Not too long ago, companies used online recruiting as a sort of way to reinforce the results they were getting with print advertising and other standard recruiting practices that had been used for decades. But all of that is changing and the online recruiting marketplace is surging to a position of dominance. According to RealMatch.com, spending on niche recruiting websites has tripled from 2011 to 2015, and those numbers continue to rise. As recruiters continue to transition to a digital world, it helps to understand why the change is necessary in the first place.
RELATED: 5 Trends and Challenges Ahead for Recruiters in 2016
Online Is Where The Candidates Are
Recruiting is a product-driven industry, and the product is employment candidates. That means that recruiters have to go to where the candidates are if they want to fill vacancies for their customers. According to Beyond.com, an amazing 77 percent of all job hunters use mobile computing platforms to find jobs. Not only are the large majority of candidates online, they are using their phones, and that is where recruiters have to be.
The Use Of Big Data
According to ChinaGorman.com, about half of all companies are utilizing some sort of enterprise recruiting platform to bring in better quality recruits. Online recruiting allows companies to collect data on a wide variety of candidates, and that data can be used to determine which candidate would be the best fit for the company. This sort of use of information cuts way down on recruiting costs, and that is something companies like to hear.
The Rise Of Passive Candidates
Before online recruiting really took off, the traditional recruiting method involved a company or recruiter putting out ads, collecting resumes, setting up interviews and making a decision. The candidates that participate in this process are called active candidates. The idea of going after passive candidates has been around for a long time, but online recruiting makes it much easier to reach out to people who have no idea they are being considered for a position.
If you wanted to nail down one reason why the online recruiting marketplace is surging, it could very well be the rise of passive candidates. These days, recruiters can monitor social media and other segments of the Internet to gather comprehensive information on a person’s skills, their workplace attitude, their ability to create solutions and any other information they may need. The ability to reach out to passive candidates can be an advantage for recruiters, and online recruiting marketplaces make it much easier to find these passive candidates.
The idea of putting a print recruiting ad in a newspaper is not dead, but it is being eclipsed by online recruiting. Companies and recruiters can pull so much more data and qualify candidates so much more precisely than ever before, that it is going to be interesting to see what new trends develop in the coming years.
With the economy improving, it is becoming more difficult for employers to find qualified candidates. Should companies turn their attention and focus towards passive job seekers in order to increase the quality of their talent pool?
George N Root III is a professional freelance writer who has expertise in topics such as Internet marketing, business, advertising, and personal finance.