Want Ads Outpace Online For Recruiting

Despite the hoopla about the Internet as a recruitment tool, help-wanted classified ads still are this year's most widely-used and effective way to find workers, employers predict in a recent survey. Forty-three percent of new hires in 1999 will be recruited by classified advertising -- but only 5% via the Internet and job recruitment Web sites -- says The 1999 Olsten Forum: Staffing Strategies by the William Olsten Center for Workforce Strategies. Other strategies cited: employee referrals (13%), employment/recruiting firms (12%), and temp-to-hire (10%). However, more companies are allowing candidates to submit resumes or applications online. Of firms that maintain a Web site for recruitment purposes, 38% of respondents say they will allow online submissions in 1999 compared with 17% two years ago. They typically get an average 133 resumes online per month. And, "Over the long term, we expect the Internet to replace traditional classified advertising as the primary source of applicants," says Gordon Bingham, senior vice president of Olsten Staffing Services.