People4business managing director Duncan Taylor told Recruiter that the company has carried out a lot of work and research regarding usability of the site. One of the messages that came back “loud and clear’ was that those who source people from the site, most of whom are direct recruiters, are extremely busy and sensitive about how they spend their time.

“So anything you can give them that is going to speed up the process is very valuable,” he said. “Using the QR codes means that when someone sees a piece of information about a contractor or freelancer that is of interest to them - now or in the future - they can easily retain it.”

QR codes are two-dimensional barcodes which incorporate data that can be decoded by an inexpensive scanning application such as Optiscan for the iPhone. Users tap the barcode on the screen to capture the information and then activate the scanning application to decode it. The information it contains can then be saved to their phone’s contacts database. In the interests of information security, the individual’s name or contact details do not feature in the code but it includes job title, a brief profile, a direct weblink to the contractor or freelancer’s full profile page, and email and phone contacts for People4business if the recruiter then wants to engage the person.

Taylor explained that the codes are automatically and uniquely generated when the freelancer or contractor creates their profile on the site. It is believed to be the first time QR codes have been used in recruitment for this purpose and he said further applications for the mobile environment would follow. “We want to make life quick and easy for our buyers and will be looking to develop apps where the hiring person can define the assignment, type in the kind of individual they are looking for and our customer services team will pick it up and return a shortlist of people with those skills,” he said.

The QR codes are already active on the UK People4business website and are expected to follow on overseas franchised sites, which include Canada.
www.people4business.com