January, 1996
IT SEEMS TO BE AN EMPLOYER'S DREAM come true: tens of thousands of resumes out there in cyberspace, waiting to be plucked. Need more? Then list your position on the Internet's World Wide Web, and They Will Come.
Alas, while companies across the country are experimenting with electronic recruiting, results have been decidedly mixed.
In order to understand the potential and the pitfalls of on-line searches, those who are considering a cruise on the 'Net may appreciate a few words of explanation first.
Cutting Through the Techno-Babble
The Internet is a vast, largely unregulated, global matrix of over 40,000 computer sites that exchange information through common transmission protocols. While it began as a military communications medium, it soon grew to include other "domains" for research and educational use. As business demand grew for a presence on the 'Net, a commercial domain was established that today overshadows all other use.
Much of this business presence is found on the World Wide Web, the "Yellow Pages" of cyberspace. All sorts of for-profit and nonprofit organizations have established Home Pages on the Web to promote their products and services (and, in some cases, to advertise for job applicants). Home Pages are like tables of contents, from which viewers can select topics of interest. Each topic is on a separate screen linked to the Home Page through hypertext transfer protocols (the "http" you see in World Wide Web addresses).
Many users gain access to the World Wide Web through commercial on-line services such as America On Line, CompuServe and Prodigy. While these networks act as Internet gateways, they also provide an array of entertainment and information services that are off the Internet and are provided under contract to the on-line company. A number of the electronic job banks are unique to a particular on-line service.
Who Uses the Internet?
A California research firm, SRI International (not affiliated with SRA), conducted a study last year of who's on-line, and who's not. To no one's surprise, Internet users differ from the U.S. population in a number of ways.
The male/female ratio on the 'Net is 70/30, compared to 49/51 in the population as a whole. Users tend to be under 35 years of age, single, highly educated but only moderately well-paid.
Half of all 'Net users are what SRI calls "actualizers" - people with eclectic tastes and a strong desire to learn new technologies. They represent only 10 percent of the overall populace.
Success-oriented "achievers," by contrast, make up 13 percent of the population but only 6 percent of Internet users. They are the most sought-after advertising audience, but their practical nature shows below-average patience for high technology.
Even though usage patterns may change over time, the most typical 'Net surfer today is young, male and technologically inclined. And while an estimated 30-40 million people are now on-line, that leaves over 200 million Americans who are not.
Male-female and age-related inequities aside (at least until they end up in the courts), it is clear that employers who rely on electronic recruiting are missing vast segments of the U.S. and international population. This in itself is reason enough to proceed cautiously. But there are other reasons as well.
The Function of Outside Recruiters
Recruiters of executive, managerial and professional talent know one simple truth: If hiring managers didn't have problems finding people, they wouldn't turn to outside recruiters for help.
When a position opening occurs, the ideal solution often may be to promote a qualified candidate from within - assuming that one exists. (In some situations, however, the company may want the fresh perspective of an outsider.) Promotion from within costs nothing, enhances at least one employee's career and bolsters organizational morale.
The next best solution, especially at lower levels, may be an existing employee's referral of a respected business or personal acquaintance. After that, a lot of companies will turn to advertising - at least once.
When advertising produces several thousand resumes of people who are looking for work and (after laborious screening) prove to be under-qualified, over-qualified or simply lackluster, employers at last enlist a professional recruiter. The recruiter could have told the company weeks before that the very best people are usually not "in" the job market and, hence, are not reading want ads.
Professional search consultants know how to identify the best candidates, regardless of whether they are actively seeking new employment opportunities. Professional recruiters also know how to interview these candidates on a highly confidential basis, protecting the interests of both client and candidate. And they know how to screen out the 95 percent who may "look great on paper," but who lack the specific skills, work experience and personality to match the client's job requirements and corporate culture.
Sanford Rose Associates, as a matter of fact, maintains a site on the World Wide Web* that lists some of its active searches. This, however, is done to supplement direct forms of recruiting and to make certain that viable candidates are not overlooked. The experience of SRA offices to date is that the Internet will provide the best candidate less than five percent of the time.
If you work in a large, multi-unit organization, others – including the corporate Human Resources and MIS Departments – might appreciate copies of this issue. These can be ordered from your Sanford Rose Associates search consultant.
©1999 SRA International, Inc. All rights reserved, including electronic reproduction or alteration. This SRA Update is published for the clients of Sanford Rose Associates.