1. Introduction

With the popularization and development of the Internet, online recruitment, which covers a wide range, is not limited by time and space, and has low cost, has gradually become an important way for talents and enterprises to seek talents. The emergence of a large number of online recruitment platforms has promoted the innovation of business models of online recruitment platforms.

Although BOSS direct recruitment was established relatively late, it has emerged with high marketing investment and an innovative "Direct Chat + Recommendation" model. At the same time, the improvement of precise matching and other technologies has greatly enhanced the connection efficiency between recruitment companies and job seekers, as well as the interaction efficiency between users, gradually becoming a pioneer in the industry. BOSS direct recruitment has also attracted more and more users to join the platform by continuously optimizing user experience and functions, forming a huge user group. The expansion of this user base further enhances the network effect of the platform, enabling it to better meet the needs of users and provide better quality services. However, in the fiercely competitive market environment, BOSS direct recruitment also faces various challenges and opportunities from both internal and external sources. Therefore, this article will conduct a SWOT analysis of BOSS direct recruitment to gain a deeper understanding of its advantages, disadvantages, opportunities, and threats, while providing useful reference and inspiration for its future development.

2. Analysis of Research Subjects

2.1. Introduction to BOSS Direct Recruitment

2.1.1. Development History of BOSS Direct Recruitment

The development process of BOSS direct recruitment can be roughly divided into three stages. At present, it has become the largest Internet recruitment platform for MAU in China.

In the first stage, Internet technology and applications developed rapidly. BOSS direct recruitment is in line with the trend and has pioneered the “mobile + intelligent matching + direct chat” model to address industry pain points. It has obtained a large amount of financing and successfully attracted a large number of users and certified enterprises. In 2014, the BOSS direct recruitment app was launched, entering the online recruitment arena through a direct chat mode.

Starting from 2017, BOSS direct recruitment entered the second stage of development. At this stage, BOSS directly hired and focused on technical means and actively promoted, established a big data team, and carried out research and development work related to "intelligent matching". During the 2018 World Cup, BOSS directly hired a large number of advertisements for brand promotion, which became a topic of discussion on social networks.

In the third stage, the number of BOSS direct recruitment users has significantly increased, as shown in Figure 1. From 2021 to 2022, the average usage time of BOSS direct recruitment has continued to increase, gradually surpassing the old recruitment websites of Zhilian Recruitment and 51job. BOSS direct recruitment continues to explore the blue collar market, and has gradually expanded into the service industry blue collar market. It is expected to extend to the manufacturing blue collar market in the future[1].

Figure 1: Average daily usage time per person on online recruitment platforms (minutes)

Data source: Jiuqian Consulting, compiled by Guoxin Securities Economic Research Institute

2.1.2. Business Model

BOSS direct recruitment breaks the limitations of traditional recruitment models and connects enterprises and job seekers through "direct chat + intelligent matching". The direct recruitment model allows job seekers to have direct conversations with recruitment decision-makers, simplifying the tedious process of traditional recruitment and making communication more efficient. At the same time, BOSS employs a precise positioning model in user segmentation, focusing on unique industry users, achieving differentiated competition and sustainable development[2].

In addition, unlike other Internet recruitment platforms, the business of BOSS direct recruitment is relatively simple, and it is committed to data development, research and development of matching algorithms to predict user behavior[2]. The core resources of enterprises are mainly focused on mechanism and technological innovation, relying on advanced data analysis and matching technology, utilizing big data and artificial intelligence technology, and deeply cultivating online recruitment services.

2.2. PEST Analysis

2.2.1. Political Environment Analysis

The employment policies issued by the government have expanded the business direction and market scale of the Internet recruitment platform. In 2021, the Notice of the State Council on Printing and Distributing the "Fourteenth Five Year" Employment Promotion Plan included the development of human resources service industry in the national "Fourteenth Five Year" Plan and encouraged the combination of human resources service industry and Internet ecology. In 2022, the employment priority policy will focus on stabilizing and expanding employment from both the supply and demand sides, continuously expanding the capacity of the demand side of employment[3]. At the same time, since 2012, the country has vigorously developed small and medium-sized enterprises, and urban individuals and private enterprises have contributed to the main employment needs. In December 2021, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology released the "14th Five Year Plan" to promote the development of small and medium-sized enterprises, achieving a steady improvement in the overall development quality of small and medium-sized enterprises, a significant improvement in innovation and specialization levels, a significant improvement in business management level, and a comprehensive improvement in service supply capacity.

