Janice Chalmers
"The Workthing E-Recruitment Study findings are very much in
line with our own experience at Signet..."
Sheena Macdonald, resourcing manager for jewellery retailer Signet, outlines
the company's recent experience of adopting an online recruitment approach
Spotting the need
Before adopting an online solution, we found that the number of CVs we
were getting did not correspond to the number of visitors to the organisation's
sites. People were coming to the site for information and, when they could
not apply via the site, seemed to give up applying.
Making the move
From the HR perspective, first there is an investment issue, because
online still involves a leap of faith. And then there is also a comfort
issue - it's just easier to do what you have always done. The idea is
also difficult to sell internally, as it is not yet possible to show that
everyone is doing it.
The solution is not to substitute offline with online, but to find the
right mix of all the different recruitment media. You cannot switch off
one and turn on another.
Delivering the results
We took Workthing's advice and are already seeing the results. For example,
we have been able to turn around applications more quickly. Also, the
quality of responses immediately improved when we introduced the online
application facility. In our experience, it is when your online strategy
is limited to advertising on the jobs boards that the floodgates are open.
| Signet's strategy
Why online? Signet had identified a disparity
between the very high volume of people coming to the site for information
about the group, and the low number of actual applications. In other
words, potential candidates were dropping out when they came to
the site.
Signet's approach: To launch a career website,
including an online application and motivation questionnaire, to
help the company tap the talent already self-selecting themselves
in coming to the site.
And the result? Signet has already been able to
turn around applications much more quickly. Once the organisation
introduced the online application facility, the quality of responses
improved immediately.
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© Workthing Limited 2003. All rights reserved. Quotations of the 2003
Workthing E-Recruitment Study should be attributed to Workthing Limited.
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