Putting the candidate at the heart of online recruitment was the key message to emerge from a seminar organised by online recruitment consultancy Changeworknow held in London last month.

Phil Clark, HR manager at UK bookseller Waterstones, said that in designing its new online recruitment system, which went live in September, it had been vital for his team to put themselves in the shoes of candidates. “If I was the applicant, how would I feel at every stage of the process?” he asked. This also brought it into line with one of the company’s key values: respect.

The first stage of the new online recruitment process on Waterstones’ website is a questionnaire asking applicants to tell Waterstones about themselves. Candidates immediately receive an email, which tells them how much of a match they are for the position.

A further email asks them to elaborate on their past work experiences. “It’s only after this stage that they actually start making an application,” Clark explained.

Clark emphasised that communication with candidates is vital throughout. “Candidates get automatic and instant feedback at all stages,” he said.

This includes applicants who fail to get an interview, who are asked to contact the company if they want detailed feedback.

After six weeks, candidates who have not been succesful, but in whom Waterstones is still interested in employing, are asked if they want to
stay in the talent pool.

“Regular communication and feedback is important so the candidate feels the company is looking after them,” said Clark.

During the recruitment process candidates are clearly told about the company’s expectations and what the roles involve.

As a result, candidates don’t waste their time on applying for jobs for which they are not suited. Consequently 45% screen themselves out,
with a further 14% automatically screened out by the system.

Clark said the company had received many favourable comments from candidates about “how easy it is to use and how helpful”.

This was a huge improvement on the old system, where each branch did its own recruitment and the only feedback came from candidates making complaints.

The number of applicants has increased four to five fold, and has resulted in ” a higher calibre of candidate”, he added.

Earlier Lisa Proctor, sales and marketing director at Changeworknow, said there was a gap between the expectations of candidates and their experiences when applying online.

For example, 98% of candidates surveyed by Changeworknow considered immediate feedback as important or very important when applying to an online recruitment questionnaire, yet 25% said they never received such feedback. Not only did this damage an employer’s brand, it was also “inexcusable”, she said.