The internet is taking over the world - in terms of publications, that is. And along with that, the traditional searching and posting of jobs are also slowly being changed by the existence of the internet. Twenty years ago, a job seeker would usually buy a newspaper to look for a job, and for those who are looking to hire, they'd usually go over at the local newspaper publisher to have their ad posted at the Classified Ads section of the paper. Oh, how things have changed.
Nowadays, job seekers often go online and log on to online job banks where a lot of employers would post their advertisements. These websites offer free memberships that allow job seekers to track and get updates about their applications, and about other available jobs that they may want to check on. For employers, these sites also offer free ad space for jobs posting, tracking of the job ads and applications, as well as tools to help with the narrowing down of the applicants. Online recruiting is slowly replacing the traditional ways of job posting.
But just like everything else, online recruiting is not all that; it does have a number of pros and cons. One of the biggest advantages of this type of job posting is that it can have a wider reach. If the company is seeking to employ a diverse group of workers, advertising online can help them get a global reach. As with almost everything online, job ads can reach seekers even from the other side of the world. And for job seekers, going online to look for a job means that they can apply instantly - with a click of a button, they can apply for any job they fancy and send in their CVs. This process of job seeking is also very advantageous for applicants who prefer to gather more information about the company posting the job ad as they can easily search for the company profile and read about the company as well as get inside information from testimonials and forums of former and current employees. And for both job seeker and employer, the application process becomes much faster than those of the traditional ways.
A major disadvantage of online recruiting is what they call the "lack of personal touch". This refers to recruiters not being able to actually see the applicant face-to-face and make a personal assessment of what they see. The recruitment process becomes impersonal and distant. For job seekers, a disadvantage would be the competition. For the most visible job ad, expect a huge amount of competition and it may take a while for your application to reach the employers. This is also a challenge for the company's recruitment team as sorting through a huge turnout of applications is quite time consuming. And of course, not every company is tech savvy enough to resort to online advertising to post their hiring.
To make both applicants and employers succeed in the recruitment process, it is best to use both the traditional and online recruiting techniques. Both techniques can help you do the process at a more "personal" level, and both will also help you be more successful in tracking time and applications in a more organized manner.
