Conference 7.286::digital

    I can't excuse, but perhaps I can explain:
    
    Occasionally, a recruiter will be working with a varied group of hiring
    managers, some of whose job openings s/he understands completely and
    some of whose s/he does not.  
    
    A good recruiter will sit down with the hiring manager and talk about
    the job and the needs of the manager. Not all do that.  When resumes
    come across their desk, they don't know a "fit" when they see it.  
    
    Or, perhaps, your resume is poorly constructed for the type of work you
    really do?
    
    The final comment, when seeking a posted position internally, is to
    reference the actual REQ # on the copy of your resume which you send to
    the recruiter...that way, even someone who does not understand the
    position or cannot judge your fit for the position can make an easy
    match.
    
    No easy answers,
    Marge

    I sympathize with .0.
    A few years back,I got it in my head that I wanted to leave Ca.
    and go back to Mass.(I have since gotten better) I got in the habit
    of looking through the JOBS bulletin for likely jobs.After several
    "go-rounds" with recruiters I gave up.They had me running in
    circles.There weren't that many jobs that interested me and when
    I found one and called the recruiter,that person knew nothing about
    the listing and I should call this other recruiter.*That* person
    knew nothing either(literally) and I should call this other
    recruiter.And so it went.On and on.
    Maybe I should consider myself lucky...I'm still here!

I agree with Jane, also. Anytime I've wanted to switch jobs in DEC (only twice
in 11+ years, actually), I've found that my high-activity hits came from things
I found via my own resources rather than anything any recruiter did for me. I
like Marge's suggestion about including Req #'s on your cover letters
accompanying your resume, but there's another piece missing - recruiters
receiving them should be REQUIRED to pass such resumes on to the hiring
managers rather than playing God and making their own decisions as to whether
or not they think the candidate is right for the job, as that is ultimately
the hiring manager's responsibility. (And as a manager myself I know that I
can always find the time to scan any resumes I receive, especially since
it's to my benefit to find a match for my positions. I believe most managers
feel the same way - probably VERY few would blast any recruiter for sending
such resumes on to him/her.)

-Jack

    re .3:
    
    re REQUIRING recruiters to pass on resumes... sorry, as a hiring
    manager, I simply don't want to see them all... having someone doing a
    first screening is helpful... it says that the ones I do see are
    generally quality.  If the screening were not there, I'd probably
    "assume the worst" and miss seeing a quality candidate.
    
    Marge

	Many - if not most - people have had similar experiences and feel that
	recruiters add little, if any, value. Once the hiring manager is
	identified, it is usually advisable to go directly to the source.
    
    	Some recruiters are over-stretched. For example, most SWS
	specialist and consultant reqs in the East Central Area (ECA)
    	are handled by a single recruiter. There is just NO WAY one
    	person can be on top of all the reqs let alone all the candidates.
   	I have placed more phone calls to this recruiter than I care
    	to count; NONE of them have been returned...
    
    	I'm not complaining, really, since the recruiter in question
    	does ONE thing right: he often lists the hiring manager's name
    	on the reqs he lists on VTX. Many of his listings lead - or
    	end - with "Reports to <hiring_mgr_name>." This is all one needs
    	since only the hiring manager can really determine potential
    	fit. 
    
    	My response rate from the hiring managers has been much more
    	encouraging!
    
    	In my opinion, HIRING MANAGER NAME should be listed on ALL reqs
    	posted to VTX.
    
    

    I went over to Merrimack personnel once and scanned through their
    book of job postings to see if there was anything interesting. 
    It was difficult to determine if a particular position was appropriate
    without more information. So I asked who the hiring managers were
    for a couple of slots.  (The space they give a manager to describe
    a position is rarely enough).
    
    I was told that I would have to apply for the position before I
    could find out who the hiring manager was!  In other words, I would
    have to declare my serious intent to change over to that position
    before I could have a chance to investigate to see if it was right
    for me!  I wrote a letter to the personnel consultant explaining
    that applying for a position was a two way street. Just as much
    as they wanted to interview me, *I* wanted to interview prospective 
    managers to see if theirs was an organization I wanted to be a part of.
    
