Online Job Boards Bridging Gap Between Job Seekers, Employers

The job market is driven by two determining sides of employers as providers of job opportunities and employees who seek to grab the same. For the two sides to interact efficiently, detailed knowledge about each other is necessary.

With the development of digital interactions, more and more job seekers are turning to online sites as they can be time-saving and cost effective, while providing both employees and employers with a wide range of options.

Online job boards play an undeniable role in facilitating job search by effectively matching applicants with appropriate employment positions.

“Online employment websites greatly reduce the recruitment costs for employers and companies. Moreover, the role of these sites in speeding up the process of informing both job seekers and employers of the job market situation is undeniable,” says Asieh Hatami, managing director of Iran Talent, in an exclusive interview with Financial Tribune.

Iran Talent is a leading online job site in Iran, launched in 2003. According to Hatami, at the beginning, Iran Talent’s sole goal was to assist international firms operating in Iran in finding suitable Iranian professionals for their firms; hence, the website was designed entirely in English.

“However, as time passed, the job site expanded its horizons and now as many as 4,000 domestic and international companies use Iran Talent as a source of finding applicants,” she said.

According to Hatami, Iran Talent’s database has over 800,000 resumes of Iranian specialists in different industries and job categories, which makes the website the biggest job site in the country.

  Job Boards vs. Recruitment Agencies

Job boards are not to be confused with recruitment agencies where job seekers have to be present to fill out forms and consult human resources experts.

Hatami noted that recruitment agencies serve as a go-between between companies and the prospective workforce by analyzing resumes, interviewing applicants and introducing them to respective employers.

“On the other hand, job sites do not interfere in employer-employee interaction; they only provide the platform for both sides. They simply screen resumes and applicants, and match possible candidates with relevant job positions using advanced software and algorithms. What happens next is up to the two sides,” she said.

Employment agencies are run by HR experts, whereas job boards are run by a team of computer experts with a lot of technology savvy.

The managing director stressed the equal importance of both recruitment agencies and online job sites by saying that they both have their own special role in the job market.

“For some cities, areas and/or professions, recruitment agencies are much more effective. Some 80% of job seekers who submit resumes on Iran Talent are experienced while the remaining 20% are graduates with low or no relevant job experience,” she said.

Hatami said the proportion of male-to-female applicants is 70-30%.

“Recruitment agencies can effectively shorten the time of finding relevant candidates for companies. However, in addition to saving time, job sites offer far more options for employers to choose from. While, let’s say, an employment agency presents five candidates to a company for a job position, a job board can offer 100 to 200 relevant applicants,” she said.

The managing director said the chances of a job posting being seen on the Internet by job seekers are higher than, for example, in newspapers.

Hatami noted that on average, 10,000 job seekers submit their resumes on Iran Talent every month, while an average of 700-800 jobs are posted by employers and recruiters on the website monthly.

  Downturn in Recruitment Market

Based on a report by Mehr News Agency, the rate of job applications submitted to recruitment agencies across the country had a 60-70% decline during the three months to June 21 compared with last year’s corresponding period.

Moreover, many agencies have been pushed out of the picture, as a result of their inability to cover their expenses while many have been forced to downsize.

Asked about the reasons behind this decline, Hatami regarded the knowledge of those running the agencies and management competency as the most important factors in running a recruitment agency.

She believes the agencies’ lack of skills such as screening curricula vitae or candidate evaluation play key roles in the expansion of these agencies.

“Agencies that are not willing to keep themselves up-to-date and expand to meet the demands of employers and job seekers are doomed,” she added.

According to Hatami, Iran Talent has two main sources of revenue. Employers either pay to post and advertise their job opportunities on the website or pay to search the website’s database of resumes to find the candidates themselves.

The site’s services are totally free for job seekers. What is more, job seekers are free to choose whether others can see or search their resumes or not.

Referring to the impact of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, the formal name of the nuclear deal Iran signed with world powers in 2015, on the job market, Hatami said after the implementation of the deal in January 2016, demand from both employers and job seekers increased since companies had long been planning to start new projects.

She said the required skills and a good working culture are two of the most important qualities employers look for in their candidates.

“I strongly believe job boards and recruitment agencies can play effective roles in connecting employers with job seekers, and bringing balance to the job market, if they operate with a professional policy,” Hatami concluded.

Iran Talent, a private institution, currently has 55 employees. It receives job postings and job applications from across the country.