As increasing numbers of people look to the internet to find new jobs, online recruitment sites are on the rise.

The way in which people go about looking for new jobs has changes dramatically over the last 5 years. The pavement pounding of agencies and constant redrafting of the CV has been largely replaced thanks to the onset and spread of online recruitment. As more and more people have looked to do their job hunting from home, the agencies have been busy getting themselves an internet presence to cater for the market shift.

The CIPD estimates that between 80% and 90% of job seekers use online resources to find prospective employment. This places the Internet as the second most popular method of job searching behind local newspapers and advertisements (http://www.cipd.co.uk). The internet is a captive market for recruitment agencies and they are swiftly capitalising on the online recruitment revolution by developing internet capabilities. All of the major agencies now have online capabilities to register and search for jobs online (http://www.robertwalters.com, http://www.joslinrowe.com). Whilst these agencies retain a traditional presence on high streets the movement towards online functionality is considerable.

The online recruitment marketplace is not confined to the large, full service agencies and has proved to be a breeding ground for smaller, niche agencies offering recruitment for specific market segments (http://www.rigot.co.uk, http://www.rigradiography.co.uk, http://www.rigsocialcare.co.uk). The sheer volume of online searches for recruitment services creates distinctive markets for niche agencies to increase a presence that may previously have been confined to specific locations or word of mouth within respective sectors.

For job seekers the choice and breadth of recruitment options is widened considerably. The opportunity to hunt for suitable employment from home reduces the time and effort traditionally spent on recruitment. For prospective employers the services provided by online recruitment agencies allows them to view prospective candidates and begin the recruitment process with greater ease, cutting the time spent on sifting through CV’s and arranging interviews. The online marketplace has become the first port of call for recruiter and candidates alike, providing an initial meeting point and signalling the first stage in the recruitment process. While traditional methods such as newspaper advertising still prevail, the online recruitment sector is booming and adds an alternative method of job search into the mix.