RECRUITMENT
Jobs for the boards R
Local authorities need to use every means at their disposal to reduce their spending and one way of doing this is to streamline their recruitment techniques, reports Richard Mackillican
ecruiting the best job candidates is key to the delivery of first
class public services, particularly during the period of austerity which the public sector is now facing. it has become evident, however, that some of the techniques being employed by a number of local authorities and other public bodies are simply not cost effective.
Vanessa Robinson
Given the need to squeeze as much value out of public expenditure as possible, some local authorities are now looking to take back the recruiting process in house and save money by cutting out the recruitment agencies. One way of doing this is to set up a jobs board on their own websites which then allows them to recruit directly.
“Anything which public sector organisations can do to cut recruitment costs must be considered and the idea of developing specialist job boards within their own websites is a good way of doing that,” says Vanessa Robinson, head of HR practice development at the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development.
“The CIPD actually carries out an annual resourcing and talent planning survey and in terms of most effective methods of attracting applicants, using your own corporate website was ranked by our respondents as being the most effective method, with 63 per cent being in support of it. When we only look at public sector respondents, that number goes up to 80 per cent.
“Judging by these statistics, I think it is fair to say that public sector organisations will probably already be aware of
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the benefits of using a job board within their websites and given the amount of pressure which is being put on them to cut costs, it is probably something which quite a few are considering acting upon.”
Although there are a wide variety of mediums available to advertise vacancies such as traditional recruitment agencies and newspapers, the internet is quickly overtaking them in terms of popularity with candidates.
“There are different reasons as to why these kind of in- house corporate recruitment websites are becoming more popular, one being that the internet is especially popular with candidates who are more technology-savvy, who would perhaps look more to an online advert than something in a written format such as a newspaper. As more people become comfortable using the internet, I expect this popularity to grow.
“There are the external commercial jobs boards but it is much harder for an employer to sell their brand through this kind of medium. So, if a public sector body really wants to communicate its brand effectively to job seekers, or perhaps to project a new type of branding, then by directing people to its website, it might be able to get that message across more effectively than through someone else.
“An example of how to do this could include posting current employee testimonials or ‘a day in the life of’ to inform candidates of what to expect from the organisation if they should be offered a role. It is
clever things like this which bring everything on brand which simply would not be possible by using a commercial jobs board. By having their own corporate jobs board a public sector body can provide a more holistic experience to potential candidates.”
Although it is becoming more widely accepted that in-house jobs board are one of the best ways to attract candidates, there is still some debate over which kinds of candidates those sites are best aimed at.
Some believe that it is unskilled or low skilled jobs - which tend to be numerous and lower paid - which are more effectively marketed through an in-house
Sep/Oct 10
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