet.com

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Layoffs and Downsizing Report

Recruiters Network has added a layoff and downsizing report section to its newsletter. This section can be a great leads source for candidates. More information on how to use this section here.

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Recruiting Essential Bookmarks

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Upcoming Seminars & Conferences

Zero Based Hiring - Lou Adler
Performance-based, Interviewing, Assessment and Recruiting Techniques

Click here for schedules for upcoming conferences and seminars.

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Site Of The Week

Human Resources Executive - Free trade publication.

Written primarily for vice presidents and directors of human resources, the magazine provides these key decision-makers with news, profiles of HR visionaries and success stories of human resource innovators. Stories cover all areas of human resource management, including personnel, benefits, training and development, HR information systems, relocation, retirement planning, workplace security, and healthcare. Get your free subscription >>

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Final Note - On The Lighter Side

Excuse for sleeping on the job:

"They told me at the blood bank this might happen."

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All rights reserved. "Recruiting on the Web" is a free electronic newsletter for the HR and Staffing Industry with a circulation of over 36,000. To be featured or sponsor the newsletter please visit our media kit. If you have a Quick Tip you would like to share email us. If you have a press release or news item, click here for submission instructions. 

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