December 28, 2015
The Internet has changed the way that employers recruit employees. In addition to traditional means of recruitment, including newspaper advertisements and employee referrals, the internet allows employers to easily reach thousands of potential applicants by posting job vacancies on company websites and job boards (e.g., Career Builder).
However, the increased access to applicants can also result in companies being inundated with applications from unqualified candidates, making it more difficult to find good candidates. Accordingly, for employers considering posting job vacancies on the Internet, careful attention should be paid to drafting a job posting to attract, and aid the employer in identifying qualified candidates.
A well-written job posting may take some time to create, as it should neither be too general nor too specific. For example, the description of the opening should include a tailored list of the skills for the position that an applicant must have so that unqualified candidates are discouraged from applying. However, only the necessary skills should be listed, because including skills that can easily be learned on the job may result in an otherwise qualified candidate choosing not to apply for the opening. Furthermore, in order to try to limit applicants to qualified candidates, employers should consider posting job openings on smaller websites – including industry specific websites, websites limited to certain geographic areas, or local college or university job boards. Of course, employers should refrain from posting job openings exclusively on a single site that is only targeted to a select group of individuals. For example, posting a job listing on a website for a women’s organization and stating that only resumes provided in response to the listing will be considered may open the employer up to criticism, and possible legal claims, that the recruitment effort ismeant to target only female candidates (i.e., is discriminatory).
Therefore, while online recruiting is a valuable tool for employers, the efforts of the employer will determine how useful it can be to a job search. Employers who invest time in writing an informative and representative job posting and in choosing the website(s) for the posting will likely increase their ability to identify desirable candidates.