Total Resource Development Campaign 2002
The Augusta All Stars: Commitment to Community

The Augusta Metro and Columbia County Chamber of Commerce serves as the voice of the business community, and the strength of our voice is a factor of our collective membership. That's why the 2002 Total Resource Development Campaign, from July 25 Ð Sept. 26, will be the most aggressive in the history of the Chamber with an unprecedented goal of $300,000.

This year nearly 100 volunteers from area businesses will be helping us achieve our goal by inviting new members and by securing event sponsorships from area businesses. Seventeen volunteer teams will be under the direction of 2002 Campaign Co-Chairmen Warren Daniel (President of Group & Benefits Consultants, Inc.) and Terry Gunn (President and CEO of Doctors Hospital). Campaign vice-chairs are Sandra Davis (First Bank), Carolyn Tynan (Georgia Power), Ginger Tyra (Doctors Hospital) and Ricardo Bonner (Wachovia Bank). The theme of this year's campaign is "The Augusta All-Stars, Commitment to Community." Weekly reward sessions will promote our local sporting events and venues while motivating the campaign volunteers. Incentives such as cash and trips will be awarded to our top volunteers.

Volunteers will be promoting the fact that the Chamber of Commerce plays an integral role in the growth and prosperity of our community by serving as an advocate for community issues such as economic development, air service, environment, workforce development and other quality of life initiatives. We are working together for Augusta's economic vitality and quality of life. Businesses will benefit from Chamber membership by receiving savings of "percent to 6 percent on group health, short term disability, long term disability, long term care, dental, life and workers compensation insurance through Chamber member insurance agents. Additionally, participation in the Drugs Don't Work program will allow member businesses to receive a 7% discount on Workers Compensation insurance. New members also receive a free ribbon cutting, a free listing on our web site and in our membership directory, free participation in our Small Business Roundtable, one free table-top display at a Business After Hours event (a $75 value) and discounted tickets to our monthly, quarterly and annual events. And don't forget that discounted products and services are available through our "member to member" discount program. If you or your company has not joined a campaign team, please call Shawn Hackett today to get involved. The Augusta Metro and Columbia County Chamber of Commerce is working to help businesses succeed and move our community forward. We appreciate your commitment to the 2002 Total Resource Development Campaign.

The Business Corner: E-Recruiting
by Dr. Dalton E. Brannen, SPHR
Professor of Management, Augusta State University

In the past recruiting employees consisted primarily of newspaper advertising and using employment agencies. Other common recruiting sources include job fairs, colleges and schools, and the use of professional or industry associations. These traditional means are still viable approaches as a part of a comprehensive recruiting strategy, which now must include the Internet or electronic recruiting. Internet recruiting can be quicker, less expensive, and provide a wider geographic reach. The downside to e-recruiting is that the prospective employer receives too many applicants and applications from unqualified job seekers or from those who are not really serious.

There are a number of ways to use the Internet in recruiting employees. One is to use the major general purpose job boards to post your open positions and to search for applicants who have posted their information. The larger of these sites are HotJobs.com and Monster.com, with the latter claiming to have 15 million resumes on file. There are niche sites, which cater to specific kinds of jobs such as computerjobs.com, geographic areas such as washingtonjobs.com, and for higher paying senior level jobs such as 6figurejobs.com. Some sites are free, some are fee, some are a combination, and others also sell software, which allows the prospective employer to scan resumes for keywords, ask screening questions, and have features to track and contact candidates. The University System of Georgia owns a unique college-targeted site that allows students and alumni of all the system's colleges and universities to list their resume in the statewide database for review by employers. The site, GeorgiaHire.com, also permits employers to post job openings. Many companies list their openings on their web site and have a means to apply and to answer screening questions. Most private and public employment agencies are online, including the Georgia Department of Labor, and will list positions for employers. Trade or industrial associations may offer a job posting service and many professional associations have an online placement service. Some newspapers put their classified employment listings on their web site.

Listing an open position on the Internet will result in applicants, often in great quantities. The prospective employer must deal effectively with a large volume of applicants without eliminating the good candidates. Basic screening questions can be used on the applications such as asking their willingness to move and when they are prepared to start work. Screening programs enable keyword searches to select e-resumes that will be actually looked at. Some organizations use online tests including psychometric instruments, job knowledge and job skill exams. Some job boards allow applicants to submit audio/video clips of themselves. The usual cautions for job relatedness and disparate impact regarding improper employment discrimination apply to e-recruiting as well.

There are several cautions when doing e-recruiting. Do not rely on it entirely and ignore the traditional means, especially for local positions. Forget the want ad and limited space mentality, and instead provide any and all information which may attract a candidate. Retaining employees is more difficult since an angered employee can have a resume on a job board in minutes and be contacted by prospective employers by the end of the day. With the proliferation of online information regarding pay and benefits, employees can more easily make comparisons which may cause them to look elsewhere. Since e-recruiting makes external searches quicker and easier, there is a danger that employers may begin to neglect internal employee development and placement, exacerbating employee loyalty and retention.