HR-XML Consortium Approves New XML Resume Specification

RALEIGH, N.C., USA, 2002 May 14 ó The HR-XML Consortium, the global non-profit organization dedicated to creating data interchange standards for human resources, has approved a new XML resume specification. HR-XMLís Resume 2.0 specification will enable a range of innovative new applications and services that will benefit job seekers as well as employers.

ìToday, employers are drowning in sea of unstructured resumes, which are difficult to match against business requirements,î according to Chuck Allen, Director, HR-XML Consortium, Inc. ìHR-XMLís versatile, but structured XML Resume format, has great potential to change the search for qualified employees from a ëshot-gun approachí to a targeted exercise. Likewise, structured resumes may give job seekers an opportunity to more effectively communicate their unique abilities to potential employers,î according to Allen.

The Resume 2.0 specification represents a substantial improvement over the resume definition included in HR-XMLís Staffing Exchange Protocol 1.1. SEP 1.1 was defined using Document Type Definitions (DTDs). Resume 2.0 is defined using the World Wide Web Consortiumís more powerful and flexible XML Schema Definition Language (XSD). This makes the Resume 2.0 specification more modular and extensible than the prior DTD-based version.

Resume 2.0 has already been incorporated within HR-XMLís Staffing Industry Data Exchange Standards (SIDES, see http://www.hr-xml.org/sides/). The Employment History, Education History, and Military History modules within Resume 2.0 also are shared with HR-XMLís new Background Checking specification. In addition, the Resume specification will be part of a future XSD-based version of HR-XMLís Staffing Exchange Protocol.

ìHR-XMLís Resume 2.0 has tremendous applicability to the hiring management cycle ñ particularly in recruiting, intake, screening, and candidate selection processes,î said Kathi Dolan, Research Analyst, Manpower Inc. ìHaving a standardized way to communicate an individual''s history and qualifications both internally and externally provides concrete benefits for everyone involved, according to Dolan.

ìResume 2.0 is an integral part of HR-XMLís forthcoming Version 2.0 recruiting and staffing specifications,î said Nicholas Scobbo, HRIS Analyst, Mitre Corporation, and chair of HR-XMLís Recruiting and Staffing Workgroup. ìHR-XMLís Resume specification should go a long way in helping companies deal with the multiple sources and formats of resumes and in increasing the efficiency of recruiting systems and processes, according to Scobbo.

To register to download the freely available specification, visit: http://www.hr-xml.org/forms/schema_register.cfm

Membership within the HR-XML Consortium is open to HR professionals, vendors, consultants, and other users or providers of HR systems and services. For information on becoming an HR-XML member, please visit http://www.hr-xml.org/channels/join.cfm

About HR-XML
HR-XML (http://www.hr-xml.org) is a global, independent, non-profit consortium dedicated to enabling e-commerce and inter-company exchange of human resources (HR) data. The work of the Consortium centers on the development and promotion of standardized XML vocabularies for HR. HR-XMLís efforts are focused on standards for staffing and recruiting, compensation and benefits, training and workforce management. The Consortium has a membership of companies represented in 22 different countries.

For more information, contact:
Baxter Peffer
Krome Communications
peffer@krome.com
1.412.471.0840