With the challenges faced by the automotive industry these days, take a moment and think about this: Are you fully realizing the potential of your website to help improve your recruitment strategy?

Ironically very few independent automotive companies have fully explored the potential of web based recruitment solutions. If you want to get a quick idea of just how popular this kind of medium has become think www.workopolis.com and www.monster.ca to name a few.

To really kick your recruitment campaign into "hire" gear (yes the spelling mistake was deliberate) you should consider implementing the following action plan:

--- Your 10 Step Action Plan

If you have an HR department and a Marketing department you'll need to meet with both of them – if you're it then keep reading anyway. Essentially you need to figure out the basic functionality your site will offer to prospective candidates. The easiest way to do that is to simply visit the more popular recruitment site and make some notes.

Here are some of the ideas that your Marketing and HR departments (or your research) will present:

1. Write job postings that are descriptive: Avoid postings that read like an online classified ad. Provide a good description of the position and answer all the typical job seeker questions so they can evaluate your position.

2. Make the site user-friendly: Research has shown that if a person doesn't find what they are looking for within three clicks, they usually leave the site. Here are some guidelines to follow:

* Place the link to your recruitment page on the main page of your site. 73 percent of Fortune 500 companies have their careers section one click away from the corporate homepage.

* Avoid the use of graphics and flash animation that take a long time to load (think 5 seconds)

* Make your recruitment site look the same as your main site – be consistent.

* Choose a separate web domain exclusively for your recruiting site – advertise it everywhere!

3. Communicate your company image: Educate people about your values, benefits, and culture. Give them a feel for who and what you represent.

4. Build relationships: If appropriate, use an online forum to handle question-and-answer sessions with prospective candidates.

5. Include a "refer a friend" button: This feature allows the candidate to tell a friend about your posting.

6. Provide a self-assessment tool: A simple test or form can help a candidate pre-screen themselves for the position.

7. Include an online application option: Let the candidate apply from directly within your website. Let them upload or email their resume directly.

8. Give the job seeker access to future opportunities: Invite candidates to supply their email address so you can notify them of changes and new opportunities.

9. Frequently test your site: All technology fails – at an alarming rate, and usually when you're not looking. Your site is a reflection of you, make it a good reflection.

10. Measure As Much As You Can: Collect stats and data from your website. Without measurement there is no management and you cannot tell if your recruitment efforts are working properly. At the very least record the following:

* Number of visits to particular web pages.
* Number of applicants.
* Most frequently used features.
* Percentage of visitors who are new job seekers.
* Website points of entry and exit.

--- Conclusion

When you start thinking of websites as solutions to business problems you look at things differently. Each of you likely thinks they are in the automotive business, but you're not. You're in the business of finding customers and keeping them – you're also in the business of finding good talent and keeping them too. So if you use a website to help "sell" to customers (and you should be) then you should also be using a website to help "sell" to potential candidates.

Author: http://www.JamesBurchill.com - James is a freelance writer and consultant