e-Recruitment.

E-Recruitment or eRecruitment is the process of personnel recruitment using electronic resources, in particular the internet. Companies and recruitment agents have moved much of their recruitment process online so as to improve the speed by which candidates can be matched with live vacancies. Using database technologies, and online job advertising boards and search engines, employers can now fill posts in a fraction of the time previously possible. 

Using an online e-Recruitment system may potentially save the employer time as usually they can rate the eCandidate and several persons in HR independently review eCandidates.

E-recruitment, also known as online recruitment, is the use of technology to attract candidates and aid the recruitment process. The use of technology within human resource management has grown considerably in recent years: a 2005 showed that 77% of organisations used some form of human resources information system and 51% of organisations reported that their use of technology systems were for recruitment and selection purposes. The system is designed to handle every stage of the recruitment process, from job initiation and authorisation through to candidate sourcing, management, long-listing, selection and offer.

Similarly, almost two-thirds of responders to our Recruitment, retention and turnover 2006 survey described themselves as using e-recruitment.

The key drivers for e-recruitment identified in the survey among those making use of technology were reducing recruitment costs (cited by 71%), broadening the selection pool (60%) and increasing the speed of time to hire (47%). Over a third of responders believed it brought greater flexibility and ease for candidates, and over a quarter believed it strengthened the employer brand. However the survey revealed some concerns that e-recruitment could increase the number of unsuitable applicants and that it could act as a barrier to recruiting older workers.

Many different organisations use e-recruitment as a cost-effective method of recruiting new staff. It is popular among job-seekers – latest figures from the British Market Research Bureau show that using the Internet is the favoured job-hunting method for one in four UK adults, with the most likely job hunter to be 33 years old with 11 years experience, according to the National Online Recruitment Audience Survey (NORAS). It is important to remember when designing a recruitment campaign that online job hunting is not the first choice for all.

Using e-recruitment

Technology can be used:

• to advertise vacancies – on your organisation’s website, job sites, or on social networking sites
• to deal with the applications – email enquiries, emailed application forms/CVs, online completion of application forms
• to select candidates – online testing, information gathering
• to enhance employer brand
• to create a personal relationship with your talent pool.

Advertising vacancies

This is the most basic form of using technology to recruit. Vacancies can be placed on an organisation’s own website or on a commercial job board. In the US it has been estimated that 19% of an organisation's recruitment advertising budget is spent on e-recruitment advertising, but the UK has a long way to go to match this as presently the spend is only 7.5%, but rising.

Advantages of using e-recruitment

E-recruitment has the potential to:

• speed up the recruitment cycle and streamline administration
• allow organisations to make use of IT systems to manage vacancies more effectively and co-ordinate recruitment processes
• reduce recruitment costs
• reach a wide pool of applicants
• reach a niche pool of applicants
• make internal vacancies widely known across multiple sites and separate divisions
• provide the image of an up-to-date organisation, reinforcing employer branding and giving an indication of organisation culture
• offer access to vacancies 24 hours a day, 7 days a week reaching a global audience
• be a cost effective way to build a talent bank for future vacancies
• help handle high volume job applications in a consistent way
• provide more tailored information to the post and organisation e.g. case histories of the ‘day in the life’ or self-assessment questionnaire or quiz to assess fit with role be spontaneous for candidates as ease of use means there is the ability for applications to be instantaneous.

If your e-recruitment solution involves more input from line managers, HR departments must be careful that real efficiencies are made rather than displacing work to line managers. Clearly targets and projected efficiency gains should be realistic and take account of how likely certain groups of applicants are to use web channels and the need for continued press advertisements and paper application packs.

Adopting the e-recruitment solution need not just be about making short-term efficiency gains. It has helped companies to:

• promote the staff care benefits through the website.
• tackle longer-term recruitment issues.
• enhance the reputation of the organisation as part of a wider customer care strategy.
• use management information captured by systems to target under-represented groups in
• recruitment campaigns better.

The system does not completely replace the need for face-to-face communication, as remains a vital aspect of any recruitment process. However, it succeeds in automating the majority of the current, administration-heavy, paper-based processes.

Change comes in different forms and adopting to these fast and intellectual processes can come as a huge shake-up of the world of recruitment as we know it, however at time we just have to allow the changes and move on with time. Below is a link to an active governmental e-recruitment system - the NHS, give it a go and see whether you can familiraise yourself with the process. Do not forget to enjoy!

https://erecruitment.nhsponline.nhs.uk/Pages/Public/LoginFormAlternative.aspx