HR Solutions: Packages, focuses vary at online recruiting sites

The primary technique for recruiting on the Internet is fee-based sites with both job posting and resume database review services. Job seekers around the world will consider your opportunity for many days rather than just a few local people reading the help-wanted section of the newspaper on one day.

The No. 1 site by far is monster.com, recognized for holding first place for the past two years. The site boasts of more than 9.7 million unique visits per month, 2.5 million resumes in the database and 250,000 job postings.

Advertisements run for 60 days. An announcement is listed according to job title and date received. Accordingly, placement will depend upon the number of ads accepted after yours. This is critical because the higher your opening is cited in the list, the greater the chance a candidate will respond to your ad instead of one from another company.

The fee for one position is $225. The price per ad decreases with volume purchases. To examine resumes, a single user pays $4,800 for three months and the charge increases to up to $75,000 for 50 users for one year.

Memberships for both services begin at $6,500 for 10 positions and three months of access to the resumes by one person. The top package is $82,800 and includes 200 jobs and resume perusal by 20 users for one year.

Hold onto your hats because the second- and third-ranked sites will merge in the third quarter of 2000. Headhunter.net and CareerMosaic.com will become Headhunter.net. Until then, however, they will continue to function as two separate companies. Headhunter.net experiences 3.5 million job seekers visiting per month and maintains 450,000 resumes and 150,000 job postings.

A three-month resume analysis period for one user is $1,500, six months is $2,400 and one year is $3,600. Discounts are available for usage by multiple associates in your company.

Ads run for 30 days. Pricing depends upon how close to the top of the job listing you want your notice placed. For example, an easy-to-fill position in a geographic area without competition for applicants is $50, since few will be listed. Most companies purchase job postings costing $100.

Thirteen additional rates guarantee higher positioning of your announcement in the list. This incremental increase in billing options is appealing if you have extremely hard-to-fill assignments in geographic areas with dire shortages of candidates. Volume discounts are available.

Sales representatives provide custom pricing for companies desiring to purchase both ad placement and resume analysis services.

CareerMosaic.com manages 5 million visits per month, 150,000 resumes and 120,000 advertisements. One individual evaluating resumes for a period of six months is figured at $600 and one year is $995. The fee is $7,500 for 10 users. Further packages are obtainable.

Job postings last 30 days. One ad is $160. Job packs begin at 10 listings for $1,400 and cap at $6,000 for unlimited positions. Automatic distribution of job openings to more than 30 partners is a free feature. These additional Web sites include television/radio stations and sites in the fields of accounting, health care, insurance, sales, information technology, manufacturing and science.

Businesses not recruiting on the Internet are definitely missing out. Get online today and get off ground zero in filling your openings!

(Lynne Haggerman is president/owner of Haggerman & Associates, an employment, management training, human resources consulting and outplacement firm.)