E-recruitment and merit employee selection. An HR paradox

Abstract

The technological advancement makes it imperative for organisations to run human resources processes online. This paper examines the effectiveness of e recruitment most especially on its appropriateness in selecting the best candidates since the method does not provide the room for personal touch. The study employed cross sectional research design with the target population of 420 HR Officers from the Tanzanian Roads Authority (TANROAD), Tanzania mainland. The researcher used systematic sampling technique to obtain pre-determined 40 sample size. The findings indicate that, many organisations in Tanzania do not use e recruitment due to poor ICT infrastructures, unreliable electricity power, wrong perception of recruiters on e recruitment and some weaknesses associated with e recruitment method. The findings indicated further that, e recruitment compromises objectivity since there are some attributes like emotional intelligence, confidence, body language that cannot be captured when conducting e recruitment. The study recommends the use of e recruitment by the employing organisations since its advantages outweigh the disadvantages. This can be achieved by changing the mindsets of recruiters and investing more in ICT facilities.