Why you were rejected

By STEVE HART

Have you ever applied for a job online and got the "thanks, but no thanks" message back within a day or two?

It happened to Sara (not her real name) and she wondered how her application for a senior marketing role could have been processed so quickly - especially as the closing date for applications was still 10 days away.

When she applied for the job online she thought someone at the other end would read her covering letter, all the answers she gave to set questions and her CV. But the truth is, no one actually read her application at all.

A computer program searched her application for key words specified by the job lister. Because the words - such as a particular qualification or previous job titles - were not there, a rejection message was automatically generated by the computer and emailed to her. Sara's enthusiasm, determination to succeed and job experience weren't considered.

The email could have been sent back within minutes, but recruiters who use these programs put a delayed response in place (presumably to give the impression that the application was read by someone).

One of the companies that offers "electronic candidate screening" is the online job site Seek. For $50 on top of its normal listing fee it allows advertisers to specify a list of screening questions.

Although Seek promotes the service on its website to potential advertisers the company was reluctant to explain how often it is used or who uses it.

Seek's trade marketing executive, Viva Tremayne, refused to discuss, deny or confirm the existence of its "Seek screen" software which is supplied by TurboRecruit in Australia.

But Seek's website tells advertisers that: " ... Seek Screen can be utilised to gather information that you need to know about applicants prior to interview. Many of our clients use this to replace the initial phone interview. ... use our automatic email feature to notify unsuitable applicants of their unsuccessful applications ... "

So it seems the human touch is fading as software helps recruiters avoid even telephone interviews. Is it really coming to a situation where computers select job candidates instead of people? Sadly, yes. defenders of the software say it saves them time and doesn't alter the ultimate outcome for candidates who would have been rejected - software or no software.

One person who is surprised that the software is being used at all in New Zealand is Anna Williams, the national manager for accounting and financial services at recruitment firm Hudson.

"That type of software takes away the human side of recruitment. It is essential to actually read each CV. I am surprised it is being used here but I know it is used a lot in the United States.

"It's an interesting precedent to be setting in a candidate-scarce market - there are always those people who apply for jobs who are left-field and would be rejected by this software [but could make good employees]."

FlightCentre's online job site also uses a software screening program that can automatically issue rejections by email without anyone having read the candidate's application.

The company's recruitment manager Richard Clowes says it mainly uses the system to filter out people applying from abroad who do not have a legal right to work in New Zealand.

"We use a program called Page Up that allows us to construct 'smart' application forms. We can reject people on a whole number of criteria but we don't use it that much as we tend to look at most of the applications that come through.

"If we are looking for a business-development manager we might ask applicants [in the online form] if they have more than two years' experience in that role. If the applicant selects 'no' then they will be sent an email two or three days later saying their application will not be taken any further.

"We keep auto rejection to a minimum because we want to see most of the applications. We are in such a tight candidate market that we are generally not turning the auto reject on in some of the jobs."

It seems the recruitment industry is moving down the track of creating more "smart" online application forms. That means more computers will be telling people that "other candidates more closely matched the skills needed ... "

Clowes says of the average 800 to 900 people who apply to work with Flight Centre every week via its website, about 4 per cent (around 32 people) will receive an automatic rejection email.

Chris Robson, director of recruitment at Frog Recruitment, says the filter question screening system is outdated in today's sophisticated recruitment environment.

"Nowadays the trend is for employers to look at the candidate's fit for the organisation over skills [which can be learned]. Given that trend, a process that is as black and white as the software-screening program is stopping potentially good people from even having a chance at getting a job.

"Every applicant should be spoken with to find out where the weaknesses are. For example, a recruiter may decide a candidate has everything the employer needs except for one thing that could easily be fixed through a training course or some upskilling. A computer program could reject that same applicant and the employer would never know they existed."

As for Sara ... She's still looking for her next job but says she's reluctant to spend time filling out an online form and would prefer to mail a letter for her next job application instead.

"At least that will have a better than even chance of being opened and read," she says.

* The New Zealand Herald's job website does not use auto-reject software.

How to overcome rejection

How can you tell if your online application has been rejected by a computer and not a fellow human being? If you apply online using any kind of tick box there is a chance software will decide your fate. And if you get a rejection email within two days of applying that's another possible clue that no one read your application.

One way around the system is to write for the job using paper, an envelope and a stamp, or telephone to find out more and to arrange a meeting (it's always worth a try).

But who should you call? You should only telephone the recruitment department if you want a job in recruitment. Otherwise, contact the head of the department you want to work in and sell yourself.