Online recruitment to continue steady growth path

She says in the last three years, the number of registered active jobseekers on the Job Mail website has more than doubled from 13 000 in 2003 to 28 00 this year. The number of page impressions per week has also climbed, from 290 000 to one million in the same period.

During November alone, more than 7000 new CVs were uploaded on the Job Mail website by job seekers and the number of page impressions hit an all time high of 1.2 million in the second last week of the month.

Substantial increase

"So, we are not only seeing a substantial increase in the number of jobseekers using the Internet to look for jobs, but they are also spending more time online," says de Klerk.

De Klerk points out that although print is still "king" for some, there has also been a mass migration of prospective employers and recruitment agencies to online in the last few years, with many adopting a more holistic strategy that combines both print and online advertising.

"Recruiters have had to change their approach in order to reach increasingly sophisticated jobseekers who capitalise on all the resources at their disposal in order to broaden their search for the right position," says de Klerk.

Currently, there are 6500 registered active recruiters using Job Mail's online service to advertise available positions. On average, 3000 free Internet adverts are uploaded by recruiters each week.

40% increase in revenue

Job Mail's online advertising revenue, a good indicator of just how many adverts are being placed by active recruiters on the site, has increased by 40% in the last year.

"Clearly, online recruitment works for recruiters and jobseekers alike. Jobseekers can conveniently access and search thousands of vacancies from anywhere. Applying for positions is also significantly simplified because a jobseeker can upload their online CV and instantaneously 'post' it off for a variety of suitable positions at the touch of a button.

"Recruiters on the other hand have access to a wide database of active jobseekers and are able to target suitable candidates by simply refining their search criteria. Many online recruitment sites allow recruiters to upload and delete their own vacancies everyday, which means that vacancies are always fresh and relevant. Web advertising is also considerably cheaper than print," says de Klerk.

Sceptics

She admits that there are those who remain sceptical of the Internet as a way of searching for career opportunities and recruiting candidates for positions.

"Some recruiters prefer print as a medium for advertising positions. Likewise, there are jobseekers who would rather scan the classifieds and pick up the phone to discuss a position with a recruiter before applying.

"A lack of basic computer skills and limited access to a computer and the Internet also makes online job search unviable for many South Africans," she says.

Nevertheless, de Klerk believes that online recruitment will continue its path of steady growth.

"Although still lagging behind more developed countries, Internet penetration in South Africa is growing and the online recruitment industry will gain further momentum as Internet acceptance increases and more people gain access to information communication technology (ICT)," concludes de Klerk.