How the HR Industry’s Candidate Management Systems Might Not Be Working For Everybody
by
Thomas Castle (friend
Anne on Facebook! 
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Last updated
02/28/2013
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More and more in an economy that’s squeezing the number of jobs — and relying heavily on the online resume submission — jobs sites and employers alike are using candidate management software to screen applicants. Gone are the days of people-intensive metrics as keywords, buzz words, and software dominate the way resumes are processed with talent management software. Is it a trend that’s not really working the way applicants and employers would like? Maybe you or somebody you know has applied for a job recently. Like everyone does, they went to the internet, searched for a job, submitted their resume online, then waited in the faint hope of getting a response from human resources. Just so they could meet with an actual human being. You know, the good old-fashioned way. The problem is, human resource departments are employing software to screen the deluge of applicants submitting resumes with candidate management software. Particularly to weed out those who don’t meet certain qualifications. Like non-college graduates (if the job requires a degree) or those without necessary certifications or licenses. And partially to make sure that they’re only evaluating candidates who’ve met the exacting 28 criteria listed on the job posting. The end result is that computers, not people, are sifting through resumes looking for abstract buzz words and key phrases rather than evaluating aptitude, personality, and other important real-world criteria. Thus, the “magic bullet” of getting that prized face-to-face interview has more to do with arbitrary words on your resume than it does your actual skills and accomplishments. Feeling great about that new hire in the next cube? Because there’s more. In some cases, persons with “excellent and outstanding” performance reviews — after being asked to re-apply for their job during a merger — don’t get the job they’ve had for years because their resume didn’t hit the bull’s eye of the job description. So, candidate management software, while doing a great job of excluding unqualified candidates, also excludes potential outstanding employees. All the while removing the human resources department’s ability to evaluate candidates on the basis of more than a Word doc. And, jobs like writers, graphic artists, chefs, and a host of other positions best measured by work product (like a portolio of work or a great pasta dish) just can’t be qualified in great part by a resume. Candidate management software has the drawback in many instances of making a resume more important than the abilities of the person it represents. This impacts the quality of employees that employers are getting, as well as the ability of qualified people to gain employment. Thus, somewhere, George Orwell is giving himself a high five and saying, “I told you so!”
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