Making the Net WORK
Finding the right talent online - by J K Franks

The Internet has dramatically changed the recruitment process for big and small companies alike. Employment ads are no longer limited to four or five lines in a newspaper. They can be edited on the fly. They cost less and reach many more people. Companies have learned that recruiting online can bring better qualified candidates than offline channels.

How do company's adapt to the Internets advantages? With a well-crafted ad posted on the right job board, you specifically target the talent your company requires.

First review your overall recruiting plan (don't have one? Look here)
While it's relatively easy to create a help wanted ad in a few minutes and quickly throw it on some job board, your results will likely be disappointing.

In specifying your online recruiting plan consider these basics:
 

• What are your hiring goals?

• What are the positions that need to be filled?

• Will temporary or permanent employees be needed?

While you revise your plan realize that in Internet time seconds are minutes and minutes are hours your process needs to account for this - online talent will not wait for you.

• Who will respond to the applications?

• Who will schedule and interview the candidates?

• How many rounds of interviewing per candidate?

• Who will be in the decision making process?

• How long will the entire process take?

Where to post
Obviously one school of thought says to go with the biggest. More eyeballs mean more potential candidates right? Not so quick, industry specific boards like CareerTrip.com are quickly overtaking the larger boards when it comes to growth and customer satisfaction. Posting on a monster site will bring you some good applicants...and thousands of everyone else. Using a site that is specific to your needs will help you target just who you want in the shortest amount of time. Most experts agree that niche boards are the best investment for your recruiting dollars



Writing a killer ad
Perhaps the most important part of online job ads is how you write your job description. One of the biggest advantages of doing online postings is that you usually are not limited with the size of your ad. Although many companies seem to write cryptic ads just like they would for a print ad, use this extra space to fully describe the business and the available opportunity. Your online ad is really Advertising - think marketing: What will attract and engage the perfect prospect? Here are a few suggestions to get you going:

Begin with a statement to get there attention and don't be afraid to be bold. "All-Star furniture salesman - 120K", Look online at other ads to see what gets your attention.

Next add one or two sentences introducing what your business offers. Are you a dealer? Do you manufacture a product? Do you offer a service? Where is your business located?

Follow this description with a a little bit about your business's workplace culture. Not what you wish it was, but what it actually is. This way, you won't give false expectations to future employees.

After this introduction paragraph, bullet the general responsibilities, specific responsibilities, skills and experience required.

After these points, include the salary and benefit information.
Use "keywords" you think the right candidates would possibly search to find your ad.

Within a few days of postings review the quality and number of applicants. If they are insufficient go back and look for weak areas of your posting and make changes. The beauty of online postings is that it is so easy to adapt to suit your particular needs.