In addition, the government has continuously strengthened its regulatory efforts and issued documents such as the "Regulations on the Management of Online Recruitment Services", requiring platforms to review the qualifications of employers and the authenticity of recruitment information. Online recruitment platforms closely monitor policy changes to ensure user privacy and security. Actively respond to policy calls and help solve employment problems.

Policy changes can also have an impact on job seekers, who need to constantly adapt to the uncertain labor market[4]. Therefore, they may experience job seeking anxiety, which can affect their job seeking behavior and make greater responses to recruitment information[4].

2.2.2. Economic Environment Analysis

In 2023, with the substantial adjustment of China's epidemic prevention and control policies, the economic cycle has effectively accelerated, the overall economy continues to recover steadily, driving the expansion of employment demand, and the growth rate of the online recruitment industry market has rebounded. Urban employment added 12.44 million people, an increase of 380000 people compared to the previous year. According to CIC data, the size of China's online recruitment market was 55.1 billion yuan in 2020 and is expected to grow to 223.4 billion yuan by 2025, with an annualized compound growth rate of 32.3%, which is a marginal continuous increase compared to 2015-2020.

With the development of technology and the advancement of digital transformation, more and more enterprises are adopting online recruitment to reduce recruitment costs and improve recruitment efficiency.

2.2.3. Social Environment Analysis

At the societal level, with changes in population structure and employment attitudes, job seekers' demand for recruitment platforms is also changing. Job seekers are more inclined to seek job opportunities through online channels. They also pay more attention to the convenience of the platform, the authenticity of information, and the personalization of services. This phenomenon provides a large number of potential users for online recruitment platforms.

Labor markets around the world are facing high unemployment rates or underemployment, yet job vacancies remain unfilled[5]. The demand for talent in society is becoming increasingly diverse, but it is easy to encounter a mismatch between the skills required by employers and those possessed by job seekers[5]. Online recruitment platforms need to continuously innovate service models and matching mechanisms to meet the needs of different types of enterprises and job seekers.

Finally, it is the cultivation of user payment habits. With the popularization of online recruitment platforms, more and more job seekers are realizing that paid services can bring better job-seeking experiences and higher job success rates. They are willing to pay for paid services such as more accurate job recommendations, more professional resume optimization, and more efficient interview arrangements.

2.2.4. Technical Environment Analysis

Technology is one of the key factors to promote the development of the Internet recruitment industry. The development of 5G, cloud computing, big data, artificial intelligence and other technologies has enabled the recruitment platform. On the one hand, the intelligent analysis and data mining of artificial intelligence can help recruiters understand various aspects of candidate information, including educational background, work experience, skills, etc. By using algorithm optimization for resume screening and job recommendation, the matching degree between job seekers and enterprises can be improved, saving a lot of labor and time costs[6]. On the other hand, artificial intelligence can also achieve efficient management of enterprise human resources through big data analysis and machine learning algorithms. By analyzing the performance data of existing employees, predicting the performance of candidates, and provide a scientific basis for recruitment decisions[6].

In addition, the development of technology has also triggered industry changes and accelerated the upgrading of traditional industries. These changes have led to an increase in related recruitment positions, and the number of talent required by enterprises is greater than the number of talent on the market, which has had a significant impact on the recruitment industry[3]. However, the rapid development of technology has also brought challenges such as data security and privacy protection. BOSS direct recruitment needs to strengthen technical investment to ensure the safe and stable operation of the platform.

2.3. SWOT Analysis

2.3.1. Advantages of BOSS Direct Recruitment

BOSS direct recruitment pioneered the direct chat model, mainly targeting small and medium-sized enterprises on the C-end and B-end, generating a large amount of high-frequency user data. At the same time, the platform continues to increase technical investment and constantly update the intelligent recommendation algorithm. This approach improves the matching accuracy between posts and candidates and builds an ecological closed loop of users, data and experience[7]. Driven by data algorithms to improve recruitment efficiency, decentralization helps job seekers and bosses communicate[3]. Direct communication with the boss enables more efficient communication between the company and job seekers, reflecting the importance placed on both sides, reducing redundant links, and improving recruitment efficiency.

