Past Poll Results - Keep Britain Working: Practical Ideas to Keep People in Employment

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There should be one job site that shows every available job in the UK. 15th Feb Agree Disagree

82%

18%

Connecting people to jobs

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Past comments

Sara Lloyd-Knibbs
sara.lloyd-knibbs@reedglobal.c
18/02/2010

If that were to be done, we'd need a whole lot of resources/manpower to be poured into producing, maintaining and developing it. The massive potential benefits are obvious, the whole thing'd be about streamlining the process for everyone involved. But the website and whoever ran it, would be in a position of big responsibility in multiple ways.

For example, an assessment would have to be made about how sensitive information was stored. Many sites let you upload your CV to them, to submit whenever you apply for something. Convenient, but is having the CV of everyone in the country in one place a good idea? How would access be controlled? What if jobseekers had to register with the agency/recruiter externally, and all that was forwarded with the covering letter was an agency-specific reference number (but no actual file) so that the agency had to look up the applicant's details on their own database. More security, less storage needed on the system, but reduced ease of use. There's a lot to weigh up, I think.

And we really have to focus on of use. As a jobseeker, I always found that there were some jobsites I "got on with" and some I didn't. Much of that was based on the search function and how listings were displayed. Some jobsites are very good, some can be harder work, but they all could be improved. If there were a Universal Site, then the team designing it would be responsible for creating something universally appealing and easy to use for everyone, regardless of sector, age or experience. Without other [online] options, it would have to be the most specific search, the clearest listings, the simplest application process - in short the best website ever and possible. A single website would likely also encourage people who have never used online searching before to try it, making ease of use paramount again.

All that said, the idea had enormous potential. It'd be a chance to create an amazing tool for people across the UK, but I think to fully capitalise on the opportunity the 'process' would have to be revolutionised. At Reed, we get duplicate records. This adds to my belief that if we found ourselves in the situation where the project got the funding to go ahead, I don't think people should be able to sign up online. That probably sounds crazy - "what's the point of a website, then?" But what I think would be better, if there was a single website, would be candidates having to go in to an authorised agency's closest branch and register for an account in person. After this one-off visit, they could log in, search and apply for any job from home, but it would ensure that every account on there had 'clean', complete, up-to-date records. All the boxes ticked, all sections filled correctly. The agency could even do preliminary documentation checking - all applicants for any job on the website would then have already proved eligibility to work.

Of course, it'd have to be by appointment - there'd be a flood otherwise. And agencies might need some kind of incentive to donate so much time - although hopefully the opportunity to connect with all the local candidates would be one in itself. Logistically it would take effort and planning. But if there were a single 'site, I think it would be worth everyone involved making the investment in all the areas it would take to make it right.

And I'm actually not only thinking about agencies etc. There's a lot of talk - and rightly so - about youth unemployment, and getting them into work. Well, how about in year 11, all students get registered to the website at school? Literally put jobseeking on the curriculum. Ensure that come their 16th birthday, our youth are signed up, have an effective CV, know how to search for a job/write a covering letter.

A single site would be our chance to overhaul how we go about filling vacancies in this country. It could be a massive step forward. But is there enough support, funding and commitment out there? I don't think so.

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