Why Company Recruiters Should Work With a Recruitment Company Rather Than Online Candidate Job Boards

Research shows that the success of an organization is closely tied to the quality of its employees. However, acquiring the right talent can be challenging. So, what is the best course for company recruiters to follow? For example, should they use an experienced recruitment company or an online digital job board?

Let’s examine why electronic candidate databanks such as Monster, Career Builder and Indeed, to name a few, may not be the best choice.

The first thing to understand is that these platforms are in business to make money. Every time an employer clicks on an ad, they get paid. That means the longer a job stays on their site and the more job turnover, the better it is for them. So, whereas the website’s purpose is to find employment for job seekers and hires for employers, it can be setting both sides up for failure.

Candidate job boards, in general, all favor quantity over quality. Therefore, you will see that they have hundreds of job listings on any given day. However, many job descriptions are outdated and can be overwhelming to job seekers motivated to apply for as many jobs as possible, even if a posting is only somewhat relevant to their skill set and interests.

During this critical phase of the job hiring and job-seeking process, there is no human interaction, eliminating the ability to understand a candidate’s desired career path or support them to figure out a great long-term career move. They are simply a tool to find a job quickly, not a career. Unfortunately, finding a job this way inevitably leads to poor employee/employer matching. It is only a matter of time before this lack of synergy in expectations leads to both sides feeling dissatisfied and the candidate returning to the job database of choice to look for another job. Therefore, the cycle continues, and we refer to a candidate’s candidacy as being ‘cheapened’ by this process.

There are always pros and cons when deciding whether to take advantage of and use an electronic candidate database or hire an experienced executive recruitment company like ALIGN.

Yes, these platforms can be cost-effective as you can control the amount of exposure your ad gets. Furthermore, they are fast, as you will receive an onslaught of applications to go through in real-time and hopefully find the right fit. They are also user friendly, making it easy to post a job and apply for a job, and you can reach a global audience, increasing your exposure. Finally, without a doubt, they expedite the hiring process.

The question is, at what cost, literally and figuratively?

The cost of running an ad on these databases can accumulate due to fees for membership, tracking, and analytics and the possibility that you may have to leave it running longer than expected to attract the right candidate. In addition, it can be challenging to know what is and isn’t working and how to optimize your ad to reach your target audience.

Companies with a strong corporate culture looking to fill C-level roles are better off working with an executive recruitment firm due to the informal nature of online job boards. Because it is so easy for people to apply for a position online, resulting in hundreds of applicants, the quality of your talent pool quickly dilutes. Let’s not forget the hours it takes to sort through the applications and communicate with the applicants, taking valuable time away from other important tasks.

The vast competition on these platforms can result in your job post getting lost in the stack, and you may have to cough up more money to get the exposure needed to get seen by the right audience.

Finally, there is the issue of trust. Competitors may even fake an application to get information about the company or someone working there. Spammers and malicious hackers are always a threat when too much information about your business is published online. But, again, it is the internet, and we all know that fraud is rampant online.

Communication is vital when it comes to the job hiring process. Working with a professional recruitment company like ALIGN eliminates the risk of misconstrued messages or wrong assumptions. We communicate with our clients and candidates directly, help understand your precise needs and set the stage for success by matching the right people and organizations.

Give us a call, and together, we will find your perfect match.