BOSS direct recruitment not only has a large number of users but also covers a wide range of users. The strategy of BOSS direct recruitment is to focus on the basic needs of white-collar workers and actively enter the blue-collar recruitment market. By providing efficient and accurate job search and recruitment services, it meets the needs of different types of users. As the proportion of blue-collar workers increases and the penetration rate of lower-tier cities increases, the company's competitive advantage continues to strengthen. Meanwhile, in response to the issue of information leakage in the online recruitment industry, Boss Direct Recruitment adopts a strict security review model to optimize and ensure user experience in multiple aspects.

2.3.2. Disadvantages of BOSS Direct Recruitment

Due to fierce competition in the online recruitment market, BOSS direct recruitment faces enormous competitive pressure. In 2014, when BOSS directly entered the online recruitment industry, there were already early comprehensive online recruitment platforms such as Zhilian Recruitment and 51job. Therefore, BOSS direct recruitment needs to continuously improve service quality and technical level, maintain a differentiation strategy, and respond to the challenges of competitors.

Although BOSS direct recruitment has strict review mechanisms, the authenticity of information is still difficult to fully guarantee, and there is still a possibility of false information or fraudulent behavior, which can affect user experience and platform reputation. On the one hand, the information released by enterprises cannot guarantee its authenticity and objectivity, which may affect the judgment of job seekers. On the other hand, online recruitment is simpler and more convenient compared to traditional recruitment, so there is a problem of posting false resumes, which makes it difficult for recruiters to accurately evaluate the abilities of job seekers. Secondly, online recruitment may not fully understand the comprehensive strength of job seekers. In most cases, online recruitment focuses more on the educational background and work experience of job seekers, while neglecting their abilities such as teamwork[6].

In terms of geographical restrictions, although BOSS direct recruitment has covered multiple cities, for some job seekers in economically underdeveloped areas, conducting online recruitment or activities based on the online environment is still subject to certain limitations. They cannot obtain recruitment-related information in a timely manner and cannot participate in online recruitment activities in a timely manner[8].

2.3.3. Opportunities for BOSS Direct Recruitment

With the development of the economy and the acceleration of talent flow, the demand in the recruitment market continues to grow, providing more development space for BOSS direct recruitment. According to data from the National Bureau of Statistics, by the end of 2023, there were 740.41 million employed people in China, including 470.32 million urban employed people, accounting for 63.5% of the total employed population in the country. Throughout the year, 12.44 million new urban jobs were created, an increase of 380000 compared to the previous year. Catering, hotel, tourism, warehousing and logistics and other blue-collar recruitment demands has increased significantly, so that BOSS Direct Pin has achieved significant growth in blue-collar and sinking markets. There is an opportunity to further expand this market and increase overall revenue.

With the continuous development of technologies such as artificial intelligence and big data, BOSS direct recruitment can further optimize its algorithms and matching mechanisms, improve recruitment efficiency, and optimize user experience. BOSS direct recruitment can also consider expanding overseas markets and utilizing their experience and advantages in the recruitment field to provide services to enterprises and job seekers worldwide.

2.3.4. Threats Faced by BOSS Direct Recruitment

Online recruitment platforms generally face serious information leakage issues. As a recruitment platform, BOSS direct recruitment needs to process a large amount of user data, including resumes, contact information, etc. If the data security protection measures of the platform are not in place, it may lead to user data leakage or abuse, thereby triggering a trust crisis. In 2021, the BOSS direct recruitment will undergo a network security review due to data security and privacy protection issues.

Secondly, the recruitment industry is greatly influenced by policies, and new recruitment regulations may be introduced to make specific provisions on recruitment processes, information disclosure, interview requirements, and other aspects. BOSS direct recruitment needs to adapt to these changes, adjust the recruitment process on its platform, and ensure compliance with policy requirements. In addition, the online recruitment market is highly competitive, and competitors may seize market share through technological innovation, marketing strategies, and other means.

3. Solution

3.1. SO Strategy

The internal advantage of BOSS direct recruitment lies in its strong technical strength and abundant user resources. Firstly, BOSS direct recruitment intelligent matching technology can efficiently and accurately match job seekers' resumes and the needs of the company, greatly improving recruitment efficiency. Secondly, BOSS directly hires a wide range of users, covering various industries and fields, providing enterprises with rich talent choices.

