2008 has seen a major shift in the recruitment industry with many organizations now looking to implementing online recruitment methods to dramatically reduce their recruitment costs. Since the first Job board was introduced in 1992, the face of recruitment has changed and there are now a growing number of suppliers who can offer a wide range of services to support, streamline and reduce the recruitment costs that employers face.

Carl Gilleard, CEO of the AGR believes that at least two thirds of UK employers have an online only approach to recruitment and that there is now greater emphasis on employers to be more transparent about their recruitment process and that online recruitment can help them do this. For more information please visit Executive Search

However, there still appears to be a disparity between job seekers and employers; according to major research involving the Institute for Employment Studies and DWP, findings concur that although 72% of Managers claim that they are most likely to use online job searches; only 37% say they have found their current role through the internet.

This study highlights the mismatch in recruiting methods and the need for employers to embrace online recruitment, if they are to target this valuable talent pool. With rising unemployment figures and companies focusing on reducing costs, now has never been a more appropriate time to take action, but what solutions are available to employers?

This articles aims to highlight the different services available and the key differences between the traditional Recruitment Agency and Online Recruitment Companies:

Traditional Recruitment Agencies have not changed much in the last 20 years and offer a contingency, retained, temporary or contract service approach. Their main priority is to find applicants, present to the hiring company and charge for the service of introducing such applicant, usually for a % of the salary.

Within the world of online recruitment there are a variety of services available and all are designed to streamline the process and make the best use of technology. These can include (although not exhaustive); Job board sites, Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) or Talent Management providers and vendors, third party job posting companies, Social Networking sites & forums, recruitment blogs, online testing and psychometric testing providers, recruitment video and streaming companies. For more information please visit Executive Search

An Online Recruitment Company (such as HR Connexions) is an intermediate organisation who is able to combine two or more of the above products or technology platforms with a service or support to add additional value to the recruitment process.

Many are mistaken as Recruitment Agencies as they are able to offer recruitment services such as screening CVs or interviewing applicants, however rather than working for a fee upon introducing an applicant to a business, they operate as an extension to an organizations HR department. They will assist in the development and implementation of effective online recruitment strategies that will: Reduce the reliance on the traditional recruitment agencies, reduce recruitment costs, streamline the process, give control to the hiring company, promote the employer brand and ensure that hiring companies target the top talent in their industry.

With the latest figures indicating that over 80% of job seekers are now looking for jobs online and with the future increase in unemployment figures, there will inevitably be more jobseekers applying for vacancies online For organizations who are looking at reducing their recruitment budgets for 2009 it will certainly pay to consider all the options available. By consulting with a specialist Online Recruitment Company to assist with developing and implementing their online recruitment strategy, hiring companies can be sure to have experts at hand. For more information please visit Executive Search