You will hear five short recordings. Five speakers are talking about the use of technology in recruitment. For each recording, d

Thirteen
I’m the company’s recruitment specialist, and we’ve moved heavily into using the internet. It’s virtually eliminated the sorts of applications that don’t stand a chance. We have an online application system that works well, because it elicits the vital information at the outset. For instance, there might be something like ’Do you have hands-on experience of the latest technologies in this field?’ People who can’t give the answers are immediately advised not to continue with their application.
[pause]
Fourteen
It’s astonishing that, while nearly all British businesses use the internet in one way or another, most of them just use their websites as shop windows for advertising jobs - then expect people to send in paper-based applications. They’re simply not using the technology to its best advantage. There are so many refinements that the internet makes possible, so every recruitment officer ought to be looking at making optimal use of it and cutting out as much paper as they can.
[pause]
Fifteen
Many companies think they’re up to date if they advertise vacancies on their website and send emails to applicants instead of letters. But that just isn’t enough. These days, lots of people send text messages, so businesses should follow suit, for instance when inviting someone to interview: it shows that the firm has joined the twenty-first century. And although the phone is much more traditional, it’s still a valuable form, because you can talk to applicants in person.
[pause]
Sixteen
Companies sometimes get the wrong idea about online recruitment. They focus on the fact that it can reduce administration, but forget that it takes specific skills to manage the online process. After all, the recruitment section of the website needs to be organised, applications dealt with quickly and effectively, and so on. People who are used to circulating details of vacancies internally, planning newspaper advertising, acknowledging applications, etc. may not have the abilities required for dealing with online recruitment.
[pause]
Seventeen
So often, people apply for jobs they know very little about, because positions with the same title can vary considerably in different organisations. So when you’re recruiting, you should use your website to list projects and assignments of the post and give case histories of people in similar posts in the company, perhaps with a personal statement from them. It doesn’t affect the procedure you follow, but it helps potential applicants to decide if it’s a job they really want.