In terms of the external environment, BOSS direct recruitment also faces many opportunities. With the continuous development and popularization of Internet technology, more and more enterprises and job seekers have begun to choose online recruitment platforms to find suitable talents and positions. At the same time, the active job market also provides a broad development space for BOSS direct recruitment. In addition, the government's support and policy guidance for the Internet recruitment industry also provides a strong guarantee for the development of BOSS direct recruitment.

BOSS direct recruitment should continue to strengthen technological research and development, optimize intelligent matching systems, and improve matching accuracy and efficiency. For example, skill testing for job seekers can be added, which can help analyze labor market dynamics[5]. It can also provide targeted training based on the analysis results to help bridge the gap between labor supply and demand[5].

Secondly, BOSS direct recruitment can actively seek cooperation opportunities with other industries, expand the business scope, and provide more diversified recruitment services. At the same time, BOSS direct recruitment can also increase market promotion efforts, enhance brand awareness and influence, and further consolidate its leading position in the recruitment market.

3.2. ST Strategy

The advantages of BOSS direct recruitment lie in its advanced technology, abundant user resources, and strong brand influence. At the same time, BOSS has also achieved significant results in brand building, with its professional and reliable image deeply ingrained in people's hearts. However, BOSS direct recruitment also faces some external threats. With the continuous development of the online recruitment market and intensified competition, more and more enterprises are entering this field, which has brought certain pressure to BOSS direct recruitment. In addition, changes in policies and regulations may also have an impact on the operation of BOSS direct recruitment.

BOSS direct recruitment needs to continue to innovate and optimize services to consolidate its market position, respond to challenges from competitors, and improve user experience and recruitment efficiency. At the same time, BOSS direct recruitment needs to strengthen brand building and market promotion, and enhance brand awareness and influence. Expand the market share of BOSS direct recruitment and strengthen its market influence by holding online and offline activities and cooperating with well-known enterprises.

BOSS direct recruitment also needs to closely monitor changes in policies and regulations, adjust business strategies in a timely manner, and ensure compliant operations. At the same time, actively communicate and cooperate with government departments, strive for policy support, and create favorable conditions for the long-term development of the company.

3.3. WO Strategy

In response to the shortcomings of BOSS direct recruitment in certain aspects, opportunities can be seized for improvement. In the current highly competitive recruitment market, although BOSS direct recruitment has gained a certain market share with its unique recruitment model and advanced technology, there are still some disadvantages, such as insufficient brand influence and insufficient coverage in certain segmented markets. However, BOSS direct recruitment also faces many external opportunities. With the continuous development of Internet technology, online recruitment has gradually become the mainstream. At the same time, the government's policy support for the employment market has also provided a good development environment for BOSS direct recruitment.

Therefore, BOSS direct recruitment should increase brand promotion efforts, and enhance brand awareness and influence. By using effective marketing methods such as advertising, social media promotion, etc., attract more users to pay attention to and use the BOSS direct recruitment platform. BOSS direct recruitment should further expand on the basis of the existing market, especially in certain specific niche markets. By deeply understanding the needs and characteristics of these markets, we will launch recruitment services that meet market demands and further enhance the market share of BOSS direct recruitment. In addition, BOSS direct recruitment should also strengthen the protection of user information and strengthen data management.

Finally, BOSS direct recruitment should pay attention to industry development trends and keep up with the pace of technological innovation. By continuously introducing new technologies and applications, we aim to enhance the technical level and innovation capability of BOSS direct recruitment and maintain a leading position in the recruitment market.

3.4. WT Strategy

Under the WT strategy, BOSS direct recruitment needs to be vigilant of potential threats and take a series of measures to reduce disadvantages and avoid threats. Firstly, BOSS direct recruitment can strengthen brand building and market promotion, and enhance brand awareness and influence. By increasing publicity efforts on major media platforms, conducting online and offline activities, and collaborating with well-known enterprises and institutions, we aim to increase user awareness and trust in BOSS direct recruitment.Secondly, BOSS direct recruitment can expand the service field and provide more diversified recruitment services. In addition to traditional online recruitment services, BOSS direct recruitment can also explore value-added services such as offline recruitment activities, vocational training, and human resource consulting to meet the needs of different users and improve user experience.

Meanwhile, BOSS direct recruitment needs to closely monitor changes in policies and regulations to ensure compliant operations. On the premise of complying with national laws and regulations, BOSS direct recruitment can strengthen communication and cooperation with government departments, understand policy trends, adjust business strategies in a timely manner, and reduce policy risks.