    I got back a 'thanks for applying' form letter.

        RE: .5 -- The information (hiring manager's name) is in the
        full personnel database (TESS), so I suspect that there was
        some reason in the minds of the people who designed the VTX
        JOBS book for excluding it.  Likewise, there is often some
        more information in TESS about the job than what shows up in
        the VTX JOBS book (because it cuts the description off after
        what will fit on one screen in the allotted space, even if
        there is more detail in TESS -- sometimes in the middle of
        a sentence).
        
        It's possible that providing feedback on the additional data
        that would be helpful (via VAXmail to GRIMLY::JOBSBOOK) would
        eventually result in some changes.
        
        Tom

    re .6:
    
    After our group participated in an ad in the Boston Globe once, I spent
    most of a day poring through responses.  Most were trash, literally.  I
    found five resumes out of approximately 300 that I even bothered to
    copy to bring back to the office.  (Luckily, one of the five was a
    perfect fit for the job opening so the day spent was well worthwhile,
    and that individual is a wonderful contributor to the group and to
    DIGITAL.)  However, and my point is, I do not wish to spend my time
    looking for those 5 out of 300 on a regular basis... I'd rather pore
    through the 15 or 20 which the recruiter might have culled from the
    same set of 300.
    
    Marge

    re: .9
    
    Sounds like your talking about EXTERNAL hiring.  Most of the other
    responses seem to be talking about INTERNAL hiring.  I agree, external
    hiring needs someone to separate the few good prospects from the
    many who just want to get a foot in the door.  Internal hiring should
    be different, I believe.  I would doubt that internal req's would
    garner such a low hit rate as described in your note (less than
    2%).  I would also be interested in knowing how many internal responses
    there are to an average job req -- I doubt most jobs in this company
    are popular enough to attract 300 responses internally (Engineering
    might be different, but I'd worry if there were 300 people internally
    lining up for a shot at most SWS jobs I can think of!).
    
    -- Russ

    I went to Colorado Springs personnel, and asked to see their book with
    all the reqs. They showed it to me, I got the names of the managers,
    and called the managers to set up interviews. All very smooth and easy. 
    
    I guess it depends on what site, and how much volume they have. 

    re: .11
    
    It might also depend on who you are.  Tom Eggers is much better known
    within Digital than most of us.
        John Sauter

From:	AKOFIN::BIBEAULT     "Bob, (DTN) 244-6136" 24-JAN-1989 10:13
To:	NM%GRIMLY::JOBSBOOK,BIBEAULT    
Subj:	Suggest adding HIRING MANAGER'S NAME as standard data item on VTX JOBS

At the suggestion of Tom Blinn, I am forwarding you this extract from the 
HUMAN::DIGITAL Notes conference on the "Role of the Recruiter". 

In 701.5, I suggested that all VTX postings list the HIRING MANAGER'S NAME so 
that candidates could go directly to the source, reducing overhead and making 
the process more efficient. Recruiters are overburdened and often cannot 
function effectively in their theoretical role. Provide just a little informa-
tion in VTX and let the principals do the rest...

Tom indicated in 701.8 that:

	"The information (HIRING MANAGER'S NAME) is in the
        full personnel database (TESS), so I suspect that there was
        some reason in the minds of the people who designed the VTX
        JOBS book for excluding it."

He suggested:   

        "It's possible that providing feedback on the additional data
        that would be helpful (via VAXmail to GRIMLY::JOBSBOOK) would
        eventually result in some changes."

This is why I am sending this message. I would like to suggest that 

	THE HIRING MANAGER'S NAME SHOULD BE AVAILABLE ON THE VTX JOBS  
	INFOBASE AS A STANDARD DATA ITEM 

	(like Requisition Number, Recruiter, etc.). This is preferable
	to listing the information in the Job Desription area since 
	someone might simply not think of providing the information.

