E-asy Applications!

FOR some time now, wizened HR honchos across the world have been shaking their heads dubiously over the Internet as a means of hiring.

It was palpably evident that they thought little of this new- fangled way of doing things, but today, they are beginning to re- visit their ideas (a novel sensation for them!) and finding out that it does really make sense to advertise for talent on the web.

Everywhere, the best response to placement has been 4%, rather poor, considering the very fact the negativity that went into the posting.

Even the responses were desultory and uninspiring, especially since serious applicants with the right qualifications and attributes were the last to `waste' time applying to a job online.

Almost overnight, the attitude began to change and the common o' garden job-seeker began to see the advantages of applying online. For one it was cheaper and faster. From the employer's side, software to sort the thousands of CVs on basic keywords relevant to their search made it faster and loads less expensive to find the right candidate.

Anything to lessen the load was attractive and today, the number of jobs advertised on the web is nearly 400% more than it was in 1996.

To take advantage of this trend, and to be `picked' up by the sorting software, clever applicants learn to write electronic CVs that are easily `mined'. Information being so easily available on the web, it becomes simpler to research companies of choice to help applicants narrow their search.

Many job sites have built in resume builders that generate an electronic CV.

While the filling in of details do take a long and arduous effort, once done, it can be held online for use to apply, with appropriate tweaking, to thousands of jobs advertised online.

Hiring companies pay such jobsites for a talent pool and having yours posted on one or many such sites will be of benefit to the site, the potential employer and yourself! A rare case of Win-Win-Win! Some sites have the additional advantage of sending you an express whenever something that suits your profile crops up in their indents.

Other sites like CareerMosaicIndia have company advertisement exactly as they appear in the print media with click through capability to the application process! Though you may have clocked on to a job site that lets you know, it pays to go through the site even if you have not been alerted, in case of a near-perfect match that has been missed out due to a missing keyword!

ABHIMANYU ACHARYA

abhi.hyd@cnkonline.com