By Denis Pennel

I am often struck by how much the job search landscape has changed over the past decade. When I started out in my career there were few options: people either applied for a position via the job ads in the newspaper or they went along to their local public employment office and browsed through the vacancies board for something that caught their eye. If they lived in a strong community they might also be able to rely on introductions from family and friends. Today, the picture is quite different. Private employment agencies have grown in numbers and in reach, extending their remit beyond temporary work to include selection full range of HR services to companies and jobseekers. In many countries, the public employment services too have become more service-oriented with job clubs, work centres and increasing public/private cooperation.

However the one single element that has transformed the process of recruitment more than any other is the arrival of the internet. Internet job sites such as resume portals, job forums and job posting sites now abound and other traditional channels like newspaper job ads and public and private employment agencies have also gone online. The result is a virtual labour market operating on a global level.

In some ways the advent of the worldwide web has simplified the process of finding a job. Jobseekers have a wealth of options to choose from and once they have created their CV they just post it on a range of sites and wait for replies to arrive in their inbox. 2015 research from the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) and Recruit Works Institute which surveyed 13,000 people in 13 countries around the world, found that new technologies had made the job search process more efficient and transparent. However it also found that they had made it longer as jobseekers spent significant time online in managing the process. Today, active jobseekers look for a new job online several times a week and the whole process for internet jobseekers takes an average of 15 weeks, compared with only nine weeks for referrals. Some might argue that with the multiplication of job search channels, the process of finding a job has actually become a fulltime job in itself.

While BCG found that 55% of people had used online sites in their most recent job search, paper media, referrals and direct enquiries also remained popular. Political and economic forces were found to be important influences on the preferences of individual jobseekers: in Japan for example, use of public employment agencies and use of online job sites were equally favoured; in Europe commercial channels were seen to be more effective than others and in India, where internet penetration remains low, referrals rated highest. Demographics and level of education are also a determinant of job seeking preferences: internet job-site users were found to be younger and more educated than average jobseekers and users of referrals tended to be older and less educated than the average.

It goes without saying that the ability to adapt to these new recruiting technologies is essential for employers if they are to be successful in their recruiting and triumph in the global war for talent. In order to optimise their recruitment processes companies need to evaluate how they are currently faring and where the gaps lie. Which are the channels that deliver them the strongest candidates: referrals? Internet? How successful is their recruitment strategy in embracing key channels such as employment agencies and job sites? They need to ensure that they are set up to field enquiries via a number of search channels and to tailor their messages to both the channel and the age/education level of the specific job profile sought. Employment and recruitment agencies have a key role to play as a trusted labour market advisor to their clients in this increasingly complex environment.

Certainly the internet has expanded the options for job seekers but referrals remain the preferred approach in many regions. That shows the added value of a personalised approach that employment and recruitment agencies can often offer jobseekers. Agencies should help companies ensure that prospective candidates meet with a swift and seamless process whether interacting with the organisation in person or online. Recruitment strategies should take account of local market preferences and be tailored to the position and the channel, and with fast-evolving technologies both agencies and their client companies must also try to look ahead to the next thing and future-proof their recruitment strategies as much as possible. As job-seekers move onto smart phones and mobile devices they will expect potential employers to have systems set up to handle this too.

By doing their homework and examining their current success levels organisations can gain a thorough understanding of the different regional and cultural preferences in job search channels and tailor their recruitment processes to attract the very best talent.

About Denis Pennel

Managing Director of Ciett and Eurociett, Denis Pennel is a labour market expert with deep knowledge and years of experience relating to employment at global and EU levels. He recently published “Travailler pour soi”, a book about the new realities of work.

Follow Denis on Twitter @PennelDenis

About Ciett 

As the International Confederation of Private Employment Services, Ciett is the authoritative voice representing the interests of agency work businesses. Founded in 1967, Ciett consists of 51 national federations of private employment agencies and eight of the largest staffing companies worldwide. Its main objectives are twofold: to help its members conduct their businesses in a legal and regulatory environment that is positive and supportive; to gain recognition for the positive contribution the industry brings to better functioning labour markets.

Follow Ciett on Twitter @ciett_waytowork