Job Boards - Misconceptions and Realities: Part 3

I've been quite delinquent in posting the third part of this series, so my apologies.

So why are so many Recruiters frustrated with the Job Boards? Part of the problem I believe is that recruiters in general have been conditioned by the Job Boards over these past several years to think that the more efficient that you make the job posting process, the better. Think about the job posting lifecycle in most organizations (particularly those whose ATSs are integrated with Job Boards):

Manager creates the Req > Manager sends the Req to HR to be posted > HR puts the Req into the ATS (if the Req wasn't created in the ATS in the first place) > The approved Req is posted to the company website and multiple job boards with the push of a button > HR/the Recruiter sits back and waits for the resumes to flow on in.

The process of creating and posting a job Req is primarily viewed as an administrative function with very few if any touch points by the Recruiter, and has been automated to the extent that the view is commonly, "Post it and they will come, and do it ASAP" (when the reality is more like "Post and Pray".

If Recruiters want to be more successful with their postings on the Job Boards, they need to take more ownership of the postings they put out there. They need to ensure that the posting delivers a clear and compelling message. They need to follow up quickly and directly (preferably a phone call rather than an email) with qualified candidates. They need to take a more strategic view of which job boards are right for what jobs, and only post jobs where most appropriate.

Efficiency is important in anyone's Recruiting process, but not when the efficiencies enable the recruiting function to overlook what the job posting says, where it is being posted, and how candidates are followed up with. My complaint with the major Job Boards is that they have always been focused on quantity, rather than quality, with moving faster rather than moving smarter. Let's face it, quantity and efficiency means more dollars for the Job Boards. It is up to us as Recruiters to take responsibility for the quality of the postings we place on the Job Boards, and the process we use to ensure that we are using the right Job Boards for the right Jobs, and that the best candidates are being followed up with in an effective manner.

One final note. I am a firm believer that technology is too often the scapegoat, when the real culprit is typically the use of technology. Too many recruiters see recruiting technology as 'plug and play', when the reality is that you will only get out of any resource a reflection of the effort that you put into it. The Job Boards set themselves up as the 'silver bullet' solution, and most everyone has been left disappointed as a result. The Job Boards can train Recruiters on how to post jobs and search resumes, but maybe they need to do a better job on training Recruiters how to be better Recruiters, in particular, how to more effectively engage candidates with their job postings and their follow-up.

That's enough preaching from me on this subject. I hope you have found some useful insight here and encourage you to comment of course (am I on target, or full of it?). Until then, happy posting!