Online Matchmakers

Philippine Business interviewed three of today’s top e-recruitment boards—JobsDB Philippines, JobStreet.com Philippines, and Trabaho.com. From simple online job boards in the mid-1990s, these modern-day “matchmakers” have evolved into high-tech and sophisticated career resource sites.

Jayjay Viray, Country Manager

JobsDB.com Philippines
JobsDB.com Philippines is one of 12 branches in Asia of the Hong Kong-based JobsDB.com Internet recruitment network and has over one million subscribers as of June 2005.

On online recruitment in the country vis-à-vis international trends
Online recruitment has become more increasingly used not only in countries with high Internet penetration rates and higher levels of IT infrastructures and innovations but also in regions with less-developed IT applications and usage. Businesses in advanced countries were ahead in utilizing this technology, but the Philippines has caught up with the trend. Based on our studies, 60% of corporations in the country today have slowly shifted from traditional to online job ad placements because of the benefits of Internet recruiting.

On the benefits of online recruitment to companies and job seekers
Online recruitment saves job seekers time and money. Applicants can easily surf for jobs 24/7. It would cost a jobseeker, on average, P150 a day if he uses traditional means, while it only costs him about P20 to P50 an hour online. For employers, online recruitment offers an extremely convenient, efficient, and cost-effective platform to look for good hires. Résumés go straight to the HR recruiter’s inbox right after a prospective applicant uploads it. An HR recruiter can also receive as many as 100 résumés in a day, a number that would take him a month if he uses traditional means. Online job posting is also cheaper and can reduce spending on newspaper ads, job fairs, headhunter fees, and mailing costs. It can display an ad for a long period of time, unlike print ads. Moreover, advertising job opportunities on the Web allows firms to attract high-caliber applicants because of the presumption that better-educated and computer-savvy individuals frequent the Net more than anyone else.

On skills of Filipino applicants
Filipino workers are creative, resourceful, and highly flexible. If properly motivated, they can go an extra mile for you. They are adaptive and can be easily trained. Today’s lack of better jobs and high unemployment rate also made them less selective about work. These traits work to their advantage because employers today value multitasking skills. However, there’s also another negative picture of the country’s labor market. The younger generation does not last long in their jobs. They tend to look only at benefits in the short-term and are less perceptive of company growth needs and strategies. Today’s young workers demand higher salaries without realizing that salary levels correlate with experience and skills.

Mary Grace Colet, General Manager

JobStreet.com Philippines
A partnership between JobStreet Corporation Berhad based in Malaysia and the JG Summit Group, JobStreet now boasts of seven branches in Asia.

On the benefits of online recruitment to companies and job seekers
Online recruitment aids companies in making more information available to more people. Because it constantly updates online visitors of new job opportunities, it helps them make informed decisions on which company and what position to apply for. It also informs them in advance what particular skills are needed or needs to be developed to get the desired job. Companies, on the other hand, benefit from the extensive reach and interactive features of online channels. [Our] matching technologies pinpoint qualified applicants from a large database who fit certain job requirements and enable employers to target highly qualified applicants even if these candidates are not actively looking for a job.

On skills of Filipino applicants
I think there is a need for a closer coordination between the business sector and the educational sector to align the needs of various industries in the next five years with school curricula. Filipinos are fast learners and are known in the international labor market to be hardworking. Our English proficiency and high trainability cannot also be discounted. If we can only be more forward-looking in terms of planning for our skills development programs and not only react to current trends, we can compete well in the international market.

Roger Chua, President

Trabaho.com
Trabaho.com was the first job recruitment site in the country and a brainchild of Web Philippines, an Internet business solutions provider that specializes in website assessment, planning, design and development, and management.

On the benefits of online recruitment to companies and job seekers
Online recruitment serves as a complementary medium to get hires not reached by newspapers and other conventional means. It can reach “hidden markets” and remote areas where a large number of potential applicants are found. Because online recruitment is borderless, it can reach remote workers in countries around the world. Overseas Filipino workers with expired contracts, for instance, who want to find work in advance before they return home, can just access the sites.

On skills of Filipino applicants
The county has much to offer to the rest of the world because of our population and our pool of young and skilled people. Our exposure to Western culture, sense of individualism and creativity, good command of the English language, and good IT skills provide us with an edge. However, we still lack high-tech businesses that can accommodate these skills. We may still be at the level where only certain technical skills are tapped or used, i.e., first-level support. We have a good pool of qualified workers—from human resources and marketing-related services to accounting, finance, medical, and other highly specialized services. Recent developments show a growing trend for projects related to data process outsourcing, in-house back-office operations, and other shared service centers. These organizations may require higher-skilled manpower than what were needed in pure outsourcing organizations, but with our qualified labor pool, I think we will fare well.

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