Firms miss opportunities for online recruitment

Jungle Rating investigated how consultancy firms recruit new employees via their websites. Video is rarely used, except for law firms. Blogging is catching on and testimonials have become widely accepted. 95% of applicants look at the corporate website prior to the job application, yet consultancy firms fail to take good advantage of opportunities for online recruitment. Many improvements can still be made in ‘corporate branding’. This article presents the study in greater detail and provides tips for improvement.

Of course you communicate extensively about your company, the jobs, and the recruitment and selection process. But the facts are only one side of the coin. In your search for suitable new employees you are directly pitted against your competitors. Why should the applicant choose your company?

Investigative approach

Internet consultancy firm Jungle Rating examined the websites of agencies that appear in the Management Team Consultancy Firm Top 100: accountancies, law firms, management consultancies and communication consultants that score high in terms of customer-friendliness. Do these agencies’ websites appear friendly to potential job applicants? After a preliminary study, we selected 30 agencies for further examination on the following aspects:

• Personal interaction
• Culture
• Video
• Testimonials
• Online tests

Little personal contact information

The simplest form of interaction is offering contact information. The more personal the information the better. Unfortunately only four of the agencies mention the names of the recruiters with their photos. 

Blogging and chats are rare among consultancy firms

Chats were not offered at all, and only two companies had blogs. This is unfortunate, since employee blogs offer an interesting look behind the scenes. The Boston Consulting Group (only on the .com website) and VODW marketing have ‘journals’ that regularly describe employees’ work experiences.

Tips for blogs:

• Provide continuity: an outdated blog gives off a negative image
• Have your employees write on the blog, preferably from various jobs
• Give bloggers freedom. Visitors see through a promotional story

Appeal to the visitor!

The agencies that were investigated talk a lot from their own perspective: “Our culture is characterised by …”. User surveys by Jungle Rating show that job seekers would like to feel personally addressed on a website. The more direct the better. PwC does this well:

Translate your company culture into a desired profile.

What type of people suits your company? What are the qualities of your employees?

80% of the companies say something about core values, but only half of the companies translate them into personal qualities. In its main navigation, The Boston Consulting Group has a section entitled, ‘people at BCG’. It includes the following:

“As a good consultant you are curious. You believe that incompatible interests and uncertainties represent new opportunities rather than risks. You have the ‘drive’ to take on challenges and are not afraid to come up with pioneering, original solutions.”

This matches the way BCG describes the agency and its mission.

Provide a view of your company

Eye-catching: video appears to be particularly popular among law firms. Nearly half of the law firms show company presentations and videos that explain the various jobs. Only nine of the thirty agencies use video to some degree.

Although expensive, a good company film provides tremendous added value. You show job seekers the company, the daily activities and their new colleagues. Job seekers acquire a much better image of your company and the job.

Tips when using video

• Specific videos on jobs are more effective than a general company film
• Edit a longer video into sections, indicate how long each section lasts and its content

Have your own employees talk

Nearly all consultancy firms had testimonials on their website. Nine agencies had one or two testimonials, while nineteen agencies had more than two.

Credibility is extremely important with testimonials. How convincing are the stories of real employees? Only two testimonials, one of whom is the HR manager who talks about how wonderful it is to work for the company, sound implausible.

Tips for testimonials:

• Ask employees with various job and experience levels
• Make sure that the employees’ stories in the testimonials are conveyed honestly and realistically
• Have testimonials talk about the daily work and company culture

Online tests: Recruitment Idols

Only three agencies offered an online test on their website. Nevertheless, a test can be of tremendous help to visitors with the question, ‘Does this company suit me?’, or ‘At which department would I want to work?’. Deloitte offers the ‘Find your Fit’ test so that job seekers can find out whether there is a ‘fit’.
Capgemini organises Idols; a jury of recruiters determines whether the visitor is suitable as a young professional.

At NautaDutilh, the visitor chooses a virtual person. He can then find out what his CV should look like for a certain position and learn about employee experiences in video and in text. When asked, NautaDutilh indicates it gets positive feedback on this tool. Applicants say they gain better insight in their exact career opportunities.


Tips in offering a test

• Ask relevant questions or offer realistic cases
• Give an honest result and refer the candidate: for example, offer an application form

A number of agencies invite website visitors to have lunch with a recruiter or future colleague, thereby combining online and off-line recruitment. A very strong combination.

Effective online recruitment saves you money

Your corporate website is a relatively inexpensive medium to recruit new employees. You transfer the selection process to your own website. Provide a good view of your company as an employer. This will enhance the quality of online reactions to your job vacancies.

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