	If there *were* a valid reason for withholding the HIRING MANAGER'S
	NAME, then one could leave that field blank, fill it with "TBA" 
	(To Be Announced), etc.

	I would suspect that it would be in the best interest of all parties
	to list the HIRING MANAGER'S NAME in *most* cases. Certainly, if the
	HIRING MANAGER *wanted* his name listed, he should be able to do so,
	should he not?

-	Bob

Attachments:
1.	Directory of    HUMAN::DIGITAL Note 701.*
2.	Text Extract of HUMAN::DIGITAL Note 701.*

    re .9:
    
>    After our group participated in an ad in the Boston Globe once, I spent
>    most of a day poring through responses.  Most were trash, literally.  I
>    found five resumes out of approximately 300 that I even bothered to
>    copy to bring back to the office.  
    
    I've had similar experiences screening resumes from the Globe and
    can sympathize...
    
    However, how can you be sure a recruiter would have culled the
    *SAME* 5 resumes that you did?
    
    Let me tell you a personal story:
    
    I applied to Digital in 1984 via the Tech Fair. My resume was forwarded
    to a recruiter who placed my paperwork - as well as that of dozens
    of others from that event - in the "don't call us - we'll call you"
    category. He selected what he thought were "potential matches" and
    forwarded them to the hiring manager.
    
    The hiring manager was very unhappy with the resumes he saw. Having
    some experience with this particular recruiter, he insisted on seeing
    the pile of "rejects". He was delighted to see that there *were*
    some qualified candidates but that the recruiter simply didn't know
    how to identify them (despite detailed instructions). One of those
    resumes the hiring manager saved from the "reject" pile was mine.
    I was interviewed and offered a job within 4 business days of that
    discovery!
    
    Left to the discretion of the recruiter in question, I would probably
    not be here at Digital. Only thru the diligent work of the hiring manager
    am I now able to relate this story to you!
    
-   Bob    
    

    How about leaving it up to the hiring manager whether to list his name?

    I have recently been looking internally in DEC for a new position.
    Thru my own network I found a hiring manager with an open req. I
    interviewed with the hiring manager, and we had a good conversation.
    He wanted me to come back and talk to two of his reports. His secretary
    called and scheduled time for 8:00 AM on a weekday. A day later
    a personnel recruiter called to schedule time for me to meet with
    the same people on the same day at 8:15 AM. I informed her the meetings
    had already been setup. She informed me that it was personnels job
    to set these things up.
    
    I'm grateful for Personnels help in this matter.
    
    I think I'll stick with my network, though!!
    :-)
    

    As a hiring manager (well supervisor actually) I'd prefer it be
    left up to me whether I reveal who I am. If I'm advertising for
    a position that requires very specific skills I'll put my name in
    the job description so that people can contact me directly. This
    is because I don't exepect a lot of responses and the ones I do
    get I'd like to look at personally.
    
    If on the other hand I'm looking for say a couple of SE IIs to fill
    out a project I'd not list my name because I'd expect a lot of
    responses and I'll leave it to the recruitor to separate the wheat
    from the chaff.
    
    Dave

From:	GRIMLY::JOBSBOOK     "Nancy Rayna, Corporate Employment, 251-1284" 24-JAN-1989 15:53
To:	AKOFIN::BIBEAULT,JOBSBOOK    
Subj:	RE: Suggest adding HIRING MANAGER'S NAME as standard data item on VTX JOBS

Bob,

     Thank you for sending me the extract on the Role of the Recruiter
and for your feedback.  Tom Blinn is aware that I read and write in the 
HUMAN::DIGITAL notesfile.

     The recruiting system currently used at Digital is known as TESS
(Total Employment Staffing System).  TESS contains a REQUESTOR NAME field
on the Requisition information screen; however, this does not always
refer to the hiring manager.  In some cases, it is a project leader or
the recruiter.  We cannot assume that the REQUESTOR field will always
contain the hiring manager's name nor is it required that the hiring
manager's name be entered in TESS.

