Cut the middleman out in 2012
By Adrian Hobbs

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Organisational recruitment strategies have been the subject of much debate over the years. The direct hiring vs. recruitment agency (or middleman) hiring argument continues to rage with the pendulum swinging tentatively from side to side depending on which guru has lent his voice to which side. In more recent times, however, technology has lent its full weight to the direct hiring side, with potential consequences that threaten to all but eliminate recruitment agencies unwilling to adapt to a new ‘virtual’ reality.

So, the question that may be burning in your mind is, “What’s technology got to do with it”. Recruitment technology, in particular, has evolved to the degree where organisations (former clients of recruitment agencies) now have at their disposal, tools that significantly reduce the various costs associated with hiring, without committing to any long term commitments.

But, just what are these tools? 2 online recruitment tools in particular stand out from the myriad of online recruitment solutions that have sprung up in recent years:

• The Multiple Job Board Posting Tool – there are recruitment tools of this nature out there that allow you to post your vacancy to several job boards at the touch of a button. Farther, there is no need for multiple job board accounts or the administrative hustle that comes with juggling multiple job boards.
• Applicant Tracking Systems – these systems empower organisations to professionally handle the response generated by advertising vacancies – be it 1 CV and covering letter, or 10,000 CVs and covering letters.

These 2 systems, often delivered as part of one online recruitment suite, remove a lot of the heavy lifting associated with recruitment. Farther, the inherent incentive of driving down costs in a climate that is religiously advocating frugality is one temptation too far for many organisations. In a nutshell, the argument posed by recruitment technology is this: “you can now do it yourself, and by the way, it costs a fraction of what it used to cost before”. Any takers?

Here at FlexPlus we are not oblivious of the fact that this technology threatens to reduce or eliminate the need for traditional recruitment services. That’s why we have been among the first recruitment firms to adapt by repositioning ourselves as a Professional Employment Organisation (PEO) and widening our portfolio to include online recruitment services.

Added: 16th January 2012