Assessing Job Seekers' Acceptance of Online Recruitment in Egypt

Abstract

The development in information and communication technology had an implication on Internet adoption growth rate and especially on Web technology use. The evolution of the online recruitment industry closely parallels such development worldwide. Egypt, is no exception. This trend started in 1998 and proved to be an efficient way to provide better interaction and information exchange between job seekers or “candidates” and employers. This case investigates online recruitment in Egypt, and reveals the factors contributing to the success of such business. A model is presented using the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), discussing the main constructs affecting candidates in embracing this relatively new technology. By identifying the aspects that shape candidates’ preference to use Web-based recruitment over traditional off-line recruitment, agencies could gain an insight of the candidates’ behavior in a developing country like Egypt. This, in turn, could be compared with the corresponding behavior in developed countries. Such comparison will help in identifying similarities and differences in candidates’ perception towards online recruitment in both cases. As a result, appropriate business strategies stemming from the culture and social and economic variables of any country could be set in order to boost the diffusion and efficiency of online recruitment business.