     All enhancements and modifications made to TESS and the VTX JOBSBOOK
must be approved by the Employment and Personnel Systems committees. 
It is highly unlikely that displaying the hiring manager's name would be
approved, but I will ensure that they are made aware of the issue.

Regards,

Nancy Rayna
Corporate Employment
Employment Systems Support

From:	AKOFIN::BIBEAULT     "Bob, (DTN) 244-6136" 25-JAN-1989 09:54
To:	NM%GRIMLY::JOBSBOOK,BIBEAULT    
Subj:	Thanks for Your Help - But What Can We Do to LOBBY for this???

Nancy,

I, and I suspect *many* others, would be *most* interest in getting the 
HIRING MANAGER'S NAME added as a standard data element on TESS so that it 
could be included, at the option of the hiring manager, on the VTX job 
posting. Another standard data element may be added to indicate whether 
the hiring managers name should be included in the VTX posting.

> All enhancements and modifications made to TESS and the VTX JOBSBOOK
> must be approved by the Employment and Personnel Systems committees. 
> It is highly unlikely that displaying the hiring manager's name would be
> approved, but I will ensure that they are made aware of the issue.

Why do you think "it is highly unlikely that displaying the hiring manager's
name would be approved"?

If the hiring manager *wanted* his name listed, would this committee actually 
say "no, you can't do that..."  ?

My suggestion is: let the hiring manager decide whether to post his name to 
		  jobs listing and ensure the "system" can handle this 
		  "option" as per the hiring manager's preference.

I can think of *no* legitimate objection to this position. If there is one 
(or more), please explain...

If there is *anything* we can do to effectively LOBBY for this, please advise...

Thanks and Regards,
Bob

    As the technical person who writes and maintains TESS, I must clarify
    something that was said in note .8.  TESS allows only 8 lines of
    80 characters each for the requisition description.  These 8 lines
    are shown on the VTX Jobs Book EXACTLY as they were entered by the
    recruiter in TESS.  No more, no less. 
    
    Patti Thompson 

RE: - .5
The following has been extracted from the VTX JOBS book 'Introduction'
section:

Introduction continued:                                           Page 2 of 2

 The Jobs Book is created by a program that copies requisition information
 from databases created by Employment Personnel using an application called
 TESS (Total Employment Staffing System).  Requisitions with a "status" of
 OPEN or INTERVIEW are included in the Jobs Book.

 The program for creating the Jobs Book is run daily (4:00am EST).  It first
 deletes the entire Jobs Book and then reconstructs a new one.  Changes to the
 TESS database are reflected in the new Job Book.

 Note:  The ACCURACY of the information in each requisition is the
        RESPONSIBILITY of the RECRUITER whose name appears on the requisition.
	This includes spelling, grammar, and updating the requisition status
    	code so that FILLED requisitions will not appear in future Job Books.
    

From:	AKOFIN::BIBEAULT     "Bob, (DTN) 244-6136" 25-JAN-1989 13:16
To:	NM%GRIMLY::JOBSBOOK,BIBEAULT    
Subj:	Sorry, I didn't realize this was "for your eyes only..."

	Sorry if I offended you by posting your reply. I didn't realize it
	contained anything you wouldn't freely share with anyone else 
	authorized to access HUMAN::DIGITAL. I will certainly not post 
	your replies in the future (but you may feel free to do so).
	I hope you don't object to my posting *my own* mail messages, 
	however.

	Posting your reply in its entirety accomplished, in my mind, 
	the following:

	o shared relevent information with those who have an interest
	 
	o continued relevent discussion within the conference and topic

	o gave you *credit* for your prompt and helpful reply

	o saved me the time of editing your response to maintain continuity
	  in the topic

	I would feel (barely) comfortable with your reply indicating the 
	hiring manager's name belonged in the 8x80 Job Description block 
	only if the hiring manager had final editing rights on its contents...

