Scott,

As a retired Human Resources pro and Employment and Compensation manager, I 
will just briefly comment...  I never acknowledged receipt of applications 
or résumés (CV is the academic term), because of the administrative costs 
both for mailing, and we had no automated response in our automated resume 
screening software that we got just prior to when I left.  We got a lot more 
apps than we could ever possibly use per opening; and the only time I 
probably did anything as far as acknowledging and specific follow-up was 
when we paid to recruit specific positions that were harder to find 
qualified applicants.  These generally involvedd regional or national 
searches for electric lineworkers, or mechanical and electrical engineers 
with power plant backgrounds.

With automated resume scanning software, it is very critical to massage your 
cover letter and resumé to match the specific job opening from the employer. 
When you set up the software, it is looking for phrases or words that match 
the description.  If we were looking for someone as a programmer-analyst 
that was familiar with SQL or Cobol, it would be set up to scan for that in 
the documentation that potential applicants submitted.

Job searching is a frustrating process, and I admit that the methods used 
nowadays particularly by larger employers seems impersonal.  Even in 
interviewing final candidates for a position, we have to be cognizant of the 
potential pitfalls.  I never told anybody why they weren't selected, just 
generalities.  The reason, of course, is interviewing can be a bit 
subjective.  As much as I could, you use structured interviews and an 
interview panel to try to eliminate some of that, but it is never truly 
absent.

Steve, K8SP
Lansing, Pure Michigan

----- Original Message ----- 
From: Scott Gillen ZL1CHM
To: [log in to unmask]
Sent: Saturday, September 27, 2014 2:30 AM
Subject: Re: hard work


Along the same lines I moved nearly half way around the world from MN to 
New=
 Zealand to get the job I have had for the past 24 years. The thing I find 
m=
ost annoying in the current market is that employers almost never even 
ackno=
wledge receipt of applications and CVs.