E-Recruitment

Benefits And Costs Of E-Recruitment

There are many benefits of e-recruitment, including monetary savings, the expansion of applicant pools beyond limited geographical boundaries, and improved efficiency in the hiring process (Chapman & Webster, 2003). Perhaps the most compelling reason for organizations to adopt e-recruitment practices rather than continuing to rely exclusively on traditional recruiting techniques is the potential for monetary savings. Although somewhat dated, early figures indicated “that it costs only about one-twentieth as much to hire someone online as to hire that same person through want ads and other traditional means” (Cappelli, 2001, p. 140). Additionally, the use of e-recruitment expands the former borders surrounding traditional recruitment practices. Historically, organizations advertised locally and hired from a pool of applicants within a certain geographic region. The internet has removed those barriers and allowed organizations to advertise and interview those who are geographically dispersed without significantly increasing costs. Another benefit of e-recruitment is increased efficiency in the hiring process. Organizations are able to reduce their hiring cycles by posting jobs online instead of on paper, accepting résumés online, and screening applications electronically (Cappelli, 2001). Furthermore, e-recruitment provides organizations an opportunity to communicate a lot more information to job seekers than more traditional methods of recruitment. Details pertaining to organizational culture, testimonials from current employees, and other information pertaining to an organization’s employment brand can be easily conveyed online to prospective applicants. Finally, e-recruitment is “friendlier” to the environment compared to recruitment that is paper-based.