	In my opinion, it should not be left to discretion of the recruiter 
	alone to determine whether or not to include the Hiring Manager's Name.
	Rather, it should be the sole perogative of the hiring manager for whom 
	the recruiter is performing a service.

	Reasonable persons can, in good faith, disagree with this opinion and
	debate is *always* welcome...

	Regards,
	Bob
	

    I once was a temp in the ZKO personnel department and one of my
    tasks was sorting mail.  Resumes arrive in the tens and more daily,
    hundreds a week.  (That's just hardcopy, of course -- electronic
    is extra.)  I sorted into subsets -- internal, top priority; external
    or contract with a referral from an employee got a sticker, next
    priority; resumes from external recruiters, next priority; unsolicited
    external resumes, last priority.  (I now work in the ZKO library
    [as a contractor] which falls into the personnel department too,
    but I don't see resumes any more -- I assume they are still handled
    about the same.)  
    
    What that means is RECRUITERS don't do the preliminary sorts, clerks
    do.  By "protocal" systems.  After that, IF the recruiter has time
    (HA!) they look over each resume and file them according to whatever
    retrieval system they have.  With hundreds of resumes each week,
    I figure giving mine to a recruiter is tossing it into the trash!
    
    (There's some work being done, I think, to try to use an optical
    scanner to put hardcopy resumes into a database for better searching
    and matching -- a great idea if they can make it work.)
    
    My philosophy is you send your resume to the recruiter both hardcopy
    and electronically, you try to network enough in the group you are
    looking at so you can stir up some exploratory interviews (leaving
    resumes behind!) and you try to learn the hiring managers of any
    open reqs for direct contact.  (One time I received electronically
    an "Open Requisition Report" which was sent to the secretaries and
    somehow got forwarded to me.  It listed all the reqs at this site
    and information including requestor.  I sent mail to a few people
    and learned more.)
    
    Persistence is important, and research.  It's an imperfect system
    -- recruiters are specialists at working with people issues and
    they are not themselves necessarily knowledgeable enough to recognize
    implied skills -- you have to be careful about your wording in a
    resume.  So keep reworking your resume, keep asking around, keep
    sending inquiries and resumes out, keep trying!
    
    Sherry

    Another clarification, the TESS system does not have the hiring
    manager name nor his/her electronic mail address.  TESS has a
    REQUESTOR field.  Something gets typed in this field on the Req form,
    and the recruiter enters it in TESS (with no validation).  In some
    organizations, this is the group secretary, in some, the recruiter. 
    In your organization, it may be the cost center manager.  This may
    not even be a person but a group name.  The TESS system can not
    give you what it doesn't have...
                                                           
    Patti

    re: .25
    
    We realize that "the TESS system does not have the hiring manager name
    ... [and that it] can not give you what it doesn't have..."
    
    What we are saying is that HIRING MANAGER NAME should be added as
    a standard data element. This *could* be done. It would be an 
    *enhancement* to the data base and the system.
    
    Have the people responsible for TESS discovered data modeling yet?
    If so, the existence of an entity known as the hiring manager could
    *hardly* be missed. Hiring Manager Name is an *attribute* of hiring
    manager, as would be his/her location, etc.
    
    I don't think there is *any*  issue about whether hiring manager
    is an entity or whether it belongs in TESS but whether this data
    is to be shared with potential job candidates by passing the data
    to the VTX jobs infobase.
    
    The real issue of the this note is the role of the recruiter and,
    perhaps, listing the hiring manager's name on the VTX Jobs Infobase
    may be perceived as threatening to recruiters... Certainly, if the
    hiring manager's name is available, the recruiter *could* be out
    of the loop on many contacts. This may not be perceived to be a
    desirable state of affairs to those in Personnel... 
 
    

    It will also be a GREAT help if the electronic mailing address of
    the recruiter(s) are on VTX JOBs book.  It makes life so much easier.
    
    What seems to be the problem for adding that?
    
