Human Resource Management 12th Edition by John Ivancevich,Robert Konopaske

Exercise 3

Online Résumés Are Here to Stay
The trend at many organizations is toward using computer software to match candidates' qualifications to current job openings. How does it work Instead of mailing an 8½-by 11-inch paper résumé to a hiring manager or human resource representative, job seekers are now asked to visit the company website to type in their résumé online. After that, the résumé is screened and evaluated by a computer program on such factors as relevant keywords, past experience, and education. For example, NuView software, which costs between $6 and $15 per month per user, asks candidates questions such as "What is your level of education " as they are completing the online application. If their education level doesn't match the requirements of the posted job, then the candidate's application is immediately "knocked out" of the process. Résumés are even screened for other reasons. For example, estimates indicate that up to 20 percent of online résumés are knocked out of consideration due to excessive job hopping and/or the résumé contains typos and grammatical errors.
What types of companies are using these résumé screening software programs Companies like Home Depot, BellSouth, Walgreens, United Parcel Service, Blockbuster, and Target all claim that online résumé technology saves their hiring managers a lot of time and money, and the promising résumés are instantly available to company personnel. This makes the hiring process much more efficient.
Another benefit of the online résumé posting process has to do with the geographic reach the company can have with regard to candidates. At General Electric, every job opening is posted on the internal career website. If the hiring unit decides that it wants to advertise the ad outside of the company, then the job opening is posted on the company website and can attract applicants from around the world. Currently, GE receives approximately 15,000 résumés monthly, roughly half of which are submitted via the online company website. GE managers believe that some candidates, even though they do not live in the immediate location of the hiring unit, would be willing to relocate if they found the right job at GE.
Some organizations, in addition to screening résumés on their own company websites, pay to post jobs on popular online recruiting websites. The largest online recruiting websites include monster.com, careerbuilders.com, and hotjobs.com.
What does all of this mean for job seekers The rules of the résumé submission process are changing. Job seekers need to modify their résumés so that they contain relevant keywords that are more likely to be identified by these online résumé screening software programs. Now more than ever, résumés have to be typo-free and written with excellent grammar. Also, job seekers need to practice submitting their résumés online. Perhaps they should start off by submitting their résumés to a smaller online recruiting website. After that, they can submit their résumé to the large boards (monster.com, etc.) and to specific company websites.
What can job seekers do to improve their chances of making it through the online résumé screening process and getting an interview