Internet as Effective Recruiting Means - Essay Example

? Discuss whether the use of Internet is the most effective means of recruiting managers and professionals. The methods chosen by managers for handling key organizational issues are usually based on certain criteria, as for instance the performance of a business strategy in similar cases and the volume of resources involved. Though these criteria may be differentiated among organizations, still there are certain tools, which are considered as quite important for facing important business issues. Internet is one of these tools. The rapid expansion of Internet in various social, economic and political activities worldwide has led to its transformation to a critical means of communication. In the context of recruitment, Internet can offer a series of advantages: a high number of potential candidates can be reached. This means that is more likely for candidates appropriately skilled to be identified and hired (Dale 2004). This target would be achieved under the terms that a popular and well-organized platform would be used, meaning especially the websites that focus on recruitment, such as Monster, the Total Jobs and the Career Builder. At the same time, the use of Internet for recruiting purposes would have another important benefit: the limitation of the costs involved. Moreover, the potential offered to employers to receive and review the c.v. of candidates before arranging an interview, can save valuable time for the managers handling the specific process. The value of Internet as a business tool is made clear when managers and professionals need to be hired. In accordance with Joynt and Morton (104) Internet is the most effective tool for recruiting specialized staff; reference is made specifically to the importance of Internet for ‘attracting international MBAs and PhDs’ (Joynt and Morton 104). In other words, Internet can help HR managers to develop effective international recruitment plans. In countries where technology is highly developed and the need for highly skilled staff is emergent, for instance USA, the use of Internet for attracting high skilled professionals is unavoidable. When used for recruiting managers and professionals, Internet can be characterized as particularly effective, since it can help to achieve the following targets: a) through appropriately customized applications of e-recruitment, HR managers can define the exact skills and competencies of potential candidates, b) through Internet the process for seeking highly specialized staff is effectively controlled as of its cost; in fact through e-recruitment the costs of hiring the staff necessary can be minimized, c) the Internet also makes possible the development of tests by candidates so that valuable time is saved for HR managers, a fact that also benefits the organization since the time for the completion of the hiring process is significantly reduced, d) using the Internet the HR managers can target directly MBA centers, shortening the time of the hiring process (Joynt and Morton 104), e) in case that the professionals or managers required for an organization have to belong to a particular ‘lifestyle or culture-fit groups, such as expatriates’ (Joynt and Morton 104) it is easier to address this need by using the Internet. The value of Internet for targeting a high pool of potential candidates and decrease the time and cost involved is also highlighted in the study of Dale (55). In the above study, emphasis is given to the critical role of Internet when seeing for recruiting international staff and when specialized skills are required (Dale 55). In accordance with the issues discussed above, when having to recruit managers and professionals, HR managers need to use the Internet since this is the only way to identify the appropriate candidates, i.e. those who meet the criteria of the job, within a short period of time. At the same time, in the above case issues like the non-access of these professionals to the Internet or their knowledge on using the Internet are not like to appear as barriers since it is quite unlikely for highly specialized staff not to have access to Internet, so that to participate in the recruitment process, or not to be able to follow the guidelines of the e-recruitment process (Dale 55). Under these terms, Internet is considered as the most effective means for recruiting managers and professionals no matter the size of the organization involved. Examine the reasons why a business may want to use social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Myspace in the recruitment process. Under the influence of globalization, the competition in all industries worldwide has been increased. In order to survive in their sector, businesses need to develop their competitiveness towards their rivals. The quality of staff hired can directly influence the performance of each organization and this is the main reason that the improvement of the hiring process has become a key priority for strategic managers worldwide. The use of social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Myspace has been proved to be particularly helpful for identifying employees that can respond to the demands of each business. The reasons for the expansion of the involvement of these sites in the recruitment process are many justifying the relevant trend in businesses internationally. In the literature, the use of social networking in the recruitment process is highly emphasized. In accordance with Gitman and McDaniel (2008) social networking sites, like LinkedIn allow employers to identify quite rapidly the staff required for their business by simply ‘navigating employees’ network connection’ (Gitman and McDaniel 208). It is also noted that the above process is particularly valuable when there is need for highly specialized managerial and professional staff (Gitman and McDaniel 208). The advantages of social networking sites in the successful completion of the recruitment process could be described using as an example the case of LinkedIn, a popular site of this type: in LinkedIn the employer can search for staff using the options available in the system in regard to each individual’s ‘professional acquaintances’ (Gitman and McDaniel 208). Other options available to employees include the ‘zip code, membership to an organization, address and so on’ (Gitman and McDaniel 208). The members of LinkedIn are estimated to 2 millions while the industries involved are approximately 120 (Gitman and McDaniel 208). It is clear that employers can save significant time by using LinkedIn in the recruitment process. In this way also, the cost of the process is minimized; instead of paying the costs of publishing the relevant advertisements, employers can simply navigate in the site’s database and identify, in a short period of time, the candidate who mostly respond to the business needs. Other social networking sites can also offer such benefits; of particular value are those networking sites who are appropriately customized, meaning those that they include features supporting the recruitment process. From a similar point of view, Kraus and Friedel (2009) note that through the social networking sites, the online presence of an organization can be significantly improved. In this way, a wide range of organizational activities can be benefited. It is further suggested that the benefits of social networking for an organization can be increased if the following strategy is followed: a) a system is introduced for sending the firm’s critical information quite quickly; in the recruitment process this means that job vacancies are published through the organization’s account immediately, i.e. when the need for hiring an employee appears, b) a system is developed for improving the exchange of information between the organization, its members and the public – meaning the visitors/ members of the social networking site involved, c) the training of employees on the use of social networking sites is supported; employees across the organization need to be aware of the techniques required for accessing these sites and exchanging information with the sites’ members, regarding critical business needs as for instance in case of recruiting staff in one or more business sectors (Kraus and Friedel 5). In other words, the value of social networking sites for supporting the recruiting needs of businesses cannot be doubted but in order for such initiatives to be successful it is necessary to be carefully planned and monitored as of all their parts. As Brown (111) notes, in the context of the modern market if an employer avoid using a social networking site in the recruitment process he cannot be sure whether the best candidates have been reached through the specific process. Works Cited Brown, Eileen. Working the Crowd: Social Media Marketing for Business. London: BCS, The Chartered Institute, 2010. Dale, Margaret. Manager's guide to recruitment and selection. London: Kogan Page Publishers, 2004. Gitman, Lawrence, and Carl, McDaniel. The Future of Business: The Essentials. Belmont: Cengage Learning, 2008. Joynt, Pat, and Bob, Morton. The global HR manager. London: CIPD Publishing, 1999. Kraus, Patrick, and Christian, Friedel. Online Social Networks and Their Business Relevance. San Francisco: GRIN Verlag, 2009. Read More