THE JOB SITE EVOLUTION

InsuranceJobChannel.com seeks to ride the next wave of sites for job seekers

By George "Rusty" Capulet

It did not take long for the Internet to become yet another way for job searchers to find gainful employment. In fact, the rapid increase in the use of the Internet for such endeavors gave rise to Monster.com, a company that, soon after its creation, was able to trumpet its availability on the most expensive advertising venue on television--the Super Bowl. But many now believe that sites that try to be all things to all people will be replaced by boutique operations that specialize by industry and level of employment. Job boards that simply list openings will give way to career sites designed to pre-qualify applicants so that the HR nightmare of reviewing hundreds of applications for one position can be circumvented.

"Recent statistics reveal that 91% of Global 500 companies are now using career sites compared to 29% in 1998," according to Michael P. Tornesello, president of Yorkshire Place, Ltd., Natick, Massachusetts. "The same study reveals that 16% of all new hires came from career sites, while less than 4% came from job boards."

Based on the indicated changes in the way job seekers are using the Internet, Yorkshire formed InsuranceJobChannel.com (IJC) to provide insurance clients with transparent links to their own Web sites and career site segments and functions. Yorkshire Place grew out of Yorkshire Group, which serviced the insurance community in search, recruitment, and placement for more than 20 years. Using their expertise in insurance recruitment, the executives at Yorkshire include creation of a career site for clients that don't already have one as part of the offerings provided by IJC.

Showcasing job opportunities

The unsettled insurance market conditions have created an obsession with the need for hiring qualified candidates as quickly as possible. At the same time, there is an equally strong obsession with expense control. IJC satisfies both these needs.

Mike notes that "traditional search and recruiting practices in the insurance industry have been very time consuming and costly, especially at the executive and professional level. And, while the process has been less costly at the staff and line levels, the results for employment of the most qualified individuals have been disappointing. It is not unusual for openings to be unfilled for months at a time."

"Many agencies don't have career sites or job descriptions for openings," Mike notes. "So we can help them create a career site as part of an inexpensive package of services. We also have a number of boilerplate job descriptions that they can use to customize their own unique descriptions or just use as is. In addition to helping with recruiting from outside, this also becomes an effective tool for promotion within the agency or company."

InsuranceJobChannel.com has been retained by Nationwide Insurance to create a career site program for the company and its network of agents. It expects to process thousands of recruiting transactions through this one program on an annual basis. "The Nationwide Insurance program will be used as a showcase program for other companies to adopt with their agency base," Mike points out.

Streamlining the job search process

For candidates seeking employment, IJC provides easy access through listings that can be sorted by insurance industry segment, location and/or product line. Job seekers can quickly find and scan specific insurance agency and company career sites in their desired geographic preference.

Let's say, for example, a stay-at-home parent with a background as a commercial lines CSR is sitting at her home computer, wondering about the possibility of working part time or full time. She might log out onto InsuranceJobChannel.com and see a number of job openings at agencies in her metropolitan area.

That gives her an idea, first, of what the overall job climate might be. It also links her to the agencies themselves, where she immediately learns something about each of the firms. She is able to study any job description that sounds intriguing and provide any of the firms with a resume immediately by e-mail.

"Career sites give agencies and companies the opportunity to immediately provide all necessary information online at a low cost," Mike points out. "Job candidates are able to easily access job and other information, responding immediately to potential employers, not only with a completed resume or application form but with attachments of any kind relating to their experience and qualifications. The process is more efficient, expeditious, and successful for all parties." *