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icle is to examine empirically the success of
online recruitment methods in more detail. An investigation into the use of online
recruitment and its effect on the use of other traditional recruitment media, together
with information on users’ perceptions, may allow us some insight into how
successful this method is perceived to be within the UK. In addition, a more detailed
examination of the use of online recruitment methods within organisations may
allow us to explore the factors that drive the success of online recruitment. To do this,
we have supplemented this survey research with interviews with employers and
online recruitment providers.
METHODS
Survey
A survey of recruitment activity, including the use of online recruitment, was
conducted over a period of six years. This was a quarterly survey of HR managers,
which posed a number of questions covering all aspects of recruitment, including the
organisational experience of recruitment difficulties and recruitment methods.
Recruitment difficulties were not defined within the survey in order to focus on the
respondent’s own perception of the existence of recruitment difficulties at any one
point in time. We are following a long tradition in the social sciences that if a person
believes something to be true, to all intents and purposes, for that person, it is true
and it will guide their actions (Silverman, 1970). Organisations were also asked on
a quarterly basis whether they had used a corporate web site or commercial web site
over the past six months and whether this method had been successful. The
context-specific nature of HRM and recruitment is such that definitions of success
will be different in different circumstances. For example, while we would anticipate
that size might be important, as in a small organisation recruitment timing is critical,
this could also be true in large organisations for specific roles or at moments of crisis.
The continued use or adoption of online recruitment is dependent on the recruiter’s
perception of the success of this method. As a consequence of this, the approach that
we have taken is to work with the respondent’s own definition of success rather than
to impose some criteria of success that may or may not be appropriate. Our use of
a large longitudinal data and a longitudinal study is intended to reduce any
problems of individual bias on the part of respondents.
As the survey was first conducted in December (Q4) 1999, it was possible to
identify trends in the use of corporate and commercial web sites for a period of over
six years through surveys. Corporate web sites were taken to be an employer’s
own web site, while commercial websites included jobs boards where organisations
can pay to advertise a position. A further series of questions regarding Internet
recruitment were asked in March (Q1) 2000, June (Q2) 2001, June (Q2) 2002, June
(Q2) 2003, June (Q2) 2004 and June (Q2) 2006. Respondents were asked a number of
questions regarding why they did or did not use online recruitment, whether they
predicted their use of the Internet for recruitment to change and what impact they
expected Internet recruitment to have on their use of other recruitment methods. The
questions were developed through pilot surveys and employer practitioner feedback,
as well as exposure and discussion with the recruitment industry, including o