It may no longer be much of a revelation, but the internet has radically transformed how jobseekers go about looking for and securing their ideal employer and position. For decades, the internet has served as the primary resource for jobseekers worldwide. From an employer perspective, the internet helps recruiters widen their search parameters, decrease search costs, filter various criteria based on their requirements, and instantly engage with prospective candidates if they’re suitable.

But recruiters could be getting so much more out of online recruiting. From basics like providing all the essential details of a job vacancy to listings that promote authenticity, an informed approach can make online recruiting even more effective.

The benefit of a good job listing

South Africa is experiencing a resurgence in hiring following the COVID-19 pandemic period. According to our Pnet Job Market Trends Report for Q2 2022,vacancies in the local job market have continued to rise, with a year-on-year increase of 23% between Q2 2021 and Q2 2022. Recruitment activity has also increased by 75% since the second quarter of 2020 when the country underwent its first lockdown.

With more candidates searching for jobs online, an effective listing is all the more important to help businesses make their vacancies more attractive to the right jobseekers. This is critical in the South African context, where scarce skills in certain sectors such as IT mean companies face additional challenges when it comes to securing the ideal talent.

In contrast to older, more traditional methods such as database searches or head-hunting, advertising job vacancies on online recruitment platforms helps companies not only achieve greater reach, but also access fresh talent who are looking to start a new chapter in their careers. In addition, companies can establish talent pools to which they can add shortlisted candidates for roles that they are consistently recruiting for. A candidate may not be suitable for one role, but they may be perfect for another. This is how technology helps businesses find talent and promote job vacancies to match the right candidate to the right job – and that’s where today’s built-for-purpose recruitment platforms truly demonstrate their worth.

Draw on your employee value proposition to promote authenticity

To get a prospective employee to notice you, for them to really understand what the opportunity entails and what you’re offering them, recruiters need to pay extra attention to the details and information they provide in their listings beyond just the job role specifications.

A company’s employee value proposition (EVP) can help convey authenticity to jobseekers, helping them connect with a company and a role. The EVP is a collection of factors that not only lets recruiters showcase specific, tangible qualities of the opportunity, but that also goes a long way to entice candidates and demonstrate a company’s commitment to their employees’ wellbeing (which is arguably the biggest work-related discussion happening today).

The five components of the EVP are:

• Compensation – think salary, annual increases, and the company’s evaluation and promotion protocols.

• Benefits – including holidays, retirement and insurance, and the type of working conditions (flexible or hybrid).
• Career – candidates are inclined to positions that are both stable and scalable, those that offer growth prospects and the opportunity to climb the chain of command in both individual and team leadership.
• Work environment – from clearly defined responsibilities to goals and work-life balance, jobseekers want to know what it’s like to work at a company.
• Culture – a company’s core values and how people interact are essential.

Research by McKinsey in the wake of COVID-19 indicates companies need to look to multiple solutions to attract the right talent and retain a productive workforce. Hence, companies must find ways to creatively demonstrate the value that candidates are looking for and how they have the wellbeing of their staff at heart. Recruiters should consider how they can convey the five components of the EVP to jobseekers.

Getting proactive with your recruitment

It’s important to always be striving to improve the experience of advertising employment opportunities for recruiters. Through sophisticated job-matching technology, you can aim to make it smarter and easier, transforming the process of online recruitment above and beyond simple job listings. This, combined with authentic listings that promote a company’s EVP, contributes to better candidate responses and feedback.

Companies can use listings and online recruitment to not only decrease search costs and reach more jobseekers, but also to attract and retain the best talent for the right position. When recruiters choose the right platform, they stand to gain a lot more than just a new hire.

Leandré van der Merwe is the Customer Success Manager at Pnet.