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Back in 1998, the year that two university students started up Google in their garage, the search capabilities of the Internet were lacklustre at best. That was the same year that Don Givelos, the managing partner of Toronto-based recruiting firm DGA Careers, launched his job search website, InsuranceWorks.ca. He believed then as he believes now that the Web will continue to change the way companies manage their hiring.

InsuranceWorks.ca is a resource for permanent, contract and temporary workers - and their prospective bosses - seeking employment in the insurance industry. While DGA Careers has not abandoned its bricks-and-mortar vantage point (it still runs a five-person, full-service recruiting shop), its Canadian site has become an important driver of new business, drawing 100,000 unique visitors a month. Mr. Givelos is also online in the United States and Europe, but, so far, the Canadian address is the real breadwinner.

Mr. Givelos had to work hard to prove InsuranceWorks.ca was a viable recruitment tool. To encourage use, the website was originally free for all - for job seekers who wanted to post résumés, and for employers who wanted to advertise jobs and search for candidates. "We almost had to educate our clients," he says. "We had to get out there and show them how it worked."

After three years, InsuranceWorks.ca finally started bringing in revenue. While job seekers can still use it for free, Mr. Givelos now charges a fee to employers and third-party recruiters, with a range of packages available. The best-value package, at $349, gives clients one job posting and 30 days to search résumés. At the other end of the scale, for $3,999, employers and recruiters receive alerts on new candidates who might be a good fit.

InsuranceWorks.ca now has a sizable clientele; at last count, 718 registered employers, 15,000 registered job seekers and 646 job opportunities. The site has a 45-per-cent success rate and offers a money-back guarantee, Mr. Givelos says.

About 35 to 40 per cent of Mr. Givelos's new business now comes from the Internet. He realizes he is no longer playing in an open field - the Internet is now accepted as basic job-search tool, and he is at risk of losing clients to multi-industry competitors such as Workopolis and Monster.ca. Mr. Givelos believes that, to survive, he must double his client base.

What the experts say

As chief operating officer of commercial insurance firm Baird MacGregor Insurance Brokers, it's not surprising Cindy Duncan finds it helpful that Mr. Givelos specializes in recruiting jobs for the insurance industry. She says that when her company used bigger recruitment sites, "We didn't get the exposure we needed."

Ms. Duncan thinks InsuranceWorks.ca's biggest problem is its lack of name recognition. "Everyone knows who Monster.ca is. Everyone knows who Workopolis is. But when I mentioned InsuranceWorks, no one in this office had heard of it."

David Lafond, vice-president and managing partner at advertising firm Publicis Modern in Toronto, agrees that name recognition is a must-have. To address this problem, he suggests that Mr. Givelos needs to be very clear about what his brand stands for and who his target market is before making a clear statement of what InsuranceWorks.ca will provide for its customers. Only then will Mr. Givelos be in a position to make the improvements to his website that will make it a better experience for users.

Finding a job is an overwhelming task, Mr. Lafond says, and right now, "overwhelming" is the best word to describe Mr. Givelos's website. He suggests a simpler site: one with less text and an opening page that directs employers along one distinct and user-friendly path, and job seekers along another.

There are still some lessons to be learned from traditional recruiting firms, Ms. Duncan says, who advises Mr. Givelos and his team attend as many industry events as possible, and spread their name. They should think about hosting a cocktail party for human resources managers, she says, or sending out a newsletter to prospective customers with helpful hints on topics such as hiring practices, non-compete clauses and relevant legislation.

Adding such value-added information to the website would give users another reason to visit, Ms. Duncan says. Specifically, she suggests job seekers and employers would probably respond well to an online salary centre that breaks out average salaries and benefits by job title.

Mr. Lafond agrees. He likes InsuranceWorks.ca's online videos demonstrating how to be a star in interviews, and those that profile prospective employers in the industry. But he thinks Mr. Givelos needs to do more to build a online community, a place where people know they will find everything they want to know about the insurance business. Discussion groups on finding a job or writing a résumé, or on topics directly related to insurance, for example, would help to bring people together. Bringing in a chief executive officer for an online question-and-answer session would also draw users to the site.

"Being a destination site is one thing, but you also need to be where insurance employers and job seekers are right now. You need to find me to get me in," Mr. Lafond says. Host discussions or post insurance-related videos on social network sites such as LinkedIn or Facebook, he says, to find and connect people within the industry.

In a nutshell

Be user friendly

Looking for a job on a recruitment website should be a pleasant experience, not an overwhelming one.

Get your name out there

Go to industry events, host a party and provide helpful information on human resources issues to customers and prospective customers alike.

Go where the people are

Start discussions and post videos on the sites where your target audience is currently hanging out.