Research shows that 100 Fortune 500 companies using their own career web sites report that over 70% of the visitors who contact their site are not responding to the "permission based" captive techniques and that they chose not to leave their name or contact information.
The most common complaint that they received from candidates who respond to a company web site, is that no one acknowledges receiving their resume and there is no one to contact to answer their questions. Many sites state that they do not accept phone calls and the e-mail address that they respond too is to a "recruiter" at an undisclosed location. I can't begin to tell you how many sites disclose to a prospective applicant that due to the amount of anticipated responses that we will only respond to those candidates that we feel match our current posted needs. The problem this approach creates is the lack of connection that could take place with a candidate who may be a wonderful addition to your firm but may not fit the current need that you have posted on your web site.
Candidates tell us that I forwarded my resume in to a particular firm and they did not respond, yet they still post the same job order on their site. Is it a case of a company not having a legitimate opening and just collecting resumes for their company database? I suggest that my clients provide prospective candidates with an acknowledgment that they did receive their resume and will be reviewing their qualifications to determine if there is a potential fit. A simple reply to their e-mail submission would be enough and would only take a moment. I would also suggest that companies update their current job order postings and avoid people responding to positions that have been filled or dropped. Any company that has a job order listed on their site that is over 6 months old and continues to be open might re-evaluate their recruiting strategy and the reason that the position is still unfilled. If I was a potential candidate and I saw that your job-order was that old in this current market, I would be asking what the problem is.
The employment industry is once again transforming. 2001 marked the first year in a decade that A/E consultants enjoyed a robust talent pool. Due to recent world disasters, declining state budgets and a prolonged national recession, that all changed in 2002. The market for "Qualified Candidates" in our industry has shrunk and those who are comfortable and gainfully employed are not as anxious to seek new opportunities. We as human resource professionals need to address this shortage and give greater value to our clients, employers and candidates. We can't expect to recruit our industries finest with impersonal web-sites and a general lack of professionalism that we are seeing in this automated approach to recruiting.
People still respond to the personal touch……
