Recruiting in the Internet Age

The Information Age has drastically changed the way companies recruit employees. The Internet makes huge numbers of job seekers available to any firm with access to the Web. At the same time, many companies increasingly rely on executive search firms to locate good candidates for important posts. But traditional recruitment methods -- from word-of-mouth to newspaper advertisements -- still work best for some firms.

Here´s the lowdown on each recruitment method and how you can make it work for your business:

The Internet. Learn to love the Internet -- it´s probably the greatest recruitment resource around. By 2001, an estimated 96 percent of U.S. companies will be recruiting on the Web. Already, more than two-thirds of human resources professionals use the Internet to recruit.

Millions of job seekers surf the Web each week, post their resumes, fill out online applications and even conduct email interviews. One online search firm reports that computer-assisted applicant searches take one-third the time of traditional searches. Moreover, some evidence indicates that applicants are more truthful over the Internet.

But figuring out how to recruit over the Internet can be daunting. A recent search on the phrase "employee recruitment" found more than 1 million Web pages.

Executive search firms. The executive search industry has grown rapidly in recent years, thanks to our booming economy and the resulting labor shortage. Large corporations make up most of the search firms´ business. But small companies, which lack the resources or recruiting expertise of larger competitors, stand to gain even more by hiring a search firm. Since startup and emerging businesses have fewer employees than large corporations, a bad hire hurts a growing business more than it does a big, established company.

Executive search firms come in two varieties: retainer firms and contingency firms. Retainer firms act as ongoing consultants to your business. They are more expensive than contingency firms, but they commit more time and effort to your firm. Retainer search firms are generally used to find applicants for senior management positions.

Contingency firms are paid only after filling your position. They´re more appropriate for filling mid-level openings.

Traditional recruiting methods. Don´t be so wowed by fancy technology and premium-priced headhunters that you ignore time-tested ways of finding good talent. Often, the best prospective employees are people you hear about from trusted friends or associates.

Likewise, an inexpensive advertisement in a trade publication or the classified pages of your paper might draw qualified candidates to your door. Be sure that your ad details the work you need done and the qualifications you require.