In addition, facing the threat of competitors, BOSS direct recruitment needs to continuously improve its own strength, and strengthen technological research and innovation. By optimizing algorithms, improving matching efficiency, and improving user experience, we aim to enhance the competitiveness of BOSS direct recruitment in the recruitment market.

4. Strategic Choices

4.1. Current Situation Analysis

According to the fourth quarter financial report of BOSS Direct Employment in 2023, BOSS Direct Employment achieved revenue growth in 2023. The annual revenue was 5.952 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 31.9%. This growth not only reflects the strong competitiveness of the company in the recruitment market but also reflects the continuous optimization of its business model and the steady expansion of market share. At the same time, the company's net profit has also achieved significant growth, demonstrating a significant improvement in its profitability.

Secondly, BOSS direct recruitment has also made significant progress in terms of user scale and activity. The proportion of job seekers and recruiters in blue-collar jobs, second-tier and below cities, represented by the service industry, is steadily increasing. The annual number of new and improved users exceeded 49 million, making it the largest new user scale since the company's establishment. Entering 2024, with the arrival of the peak season for job seeking and recruitment, the scale of active BOSS direct recruitment users and paid enterprise customers continues to expand. This growth indicates that BOSS direct recruitment has achieved significant results in attracting and retaining users, and has laid a solid foundation for its future development.In terms of technological innovation, BOSS has continuously invested in research and development, continuously improving product experience and service quality. The company independently develops a recruitment industry vertical language model called "South-North Pavilion". By applying cutting-edge technologies such as AI and big data, BOSS direct recruitment continuously improves user satisfaction and stickiness.

In addition, BOSS direct recruitment also focuses on expanding characteristic industries and segmented fields. Through precise positioning mode, the company focuses on users in characteristic industries, deeply cultivates segmented fields, and provides users with more accurate and efficient recruitment services. This strategy not only helps to increase the company's market share in specific fields but also enhances its brand influence and competitiveness.

4.2. Strategic Choices and Reasons

BOSS direct recruitment should choose the SO (Advantage Opportunity) strategy, fully utilize its brand awareness and strong technological research and development capabilities, seize the opportunities for stable economic development and sustained growth in the online recruitment industry market, and further expand the market.Firstly, BOSS direct hiring has significant internal advantages. This includes its advanced technology platform, rich industry experience, and data resources, as well as strong brand influence and user base. These advantages make BOSS direct recruitment uniquely competitive in the recruitment market, providing users with more efficient and accurate recruitment services.Secondly, the external environment provides a huge opportunity for BOSS direct recruitment. With the development of the economy and the continuous changes in the talent market, the demand for recruitment services by enterprises continues to grow. Meanwhile, with the popularization of digital and intelligent technologies, the recruitment industry is also facing opportunities for transformation and upgrading. BOSS direct recruitment can seize these opportunities and achieve rapid growth through precise positioning, innovative services, and other means.

Based on the internal advantages and external opportunities mentioned above, BOSS has chosen the SO strategy for direct recruitment, aiming to further consolidate its market position, expand market share, and achieve sustainable development by concentrating resources, expanding business, and improving service quality.

5. Conclusion

Through in-depth SWOT analysis, BOSS direct recruitment has significant advantages and broad development prospects in the recruitment market but also faces some challenges and threats. In order to maintain a leading position and achieve sustainable development, BOSS direct recruitment needs to constantly innovate and improve its own services, and actively respond to market changes and competitive pressures. Meanwhile, strengthening user privacy and data security protection is also an important aspect that cannot be ignored in the future development of BOSS direct recruitment. In the future, we can further explore the development trend of the Internet recruitment platform and focus on the application of new technologies such as artificial intelligence and big data in the recruitment field. At the same time, studying the needs and behavioral characteristics of different user groups, providing more accurate market positioning and service strategy recommendations for recruitment platforms such as BOSS direct recruitment. With the continuous progress of science and technology and the continuous expansion of the market, Internet recruitment platforms such as BOSS direct recruitment will face more opportunities and challenges. Looking ahead to the future, BOSS direct recruitment can fully utilize its own advantages, actively respond to external environmental changes, achieve sustainable and healthy development, and provide better and more efficient services for job seekers and recruiters.