Is going online the main way to reach my talent?

by Alice Snell | January 16, 2006 No comments

Now and then we receive this question which is one variation of the statement:

My managers dont believe the people we are looking for are on the Internet. Is it smart for us to use that channel exclusively?

Most of the time, those managers are wrong. Indeed, the latest Pew survey shows for the US that 83% of the people below 50 years old are using the Internet. But it gets better.

Internet use goes to 92% if you are looking for people with a college degree in any age group. And 94% of people making $75,000 a year are online.

What if you pay your people less than $30,000 a year? You still have 54% reach across all ages. Is Internet use universal? Not yet. But if you are betting on this trend and using the Internet as the main and recommended way to interact with your future employees, the answer is yes.

If your managers are still not convinced, a humorous response might be to look for the most unusual job descriptions online. These responses came over the Internet and were collected by a CareerBuilder.Com survey.

Heres a sample of what they found:

Window washer for skyscrapers
Ocean scuba guide
Karate instructor
Lifeguard at nude beach
X-mas tree decorator

Alice Snell

Alice Snell

Former Vice President, Taleo Research

Alice Snell is former Vice President of Taleo Research. Ms. Snell has been tracking and analyzing the intersection between technology and talent management for more than a decade. A noted […]