    Jane

    As a hiring manager, I occasionally place notes about open positions
    in the JOBS notes file.  I've stopped doing that, however, for the
    same reason that I'd prefer not to have my name listed on VTX;
    
    - The people who apply very often have no job objectives listed
    on their resume and simply apply for everything within a certain
    job code range.  If you don't know what you want to do, how the
    ^%&^$% should I?
    
    - There are "professional" job searchers out there who apply for
    every job they see no matter what the level or the job description.
    After awile you get to know their names because you hear from them
    so much.  Typically, you can recognize them by two things.  First,
    they are very angry if you don't call them back within 2 seconds,
    no matter how often they write you, and second, they ofter try to
    "win" a job by stating their requirements for what THEY WANT YOU
    TO DO FOR THEM.  I'm more interested in people who want to do something
    for my department, like provide a needed function or skill.
    
    - Although it is possible for people to learn to do things without
    the proper background, I don't have the resources to do that much
    training and I get tired of explaining that to people.
    
    Finally, my recruiter is great so I can count on her judgement.
    I might feel differently if this were not the case, but for now,
    leave my name off VTX, thank you!
    

    As a "survivor" (just barely) of the Target Sales Force/Stride fiasco
    I must admit to harboring strong negative feelings against 
    Digital's Job Prevention Corps, AKA recruitors.  I found them an
    extreme hindrance in all cases, and I'm sure most of my TSF buddies
    would agree.  After 14 months "on the boat", and well over 100
    job interviews, I finally found my job by going totally around the
    system.
    
    We in TSF also had to deal with a situation where the recruiter
    was actively bad-mouthing us to potential hiring managers, and we
    didn't even know about it!!
    
    One thing that really surprised me was the large number of outside
    TEMPORARY!!!! recruiters that Digital uses.  I had many instances
    when I had to explain things to the recruiter.  God knows what they
    were telling hiring managers.  The concept of using outsiders is
    inexcusable negligence on the part of Personnel.  I remember flying
    to Greenville, S.C. to interview for a job, and damned if I didn't
    find out that the recruiter, a temporary from Nashua, had flown
    down on the same plane!!!!  All this person did was perform some
    sort of a pre-interviewing function, at great expense by the way.
                                                               
    I would vote for the complete elimination of the function.  Let
    hiring managers (and I was one for 14 years) deal directly with
    candidates.  I'm sorry if that gets to be a problem at times, but
    I see no redeeming features in the system presently used by Digital.

    Just reviewed all the comments in thise whole file.
    
    What we have here is not so much a problem with recruiters per se,
    but rather an absolutely devastating indictment of:
    
        1 - The manner in which they are used in Digital.
    
        2 - The quality of Digital recruiters themselves.
    
    Personnel, rather than acting defensively, needs to take a long,
    hard, realistic look at how we use, or misuse them.  BTW, I GOT
    MAIL FROM SOMEONE ELSE TODAY WHO ALSO WENT TO GREENVILLE TO INTERVIEW
    FOR A JOB, AND THE RECRUITER WAS A TEMP FROM MILFORD, N.H..  Someone
    really needs to look at what the folks in Carolina are doing.  Also,
    the job had been filled before the guy got there.  As Pogo put it....
                       'NUF SAID

    aHA!  The hit-and-run noter shows up in another topic.
    Much milder this time.  Perhaps he's learning. And he
    hasn't tried to defend his comments on a dress code or
    children in the office.

	With the attitude of "They should find me a job" it's no wonder some
	people are unhappy. My very blunt reply to people like that is "Get
	up off your butt and TRY to get a job!"  Especially if that IS your
	job! (to find one)

	The opportunities are there for those that take them. I have no
	sympathy for those people that sit around and read magazines and
	expect someone to find them a job. (And yes, I've heard the stories
	of things like that happening)

						mike

    RE: "With the attitude of 'They should fine me a job' it's no wonder
    some people are unhappy."
    
