Optimization of Job Boards and the Graduate Recruitment Process

Abstract

This chapter aims to enable organizations to optimize their use of job boards and the graduate recruitment process based on feedback from university students and recent graduates of their lived experiences. A theoretical framework of signaling theory is applied. A sample of 321 university students and recent graduates in Australia completed an online survey incorporating quantitative and qualitative elements during the COVID-19 pandemic. Opportunities for job board optimization include increasing the relevance of search results, providing metrics about the company, and increasing integration between applicants and organizations to facilitate communication. Opportunities for optimization of the recruitment process include the removal of unnecessary stages to reduce time investment of applicants, increasing clarity of requirements and providing timely and constructive feedback. Implications come from informing the human resource strategy for early careers talent acquisition. Optimization of the process can offer competitive advantage, cost savings, and organizational sustainability.