It's among the top five activities that Indians do online. Since 2004-05 the number of internet users seeking jobs online has increased by 71 per cent from 3.8 million in 2004-05 to 6.5 million in 2005-06 and to 9.2 million in 2006-07, according to a survey by Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI). |
Big numbers translate into more number of recruiters and companies flocking at the portal to hook job seekers. The numbers also bring in the money. Portals ascertain leadership positions primarily on the basis of daily traffic to the site, number of active resumes and size of databases. |
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Timesjob.com claims to be the No. 1 job portal in India on the basis of having the largest database of active resumes (less than six-months old). Naukri.com too is a claimant for the numero uno position. |
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But numbers alone will not suffice. How do companies differentiate the quality of services of one portal from the other? Moreover, there is a 20-22 per cent duplication of CVs between any two job portals, according to a recent study commissioned by Monsterindia.com. Besides, no site maintains a matrix of the conversion rates of registering a CV with a portal and getting a job. |
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R Sundar, president, Times Business Solutions, TimesJobs.com explains, "A job portal is a platform for job seekers and recruiters. As such tracking conversion rate is not possible and it is the number of active resumes that defines value to clients." |
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Also the current e-recruitment market is largely built on scale rather than on niches. For example in the IT sector, internet recruitment contributes anywhere between 20-30 per cent whereas in traditional sectors such as manufacturing, job sites contribute anywhere between high single digits to 20 per cent. |
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"There is plenty of potential for entry of new players who will create value propositions that consumers/employers are seeking," notes Dhruv Shenoy, VP marketing, Monsterindia.com. |
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However, the absence of niche players does not indicate an absence of innovation within the space. Last year, Naukri.com launched its mobile platform with plans to make the recruitment experience seamless, platform and device agnostic. |
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"This allows recruiters to instantly contact candidates and allows candidates to instantly apply to jobs," says Vineet Singh, senior VP and head international sales, Naukri.com. |
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ClickJobs.com, on the other hand, is offering value-added services like validating of user telephone numbers and e-mail addresses. "A validated database saves 40-60 per cent of the recruiters time," says Joe Felix, senior VP sales, ClickJobs.com. |
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The differentiation is also being highlighted in companies' print and television campaigns. While the strategy of ClickJobs, a BharatMatrimony enterprise, is to tap passive job seekers and people happy with their current jobs by integrating its database with BharatMatrimony.com, its 'Happy Kumar' television campaign also highlights the same whereas Monsterindia.com is addressing the 'caught in the wrong job mindset' of people through its commercials. |
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The Indian online recruitment industry, "will record revenues of Rs 400 crore this financial year and grow at an estimated 70 per cent," asserts Shenoy. The numbers and innovation game of job portals should do the trick. |
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