The Internet's promise of increased speed and efficiency is redefining expectations and strategies in the recruiting market, according to a report by International Data Corp.

IDC found clients are demanding quicker turnaround and increased efficiencies, whether they are seeking senior executives or temporary employees. And to meet these heightened expectations, traditional recruiters are transitioning their brick-and-mortar practices to click-and-mortars. "Traditional recruiters can no longer ignore the impact of the Internet or online competition on their business," said Christopher Boone, lead analyst for IDC's eRecruiting research program. IDC believes executive search firms, which have been slow to move online for fear of losing their "personal touch," should emphasize their "high-touch" approach as a core strength as they move online. According to a survey of nearly 1,000 recruiters by AIRS, a provider of Internet recruitment training and information services, the vast majority (73 percent) of recruiters are on the Internet every day looking for candidates. Seventeen percent turn to the Net once a week, 7 percent use the Net once a month and only 3 percent do not source from the Internet. The AIRS survey also found that Internet sourcing is a relatively new concept for corporations and recruiters. Two-thirds of recruiters have less than two years of e-recruiting experience and only 34 percent of recruiters had between two and five years of Internet expertise.