Using the Web for hiring: 6 tips

By Kim Komando
Reprinted with permission from Microsoft Small Business Center

 

If you’ve been in business for any length of time, you’ve done the painful hiring dance. I sometimes refer to it as, “The revolving door policy.”

I’ve hired some good ones and some bad ones. I’ve used newspapers, college Web sites and the job sites on the Internet. Recently, I’ve had a stroke of good luck. Or is it that I am getting better at it?

I’ve learned some lessons, which I am offering here in the hopes that you may be able to apply them. Life is painful enough without hiring the wrong person. So here are my “6 rules for minimizing hiring grief by using the Web.”

1. The bigger Internet job sites are your best bet. There are many job sites on the Internet, including specialized ones. For instance, if you want an information technology worker, Dice.com is a good place. There are sites for other specialties such as teaching and nursing. And then there is Monster.com. This is a subsidiary of TMP Worldwide. The aptly named Monster.com is the biggest job site on the Internet.Big is good. This is a critical-mass business. Like eBay, Monster.com is a marketplace. In this case, would-be workers are looking to sell their skills, while employers want to buy. Both want to be where everyone else is. As it grows, the site becomes more appealing. If you want access to the largest pool of job seekers, Monster.com is the place.No. 2 in this area is CareerBuilder (www.careerbuilder.com), followed by Yahoo’s HotJobs (hotjobs.yahoo.com). According to TopJobSites.com, which tracks these sites, Monster.com had 800,000 jobs listed with 130,000 employers during the first month of 2004. By comparison CareerBuilder had 300,000 jobs with 25,000 employers during that same time period. As I said, mass is important. That’s why I go to Monster.com.

2. Don’t forget newspapers; they give you access to the best local talent. I have had cases where the job sites failed me. For instance, I advertised for a nanny for my son. I was looking for someone with a teaching certificate. So I advertised on a teachers’ site. I didn’t get to first base. I also advertised in a local newspaper. I got responses from several good candidates. Nearly all newspapers are online. It is easy to place classified ads from your computer. But, obviously, they don’t reach as many people as a site like Monster.com, where you are paying for eyeballs. However, when you advertise locally for a position at your company, you get local applicants. I don’t pay relocation expenses, so if the perfect applicant lives 2,000 miles away, that’s a problem.I don’t know why Internet job sites work well in some cases and not others. Perhaps some types of people are more likely to use the Web than others. So, if you go to the Internet, and things don’t work out, try your local newspaper — in print, online or preferably both. Newslink (www.newslink.org) provides a comprehensive list of newspaper Web sites.

3. Be precise in how you word your ad, or you may be inundated with unfit candidates. Monster.com has millions of job seekers. They have their resumes online, and Monster.com will send the resumes to you automatically. It also has agreements with other job sites, which will send you resumes. In addition, people are browsing the ads, looking for matches. Recently, I advertised for an administrative/marketing aide on Monster.com. I was looking for someone who could make decisions, do secretarial work, keep my life on schedule and help market my products. And I wanted someone I liked. My ad was not specific enough, and I was buried under resumes from salespeople, marketing managers, consultants and so on. I re-worded the ad, making it very specific. The result: I landed someone who had exactly the skills I was seeking. With a marketing degree, polish and a cheerful demeanor, she could have been sent by Central Casting. I had exactly the same experience with another employee. I needed someone to help with customer service, so this person had to have patience and be able to make decisions. I also needed a writer, so I wanted journalism experience. An early ad in the newspaper turned up several good candidates, but no one who fit the bill perfectly. When the ad was sharpened, I got an applicant who had precisely the skills I needed.

4. Lots of people look good on the Internet. You still have to interview them. My radio show is growing, so I decided to bring some of my sales in-house. For that, I needed a salesperson. Once again, I turned to Monster.com. Two good candidates emerged. One had extensive experience selling advertising for radio. The other had sold software to large companies for years, but never advertising. It seemed like a no-brainer. The interviews showed otherwise. The radio salesperson had spent all of her time concentrating on one demographic group. She was fixated on that niche. In the interview, she expressed a belief that she could bring in advertising for my show from that group. That narrow interest wasn’t what I wanted. The other candidate left me with the impression that she could sell ice in Antarctica. Going in, I was concerned about her lack of radio experience. Coming out, I was sold. She got the job. She rapidly made several large sales. So, here’s the lesson: The Web is great, but it can’t do everything for you. You still have to talk to candidates and then follow your instinct.

5. Double-check the rates. Sometimes, everything isn’t on the Internet. After running an ad on Monster.com, I was phoned by a customer representative. She asked why I had not called, and said Monster.com was offering a 2-for-1 deal.It had not occurred to me to call. That’s counterintuitive. This is an Internet operation; why would I call them? As far as I know, the special rate wasn’t posted on the Web site. The difference was not inconsequential. A job posting costs $305. So, I guess I’ll call and check from now on.

6. The Internet can greatly improve your chances of getting the right fit. Even if you hire someone based on a referral or a newspaper ad, the Internet can help you research a candidate’s background. One simple trick is to go to your favorite search engine and do a search of the candidate’s name (yes, it helps if the candidate isn’t named John Smith or Mary White). The Internet also gives you a good taste of the national market for a certain profession, trade or occupation. It can be reassuring to know that the local candidate you favor ranks pretty well with the quality of talent you are hearing from nationally. There has never been a job market like the Internet. Whatever your need, there is someone — or maybe dozens of someones — who can fill the job. But, again, the Internet can’t do it all for you. I have made a few hiring mistakes. In every case, I compromised. When I have thought through my needs and insisted on the perfect person, I have done well. Today, more than ever, the Web helps make that possible.