GCCA | Graduate Careers Council of Australia

Graduate Careers Australia

ergo - Number 86 March 2002

Graduate Recruitment Sets The Pace in Online Recruiting!

Despite an uncertain recruitment environment in the second half of 2001, the Australian graduate recruitment sector has set the pace in the adoption of online recruitment tools during this period. A recent study into website recruitment amongst Australasia’s Top 500 corporations found that a candidate is significantly more likely to experience an online recruitment process when visiting a graduate careers website than a general careers website.

Of the 84 dedicated graduate recruitment careers websites analysed, 73% utilised online recruitment tools compared with 43% across the general careers websites. Moreover, the survey found a growing preference in the graduate recruitment sector towards the adoption of sophisticated Applicant Tracking Systems (ATSs), serving to complement the careers website and enhance recruiting processes.

If used properly, online tools such as ATSs can drive recruiting effectiveness, particularly by reducing costs and time-to-fill. However, tools in isolation do not guarantee optimal results. A contemporary recruitment strategy requires the integration of tools, the careers website and employment branding to maximise outcomes. An online recruitment strategy must be underpinned by a best-practice careers website to engage and motivate candidates to participate.

Careers Websites

The company careers website often provides the first opportunity for direct contact between candidate and company. Therefore, it is essential that the careers website is reflective of the core values and recruitment messaging of the organisation. Nonetheless, it is not uncommon to find careers sites with out of date information, navigation difficulties and poor functionality.

While every careers website is (and should be) distinct, there is a set of common factors that are critical to the success of the site:

1. Accessibility – The careers site should be accessible in one click from the corporate home page.
2. Informational Needs – Content is King! The careers site must be a ‘one-stop’ resource for the job seeker. Content should be jargon-free, entertaining and address common candidate ‘buyer values’. This will require regular attention and content updates throughout the recruitment season.
3. Site Useability – To ensure that candidates remain engaged and are motivated to apply, the careers website must be simple and quick to navigate.
4. Functionality – While site functionality varies greatly, it should at least enable a job search (by keyword, location, discipline), profiling, pre-qualification, email-a-friend and automated application.
5. Employment Branding – The site should reflect a specific corporate employment brand consistent with the employment brand applied to all offline recruitment material.
6. Unique Graduate Careers Website – The specific informational needs of the graduate job seeker and distinctive selection criteria can be effectively addressed through a separate graduate recruitment section.

A best practice careers website (or front-end) provides the foundation for an effective online recruitment strategy, as it attracts the candidate to participate in a transaction. When integrated with a back-end solution overall efficiencies can be achieved.

The challenge for Australia’s graduate employers is to continue to strive for best practice recruiting strategies and methodologies, irrespective of the recruiting climate. This will require a recruitment approach that ensures the exploitation of general corporate website strategies and the adoption of online recruitment tools to enable process efficiencies. Moreover, truly best practice graduate employers will adopt a long-term vision that recognises the value of a ‘communal’ recruitment approach, which facilitates an active, integrated role for past, current and potential candidates.