Electronic Recruiting: Death of the Paper Resume

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Electronic Recruiting: Death of the Paper Resume

I have noticed that many organizations will only accept electronic applications and resumes. I have also found that many of the electronic recruitment systems used by these organizations are less than perfect. Some of such systems are poorly designed and very complicated and may make an applicant decide to quit the application process. Many such inadequate recruitment systems essentially force applicants to retype their resumes based on a predetermined format, which often does not allow the candidate to attach their existing resume and/or covering letter.
Is it possible that organizations are missing out on skilled applicants? Should organizations still allow applicants to submit "paper" resumes? If you keep the process simple, will the end results be better?
Does a poorly designed electronic recruitment system cost the organization time and money? Do these systems discriminate against older applicants?

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		2 Greg North HR Consultant, United States
	The Answer is Video Interviewing I agree that poor recruiting systems make it easy for skilled candidates to slip through the cracks, and employers may well end up losing them. There are also other ways, beyond a simple electronic recruitment system, candidates can be screened. Many companies are turning to pre-recorded interviews within the application to see candidate reactions and mannerisms. With a pre-recorded video interview, employers can make a better informed decision on whether or not to take the interviewing further. There's a lot more information on video recruiting here.

		0 Anonymous
	Forget Web-based Resume Entry In my opinion, such an approach could only work reasonably well for applicants and jobs at the lower end of the scale. Like maybe for cashiers for a supermarket or for assembly line factory workers. But in my opinion you shouldn't generally force potential employees to fill out their resume via a web form. They probably view such lack of personal attention as an insult and look elsewhere for their next challenge.