Classifieds Still the Way to Hunt

Old-fashioned help-wanted classified advertising is projected to be the most widely used and effective means of recruiting in 1999, according to a national survey by the William Olsten Center for Workforce Strategies.

The companies that took part in the survey said that more than 43 percent of new hires will be recruited by classified advertising, while only 5 percent are expected to be generated via the Internet and job recruitment Web sites this year. The survey also found that more companies are allowing prospective candidates to submit their resumes or job applications online.

Of those companies that maintain a Web site for recruitment purposes, 38 percent of respondents to the Olsten survey say they will allow online submissions in 1999 compared with only 17 percent two years ago. These companies indicate that they typically receive an average of 133 resumes online per month.

Employee referrals (13 percent), employment/recruiting firms (12 percent), and temp-to-hire opportunities (10 percent) are also cited as recruitment strategies.

The survey also found that only 16 percent of US executives say that their companies use resume management software.

This year’s survey examined the responses of 322 corporate executives. It was conducted by McKendrick & Associates, an independent research firm, on behalf of the William Olsten Center for Workforce Strategies, a US-based organization generating research and analysis on issues affecting workforce management and employees.