Corporate websites are one of the most effective sources of recruitment :
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If you go to the career section of the website of Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance Industries, you will find a lot of “oppurtunities” (sic). You will need to be quick if you want to discover it in its pristine spelling; the advantage of the Net is that you can make corrections the moment a mistake is pointed out.

There is a lot of the standard, corporate breast-thumping stuff. “Life at Reliance is challenging, fulfilling and exciting… People are central to Reliance’s growth strategy…”

Dig a little deeper into any of the jobs on offer and it starts getting curious. Secretaries are in demand. “Applications invited from young, smart lady candidates for the post of receptionist at our offices at Nariman Point, Ballard Estate, Worli, Bandra, Santa Cruz, Reay Road…” Is this a website meant for the whole world? Is it not necessary to mention Mumbai or India somewhere? Read further. “Apply online at www.ril.com within seven days from the date of the advertisement.” What date of advertisement? The penny drops? This has all the looks of a print ad transplanted on a website.

A Reliance executive admits, off the record of course, that the website is mainly used to accumulate biodata. These are then put in a database, searchable on various parameters. This database is accessed whenever the need arises.

At the website of the ADA Group — the fiefdom of Ambani the Younger — there is a lot of corporate hardsell too. “At Reliance-Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group, we recognise the critical role that our people play in the success and growth of each of our businesses…” You are asked to submit your biodata, but there are no jobs on offer. They too must be creating databases.

The two Reliances are not alone. Barring some multinational company subsidiaries and people in the information technology space, the career sections of most corporate websites are purely decorative. This is unfortunate, because corporate websites are one of the most fertile and effective sources of recruitment.

According to a 2006 US study by consulting firm Booz Allen Hamilton, over 50 per cent of new hires are sourced from the Internet. This is obviously a number that can only go up. Employee referrals — at 65 per cent — are still at the top of the heap when it comes to applicant source. But the company’s own website and general job boards — at 50 per cent each — occupy a joint second spot.

These numbers refer to the volumes of applicants. When it comes to the number of people actually taken on, the organisation’s own website leads with 21 per cent, followed by employee referrals (19 per cent) and general job boards (16 per cent). On the quality of the applicants, the top three are employee referrals, the company website and search firms. Social networking sites, the latest craze on the Net, did figure, but nowhere near the top.

The study has a lot of other ramifications. But it underscores the point that for the new-generation jobseeker, a company’s website is often the first point of contact for an employer. He can turn off applicants, if he doesn’t make the site attractive enough.

A more recent study by Potentialpark Communications, a market research firm based in Stockholm, finds that top-ranking employers — no matter where in the world they are — excel in satisfying job hunters’ most basic needs. They also provide excellent navigation. The study concludes that this is the only way to go if you want to attract young jobseekers, who have grown up with the Net. These sites also have add-ons like blogs and interactive quizzes. But the best career websites are the simplest.

For Indian corporate recruiters, who are beefing up their websites only now, here is a partial list of best practices from Steven Rothberg, president of collegerecruiter.com: Easy access from home page; easy-to-find job postings; easy-to-understand web pages; e-mail a friend feature; no login or registration required; and good manners.

Indian companies may have a lot to learn. The plus point is that they are all on the starting line together.

ONLINE LIONS:-

The best corporate career websites*

Deutsche Bank

ABN AMRO

USB

Deloitte

Philips

Intel

McKinsey

Lockheed Martin

Booz Allen Hamilton

Microsoft

BCG

Citi

Procter & Gamble

Accenture

Dell

Bank of America

Credit Suisse

Adidas

BNP Paribas

Johnson & Johnson

(*Survey for 2008 by Potentialpark Communications amongst MBA students and recent college graduates)

Sources: The Telegraph (Kolkata, India)