Part 3 - Navigating Recruitment Options in a Stormy Economic Climate
In this, the final of our 3 part series we discuss the merits of using an online jobboard to advertise roles and show how they are able to not only massively cut costs but can vastly reduce recruitment times whilst also introducing a level of control and visibility that is simply not possible with any other medium.
Online Advertising – Job Boards
Online recruitment is becoming increasingly popular across the UK and across the entire breadth of the working population, from entry level through to executives. The reasons for this increase in popularity are obvious:
Job seekers are able to easily search through hundreds of jobs without having to leave the house and without having to buy a newspaper. It is the speed and accessibility at which online recruitment is possible that makes it so attractive to job seekers. Because once they have found a job that looks interesting it is then a very simple task, just the click of a few buttons, to apply directly for the role.
Employers are also able to benefit from this increased usage by gaining access to increasing numbers of candidates. For the employer, costs of using online recruitment sites and job boards are exceptionally low and even more so when compared to traditional media advertising and recruitment agencies.
It is also much easier to measure the return on investment from online advertising. Recruiting employers are able upload their own adverts which are visible to job seekers immediately, track where candidates and placements are coming from, and edit or delete their adverts accordingly, giving increased flexibility to ensure the end result is positive. Again, it is this level of control that makes online advertising such an attractive option.
Prices are kept low due to low operational costs, (and these savings can be passed on to the employer).
The question really is, with hundreds of job boards available, how do you choose which one to use? How do you ensure that you get the best results for your money?
How do you get it Right?
As with traditional advertising is it proven that specialist/niche sites are more effect, so select a site that is specific your industry or skills required. There are many very large sites available but they are not always the best. With so many jobs advertised and job seekers on their database in some cases the effect for both parties becomes diluted and in effective. Data quality can also be a problem on the larger sites. Ask yourself whether you would be more likely to look for work, or register for your position, on a generalist site or on one that only contains roles that will be of interest?
Secondly, you need to find out how effective the site is at attracting candidates. A simple Google search using key words should help identify those job boards that are able to attract the candidates you need. You should choose one that appears towards the top of the list, because that is exactly what candidates will be doing. Then you might want to look at how many visitors the site receives, (although it’s worth noting that just because a site has hundreds of visitors that doesn’t always make it effective alone).
Thirdly, how well is the site designed? How easy is it to navigate, how attractive is it and does it have the functionality needed to give the results you need? Are you able to track and monitor the results of your advert and update your adverts if you need to?
Finally, take a look at the cost, Job boards can be as little as £99 for an advert to appear for 24/7 for up to 1 month, not just a one off monthly or weekly publication. Place an advert today and you could start receiving applications by tomorrow morning.
In Summary
Overall Job boards can work exceptionally well in terms of results versus costs and are speedier than other options But as with all the options outlined in these articles it is important to understand their limitations and work with them. Following the guidelines above should help ensure that you are able to recruit the candidate you need easily and quickly without breaking the bank.
Marine Jobboard is the leading specialist Job board for the marine industry. It guarantees exposure of roles to the candidates who really matter and provides visibility over every aspect of the campaign, from editorial control to real time applicant tracking. Most importantly, it allows candidates to easily search and apply online meaning you are more likely to receive details of candidates you need and recruit the right candidate at a reasonable cost.