Survey shows nearly half of UK job seekers use the Internet to apply for jobs:

• 43% of workers applied online or sent a CV by email.
• 53% preferred online methods due to the fast response time.
• 24% found online job searching to be less time consuming
• 13% appreciated the ability to apply for many jobs at once.
• 27% still use word of mouth as the traditional way to get employment.

On the employer side, the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) says that using the Internet:

• 71% reduce recruitment costs.
• 41% increase speed of hiring.

Concurrently, there is a surge of momentum towards online recruitment advertising in the UK. In The Success of Online Recruitment Advertising, Onrec.com reports rapid growth due to enhanced audience engagement, measurability, and targeting with the online process. Their numbers demonstrate how success breeds success:

• 72% of online job seekers applied for jobs.
• 65% of online seekers gained interviews.
• 56% of interviewees got the jobs.

Additional benefits are expected when companies extend their recruitment strategies to employment branding. This is where Web 2.0 technologies come into play to make recruiting more personal and intuitive.

Enhance Media saw this trend and projected that The internet will be the UK’s largest recruitment medium by 2008!

UK Online Ad Revenues Predicted to Overtake TV in 2009 according to the World Advertising Research Center – with recruitment at the forefront.

Classified web advertising saw a 54% year-on-year leap to £585.3m in 2007, recruitment firms leading the pack with 25.7% market share.

Yet, in our study Careers Site Recruiting in the FTSE 100 Companies: A Missed Opportunity last year, 49% of companies were still relying on email or physical CVs to drive their process. UK companies can seize this opportunity and create competitive advantage with eRecruiting. The data on jobseeker and recruiter use of the Internet and the benefits proves the tipping point is here.