    Gee -- I don't necessarily have the attitude that "They should find
    me a job", but I do have the attitude that "They" (recruiters) should
    at least acknowledge my existence!  I've been with DEC for 8+ years
    now, and have rarely found the recruitment offices to be responsive.
    For example, I've gone through the routine of searching through
    the jobs book, writing memos to all appropriate recruiters (enclosing
    my resume AND referencing the req. numbers), following-up with
    telephone calls, etc., etc., etc.  I've had four jobs at DEC, three
    of which were discovered by the same recruiter.  As for the other
    recruiters, I've rarely even received confirmation that they've
    received my resume, much less any action on it.  It's frustrating.
    I know one internal person who submitted her resume
    (referencing open req. numbers) to approximately 50 people; she
    received two form letters (and no phone calls) in return.  That
    doesn't seem like a great success rate (and I know this person's
    resume was a good one!).
    
    I wonder:  Does it really help to include req. numbers?  Someone
    mentioned that it is, and I've always done it, but would that restrict
    the recruiter from using your name for jobs other than the ones
    you referenced?
    
    If it helps anyone, I did find out that I'd get better responses
    when I sent electronic mail rather than hardcopy.  I don't know
    why it works this way, but it does.

    - electronic mail is preferable to hard copy because it saves a
    lot of time getting the resume to the hiring manager. I see hard
    copy resumes coming in 3-5 days after a popular req is posted,
    I know the manager is already sifting through some 30 E-mail resumes.
    When that resume gets to her desk in about 2 or 3 days, she'll probably
    care less about reading it 

    - electronic versions are also easier for storage and retreival.
    I am more likely to put my hand on a version stored in VAXmail/ALL-IN-1
    than one in the files (or likely waiting to be filed).
    
    - referencing req numbers is also a way to speed the process. If
    the game is first come first serve, any method of speeding up the
    process is important. With a req number the recruiters coordinator
    can forward the req directly. The resume won't have to sit in the
    recuiters IN box waiting for him/her to determine where it should
    go.
    
    - If you want to be considered for positions in addition to the
    req posted, say that in a cover letter. But be specific. "Any other
    positions" is to vague. 
    
    These are a few general tips to get your resume read by the right
    party. It's unfortunate that more (all) recruiters can't/won't
    acknowledge resumes. Applicants are our customer base, we should
    be concerned that they are satisfied customers. It's quite evident
    in this and notes like this, that that is not the case.

    Gail

        It's interesting to hear, again, that recruiters are not replying
        to or otherwise acknowledging resumes from internal candidates.
        
        I recently attending a "user group" meeting for the part of
        corporate personnel that handles TESS, at the invitation of
        the group.
        
        One thing I learned during that meeting is that it's the policy
        of the corporate employment group that EVERY internal response
        to a job posting be acknowledged.
        
        The Employment Systems Support folks are working on a number
        of enhancements to the system, some of which will be visible
        in a future version of the JOBS infobase.  These include a
        field for the recruiter's electronic mail address, which is
        often not easily found through ELF (since many recruiters are
        contractors).  Some additional enhancements will show up, too.
        
        I think many of us underestimate the scope of the problem.
        As of late February, less than 8 months into FY89, 8,636 open
        requisitions had been filled, and at that time, almost 3500
        were open.  Of these, about 5,500 were filled with internal
        candidates, and about 3,100 through external and college hires.
        So the system *is* working, even if not as smoothly as we all
        would like (not just us here, but the corporate employment
        folks as well).
        
        I made a suggestion that Corporate Employment make more use
        of the JOBS infobase to share information with people about
        their systems and how things are supposed to work, by adding
        additional screens with information helpful to people looking
        for new assignments.  I know the people responsible for these
        systems follow relevant discussions in this conference (even
        if they don't often respond), and I suspect they would welcome
        suggestions of what kinds of information would be helpful,
        so they can evaluate adding it.  For example, I suggested that
        they add the list of "skill codes" that the recruiters use
        in classifying resumes and matching them to open reqs, so that
        people could be sure to emphasize things that are relevant.
        
        Tom