In 1991, recruiting started a process of dramatic change with
the use of the Internet but the real changes have been felt
only in the past five years.
With web sites like Monster and Career Builder the whole process
of finding candidates has fundamentally altered the entire
hiring process. Today's Internet technology now collects,
manages and analyzes information in ways never dreamed only
a few years back.
Gone are the days of looking through the newspaper and mailing
letters and licking envelopes. Today's technology uses scanning
and screening for "buzz words". If the buzz words are found
on your resume, your in, if not, you’re out. How the letter
looks, what paper it is printed on and the quality of the
paper has very little bearing on obtaining a job today since
very few resumes are ever printed.
It's always been an assumption in recruiting that if a person
did a job successfully in the past, he/she has the necessary
skills to accomplish it again in the future. John Sullivan,
a well-known HR 'guru', international speaker, and author
had this to say, "Recruiting will change as more and more
organizations hire based not on experience but on a candidate’s
ability to innovate and learn rapidly."
I interviewed three additional HR recruiters about what they
thought of how recruiting has changed. John Puchtel, from
Human Resource Staffing stated, "With out a doubt, new technology
has provided more specialized recruiting. Employers don't
just want to fill positions; they want employees with track
records of very specific skills within specific industries."
Lisa Frame, an HR consultant, with eleven years of recruiting
experience writes, "Regardless of experience, the rules change
daily and the opportunities are endless. Only those who can
readily absorb new concepts and apply them to their business
models with measurable outcomes will thrive in today’s techno/knowledge
driven work environments."
Debbie Keefe, with seventeen years of recruiting and sales
experience, stated, "The process has become somewhat heartless
with technology determining if the skills are present or not.
It's only after the computer helps us find the right skills
that we get a chance to talk with the candidates."
Despite the changes it could be argued that the use of technology
increases the opportunities for everyone. In today's mobile
society more and more candidates are changing positions faster.
Time will tell how the process will continue to evolve.
Back
to the library
Reproduction of this article
cannot be accomplished without the expressed consent of Human
Resource Staffing.
Don Schmitz
is a popular speaker and writer on all aspects of HR and CEO
of Human Resource Staffing. Don holds graduate degrees in
Education, Administration and Human Development.
Contact Don@HumanResourceStaffingInc.com
952 854 6040
