By Rachel Emma Silverman
Thanks to the Web, employers are drowning in a deluge of resumes these days. How do hiring bosses handle the overload?
One solution: automated recruitment-management software. These tracking systems' strong search capabilities help sift through huge pools of candidates. To pinpoint hot prospects even faster, certain programs provide customized skills tests or personality assessments online. The software's cost depends on the vendor and an employer's size.
Almost 100 such products, mainly web-based, are now on the market, making choosing the right system a tough task for human-resources executives. Many follow an application-server provider model. Many Internet job boards, such as Monster have moved into the recruitment-management software market.
Besides filtering resumes, these programs track key indicators such as the cost and time per hire. Some automatically e-mail candidates when an employer receives their resumes or contact recruiters when a particularly qualified candidate comes in. Many systems also can arrange interview appointments, inform prospects about related future openings and funnel promising resumes to other departments, such as payroll.
Some human-resources executives find automated recruitment tools invaluable. You can't run a staffing function today without it, says Caroline Starner Kenyon, senior director of world-wide staffing at Tricon Global Restaurants Inc., fast-food chain operators in Louisville, Ky.
Until two years ago, her staffers used to spend hours licking stamps for reply postcards to applicants. Tricon now instantly tracks and acknowledges the 6,500 resumes that arrive each month. As a result, Caroline has cut her staff to 50 from 70.
By using automated resume-management systems, First Union Corp. in Charlotte, N.C., has lowered its average cost per hire by about 10%. The reduction is significant given the increased expenditures in sourcing talent in today's market, says Ed Gagen, director of recruitment programs and technology.
Other human-resources executives are unsure whether the high-tech techniques they are using significantly speed hiring, however. The tight labour market can offset potential savings, says Michael Lowe, vice president of staffing for Prudential Insurance Co. of America in Newark, N.J.
You won't be able to get to the point where a machine can look at the same level of detail that a human can, Mr. Lowe says. Still, he sees an enormous value in winnowing the pool of candidates quickly. About 5,000 to 8,000 resumes pour into Prudential each month. To narrow the field faster, more businesses now require jobseekers to complete skills tests online. A few also measure intangible traits such as personality and leadership.
Lucent Technologies Inc. is developing an online leadership assessment that it will put on its campus recruiting website next month. The Murray Hill, N.J., telecommunications-equipment maker will ask students to divulge information about their leadership experience. The data initially will be assessed by computers, says Don Gamble, director for strategic recruiting initiatives.
But some fear such applicant-tracking methods may turn off otherwise strong candidates -- or, possibly, trigger job-bias suits. There are very serious problems with pre-employment questions and the ability to customize those questions for specific jobs, says Mark Mehler, a principal of consultants CareerXroads in Kendall Park, N.J.
Still, many companies continue to use online quizzes -- and in a playful manner, at times. Minneapolis advertising agency Fallon Worldwide, for instance, asks Web applicants: If you were a talk-show host, what two guests would you pick to have on your first show?
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This article is reprinted with permission from CareerJournalEurope.com (c) 2001 Dow Jones & Co. Inc.
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Are electronic eyes reading your resume? - 11/2001
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