2007 was the year of social networking, and such websites show no sign of receding in the recruitment sector in the next 12 months. But what else can we expect to see maing the hi-tech headlines in 2008? Sue Weekes spoke to those whose livelihood depends on living near the cutting edge

Bruce Stander, managing director, Optimal Internet (e-recruitment specialist and managed service provider)
Many agencies are going to be asking themselves how they can make technology work harder for them. The availability of more intelligent statistical data shows what sort of a return they are getting from their online systems. In a bid to be more competitive, alongside factors like the credit crunch we may face in 2008, they will have to be more careful with their budgets when it comes to online spend. Online solutions must focus on cost-effective coverage, targeted results and clear returns on investment for the recruiter. We see the need for improved candidate experience on websites being an area of particular focus. Creating a more interactive experience for them is key to attract, retain and convert candidates in a highly competitive market. Live help systems, for instance, that pop up when a candidate visits the site, can help to establish initial contact with them. It’s a case of tying technology in to give an enhanced user experience, but also adding value for the recruiter. Come 2009 we could be looking at a radically different recruiting landscape, but in 2008, above all else, it is vital that technology delivers what it says it can. It’s all about being on the cutting edge of technological developments but, crucially, it is also about being able to apply these to the benefit of both the client and candidate — it comes back to cost versus return again.

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Wynnwith Group, the technical staffing company headquartered in Woking, Surrey, is pleased to announce the launch of a new permanent career search and selection website, www.wynnwith-perm.com, as the company continues to strive forward with its strategic growth plans.

The new site provides clients and candidates with a centralised environment to fully exploit the wide range of recruitment support services available across the aerospace, construction, defence and rail sectors.

Commenting on the launch of the new online portalwhich was developed by Optimal Internet, Declan Jones, managing director of Wynnwith’s Permanent division said: “Notwithstanding the fact that the Wynnwith Group culture is based on relationship building with both our clients and candidates, we believe that the new portal will add to the client and candidate experience by delivering additional online services. We are confident that clients will benefit from the ability to fully document their requirements and get the search and selection team working on their recruitment needs as quickly as possible.

From the candidate’s perspective, they will receive support in enhancing and refining their career search activities, as we help them with their CV writing skills and improve their interview techniques.”

Julian Morison, CEO of Wynnwith Group confirms: “It is an exciting time for Wynnwith Group as we continue to expand our market share and presence. The launch of the new portal demonstrates our ongoing commitment to providing our clients and candidates with an all-encompassing recruitment service.”

Specialist IT Recruitment Agency, System Recruitment, announces the launch of their new website which includes state of the art recruitment features and brand new technology. System Recruitment have been in the IT market since 2000 and are focused on delivering comprehensive and scalable solutions to any technical staffing requirements. Their background in IT provides candidates and clients with a profound understanding of their requirements which highlights their integrity in this competitive market. They are looking to a new era by transforming their website into a highly effective e-business tool. The new site will help them find new candidates and clients and will also give people more choice when searching the web for a specialist IT recruitment consultancy.

“We have been looking to develop our on-line presence for some time and the OptimalRec System has provided us with the perfect platform. Their knowledge of the recruitment industry is reflected in the simplicity of use of the back office system. We are very proud of our new site, Bruce and his team have been very pro-active, professional and a pleasure to work with”, said Jon Hiller, Director of System Recruitment Ltd.

Based on the OptimalRec system developed by Optimal Internet, System Recruitment’s advance into the E-Recruitment arena has taken a leap forward. OptimalRec, a proven E-recruitment managed service, provides System Recruitment with a highly optimised website which will give them a distinct competitive advantage within the IT recruitment market. The way OptimalRec works is by focusing on marketing strategies which compliments a Consultancy’s website in order to provide growing returns on investment. Consultancies utilising OptimalRec enjoy the success from specific E-Recruitment marketing, all taken care of by the managed service so they can concentrate on recruitment whilst OptimalRec takes care of their entire online marketing campaign.

“Working with System Recruitment has been a rewarding experience”, Bruce Stander, Managing Director of Optimal Internet Limited commented. “We have a clear definition of where System Recruitment want to be in the market and their focus on the IT market has resulted in a site which will offer a complete solution in their particular area of expertise. The way System Recruitment’s growth strategy aligns itself with Optimal Internets business strategy provides for an exciting future relationship for both our companies”.

System Recruitment’s new site can be viewed at: www.system-uk.com

iTS have recently enjoyed some impressive online growth after being upgraded to the latest version of OptimalRec from Optimal Internet. Only a year after a major website upgrade, did they undergo a further design and technology upgrade in line with the OptimalRec managed service, which provides for technology upgrades during the contract period.

