Strengths & Weaknesses of Internet Recruitment

Recruiters employ a variety of options to find potential job candidates when a job opening exists. Recruiters combine traditional recruitment methods, such as newspaper ads or employment agencies, with modern methods, such as Internet recruitment. The Internet offers new options to recruiters searching for qualified candidates to fill open jobs. More job seekers navigate online career boards to find job opportunities that fit their skill sets. As recruiters increase their use of the Internet, they need to consider the strengths and weaknesses of this technology.

One strength of Internet recruitment involves the increased selection of job candidates. The Internet reaches people around the world. As more people see job postings, more qualified candidates apply. Job postings no longer face the geographic limitations imposed by recruiting in local newspapers or with local employment agencies. As more candidates apply for open positions, the recruiter benefits from the larger pool of candidates. The recruiter chooses the most qualified candidate from the entire pool of applicants.

Another strength of Internet recruitment involves using technology to screen applicants. Many applicants lack the necessary qualifications to perform the responsibilities of the job. Recruiters need to screen the applicants to focus on those who qualify for the position. Internet recruitment enables the recruiter to program the software to eliminate candidates that lack the minimum qualifications. The recruiter then receives a list of just the candidates who meet the minimum qualifications. The manual process of reviewing and screening each applicant is eliminated.

A weakness of Internet recruitment involves losing good candidates as a result of the technology. Some qualified job seekers lack Internet access and never respond to online job postings. The recruiter misses the opportunity to consider these candidates. Other candidates lack educational qualifications, but bring life experience qualifications. Automatic screening programs eliminate these candidates because they do not meet the minimum educational standards.

Another weakness of Internet recruitment stems from the overwhelming number of responses to a job posting. Job applicants from around the world can access the job posting. As these applicants apply, they bring the potential for an unmanageably large candidate pool. The recruiter faces the task of manually reviewing each of the candidates to determine which candidates to consider for the interview process.