| Electronic recruiting is a prime example of "how the Internet changes everything." And as IT professionals know, this is a double-edged sword. Job seekers benefit by having immediate access to a range of global opportunities at their fingertips. They suffer because their competition grows exponentially as well.
It's just as tough on the recruiters. They also benefit from having access to the global talent pool. But they're crushed by the avalanche of responses they get for any posting...no matter how obscure it may be.
Hence, the value - and rise in use - of Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS.) Organizing, screening and ranking those candidates is now too cumbersome a task to perform without the help of technology.
Applicant Tracking Systems Growth
According to John Sumser, publisher of the Electronic Recruiting News, some 60% of Fortune 2000 companies had already purchased one of these systems by the end of 1990. As we near the close of '91, many more of them, as well as many smaller companies, have joined their ranks.
At last count, there were about 150 software products on the market, all claiming some kind of applicant tracking capability. They range from the simplest workflow tools that track candidates and permit basic reporting, up to elaborate web-based talent acquisition and management systems to turn simple vanilla hiring methods into strategic business processes.
I spoke with Stacey Jones, Director of Knowledge Management at Virtual Edge, Inc. Talent Systems Architects. Her company, an ASP located in Yardley, PA, was recently named the 10th Fastest Growing Company in Philadelphia by the Philadelphia Business Journal. Virtual Edge advertises that it provides talent acquisition and hiring management tools that enable staffing departments to operate timely, efficiently and collaboratively. Stacey was kind enough to demo their products for me.
As she walked me through Virtual Edge's (extensive) features, she also gave me a tutorial on the use of ATS by companies. Stacey, formerly a recruiter herself, explained that most recruiters are reactive. That is, they just react to the resumes they receive. But the smart recruiters are proactive. They search the Internet for exact skill matches - whether or not those folks are actively looking. State-of-the-art ATS integrate that search capability with a database for storing these candidates and with a back-end that manages company job requisitions and the actual hiring process.
As you would expect, the state-of-the-art is not the industry standard. No, no, my friends. The industry standard, if there is such a thing, is probably a simple applicant tracking workflow system that may/may not connect directly to a database. It can accept and store an electronic resume, but requires a lot more effort to deal with a paper resume.
Paper or Electronic; Which Is Better?
Obviously, any company can receive and review a paper-based resume. But, given the recent anthrax scare, snail mail may not be quite the old dependable channel it once was. And, if the company you're approaching only reviews electronic files, you'll have to wait until that resume you faxed gets scanned into their system. And, according to Stacey, that may stretch to about once every 2 weeks.
That's right. Many companies stockpile their paper resumes and have them scanned in a batch. Some companies actually send them out for scanning to save money. Are you willing to gamble on the timeliness of your resume's review? I didn't think so.
Now, having said this, I'll argue the other side as well. Remember that ATS stands for Applicant Tracking System. That system encompasses not only the hardware and software in place, but also the people who use it. And that is where it can get pretty hairy.
As humans, we're all creatures of habit. We like our comfort zones. Some recruiters are much more comfortable with paper resumes. Which recruiters are these? Beats me. Some recruiters are so overwhelmed with emails that they turn to hard copy instead. Which recruiters are these? I dunno.
You should also realize that companies usually assign responsibility for filling individual positions to specific recruiters. So if your resume is directed to one job/person, it may - or may not - get included in consideration for related positions. In theory, once you're in the database, you should be identified when a new search is performed. The question is, of course, do they search that database? Or do they just review new candidates? Again, it depends.
So how can the job seeker determine the best strategy for approaching a company? I wish I knew. It's a crapshoot, unless a posting gives explicit application instructions. In that case, always follow them. Exactly.
What Should I Do if There's More Than One Way to Apply?
And doesn't this happen all the time? You can see a direct job posting on multiple job boards, for example, JobCircle and Monster. Throw in Dice, for good measure. Then you see what looks like the exact same job posted by a recruiting firm or two. And how about postings on the company's own career page?
Is one of these better than another? Again, it depends on the company's process and recruiters' habits. There's no real way to predict in advance. One thing I do know - if a company's website has an online skills profile form …you should fill it out.
Though you may fear that you'll accidentally screen yourself out of something if you're too specific, the real danger is leaving it blank. Because failing to complete it may eliminate you from consideration for any job you're obviously qualified for. Often, companies look at your willingness to fill out the form (play the game?) as a measure of your interest and work ethic.
It's Not Always Electronic, Either
And don't forget that, despite the existence of all these self-service channels, the company may choose yet another way to source candidates efficiently - retained/targeted recruiters. Suzanne Fairlie, president of ProSearch, Inc. told me that, despite all of the downturn in hiring, and increasing job losses among recruiters themselves, her business is booming.
She's been adding new clients, coming from the ranks of Fortune 100 and high-growth young companies alike. Says Suzanne, many companies are overwhelmed by the sheer numbers of applicants. It's easy to screen for technical competence, especially using ATS. What these companies are really looking for is fit with their culture.
It's all about those soft skills, she explains. Most techies emphasize their technical capabilities and forget to include things like teamwork and communication skills. Or whether they've interfaced directly with customers and users.
Suzanne also commented on how often she finds basic resume no-nos:
- Typos or misspellings, especially when they're real words not caught by the spellchecker.
- Inconsistent dates, resulting in gaps or overlaps.
- Not identifying work locations or job titles.
- Not putting your name at the top of each resume page.
- Avoiding redundant descriptions of job duties; not emphasizing accomplishments.
- Omitting important details, like military service, or that you went to school while working.
5 Bottom Line Electronic Resume Rules
- Use the keywords you find in the posting. If there isn't a posting, comb the website for technologies, skills, capabilities, and qualities the company uses/values and use them as keywords.
- Scrutinize that resume for consistence, completeness, and accuracy.
- Sooner is better. Use the fastest, most reliable method available for applying to a company. In most cases, this will be through email or electronic application.
- Follow the instructions. Which means you have to read them carefully first. A posting on a job board may tell you not to apply through the autoapply function. Or it may tell you to include a posting number or code in the subject line of your email. Do it.
- Include your name and the name of the position in the email subject line. It helps the recruiter find you in his/her mailbox.
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I got a great letter from reader Elaine J. thanking me for last month's column, Keywords - The Key to Effective Resumes. Her initial submission to a large employer got her nowhere, but when she revised her resume, inserting keywords from the posting, and sent it again, there was an immediate callback for an interview. I consider this one of my gifts for the season. Here's hoping you get what you want too.
December is the hardest month to keep up your spirits when jobsearching. Please write Jamie@jobcircle.com if you need some encouragement. I've got my fingers crossed that the New Year will bring new opportunities for those of us who need them. Peace.
Enjoy this article? Read more of JobCircle.com's Career Coach articles.
Jamie Fabian spent more than 15 years as a human resources executive before changing careers to become a senior project manager for a growing IT consulting company. Now in management consulting for a large Pharma company, Jamie would like to be seen as a hybrid of Tom Peters, Tom Jackson, and Tom Wolfe, but spends too much time working, driving carpool and watching mindless TV to write more than this column. You can contact Jamie with questions and comments at jamie@jobcircle.com.
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