Not only is the new site easier to navigate and search for jobs, but the technology employed to enhance search engine positioning and brand awareness has seen some impressive jumps in online statistics. Notably, these were an 82% increase in traffic, site visit time up 32%, a 93% increase in traffic from Google and a 10% increase in CV Registrations all measured between 1 September 2007 and 1 October 2007.

“We’ve seen a dramatic upward trend in activity from our website. The OptimalRec service upgrade has proved great value to our company in taking note of e-recruitment performance, advertising spend and return on investment from our own website acting as a highly refined marketing tool. Most of all, the site has derived real business leads with a great growth potential and this clearly gives us an edge!” remarked Roger Dursley, Managing Director of iTS European

Constant partnership development and technology enhancements have seen increased exposure of client sites and jobs through a network of UK specific job search engines, all powered by custom built RSS feeds which come as standard with OptimalRec.

“Our service is designed to provide a well rounded e-recruitment solution based on a managed service, which ensures our clients remain technologically up to date, their sites are always current, their jobs are updated in seconds throughout our partnership network and there is constant proactive online marketing activity to maintain search engine ranking and brand awareness. This is the fundamental cornerstone of OptimalRec, which has seen significant growth in sales over the last 3 months.” commented Bruce Stander, Managing Director of Optimal Internet.

The benefits of OptimalRec are designed to raise a return on investment through the use of your own website by turning it in to a viable business tool. iTS continue to enjoy this success as part of their growth plan.

Specialist Technical and Engineering Recruitment Agency, Astute Technical Recruitment, is delighted to announce the launch of its new web site featuring the latest online recruitment technology.

The site has been developed to enhance Astute’s image, and as a business tool to allow for more efficient recruitment processes for both candidate and client. Candidates can register, search jobs, set up RSS feeds and upload their CVs, with a number of further exciting enhancements set to follow.

Astute’s Operations Director, Darren Simmons, commented “We’re delighted with the website. It is a critical part of our development plan, helping us to establish technical credibility within our chosen sectors. We aim to stay abreast of the latest technology, such as RSS Job Feeds for candidates, and will work closely with Optimal Internet to take a leading position in major search engines through the use of their OptimalRec managed service.”

The web site has been developed by Optimal Internet Limited who specialise in the recruitment market providing leading edge web technology solutions to recruitment consultancies of any size. The focus is on deliverance of a highly customised, fully functional website, which sits on a technology platform developed by Optimal Internet to offer a highly effective, optimised website.

“We have thoroughly enjoyed working with Terry (Buckel, Astute MD) and Darren as their company was founded in 2006 and already are looking to grow significantly. Their vision was very specific and they were clear where they want their business to grow. The fact that we have delivered a business critical application which takes every candidate and client requirement in to account will now truly enable Astute to take the next step in its growth process.” Bruce Stander, Managing Director of Optimal Internet Limited commented.

Astute’s new site can be viewed at www.astutetechnical.co.uk

Workcircle, the UK job search engine, and Optimal Internet, the recruitment solutions web technology provider have teamed up to drive more high-quality jobseekers to Optimal’s client sites.

Optimal creates recruitment websites for clients as a managed service, giving them all the flexibility of an advanced recruitment site, without the headaches of building or managing the site. An essential part of this service is driving traffic to the sites, to maximise the quality applications that their clients receive.

“Building a recruitment site and not driving traffic to it is a waste of money”, says Bruce Stander, MD of Optimal Internet, “but buying traffic is a complex business, and it’s easy to overpay and get jobseekers who aren’t suited to the vacancies you have”.

So Optimal has teamed up with Workcircle, the UK’s premier search engine for jobs. Workcircle sources jobseekers through massive dynamic ad campaigns across the major search engines, and funnels them towards exactly the right jobs on its customer’s sites. Workcircle lists hundreds of thousands of current job vacancies from job boards, agencies and employers across the UK, and uses advanced search technology to ensure that the right candidates find the right jobs. “When a candidate finds their job on Workcircle, when they click on the job in our listings, they’re sent straight through to the actual job on the advertiser’s site”, says Simon Appleton, CEO of Workcircle. “This gives the advertiser full control over the application process, and let’s them build a direct relationship with the candidate”.

Optimal’s client sites are now tightly integrated with Workcircle – automatically updating their listings on Workcircle, and tracking jobseekers received. “Working with Workcircle has helped us offer an even better solution to our clients”, says Stander, “and we’re looking forward to developing new services and technology with Workcircle”.

Appleton’s pleased too, “It’s great to find a company that’s pushing online recruitment solutions forward”, he says, “and Optimal Internet has proved the perfect partner”.

www.optimalinternet.co.uk

www.workcircle.com