E-recruiting (job searching from a distance)

["Palmer, Mary" <mpalmer -at- TMAIL -dot- TEA -dot- STATE -dot- TX -dot- US>]

I am working on a contract in Austin but am actively seeking work in Seattle
(family's there and I own property) so I have been following the interview
threads with more than a passing interest.  This is the first time in years
I have sought employment from a distance and things have definitely changed.
Recruiting is definitely a high tech, web-based business.  From my
experiences thus far, I would like the add to this conversation the
following observations and questions (for the recruiters).

In just a few hours of searching the web one can located dozens of job
openings, most of which prefer (even require)  e-mail submissions.  Because
of this, I (and everyone else looking) can electronically apply for many
jobs in a relatively short time.  I believe this phenomenon is changing both
how one applies for employment and how recruiters/HR types respond.

Recruiting firms receive hundreds of e-mail resumes a day. Many even have a
single email submission address like jobs -at- recruiter -dot- com -dot-  While this approach
has some great advantages especially when applying long distance, it can
take the personal touch out of things.  To efficiently deal with this email,
firms often employ individuals who do nothing but review the e-mail and
enter the resumes into databases.  Although I write a cover letter (e-mail)
to go with the attachment I suspect that this may never be seen by a
recruiter. (If this is an incorrect assumption I stand corrected.)  But, I
do wonder if the traditional cover letter could become an endangered
species?  I have considered trying a different resume format--one that
includes the kind of information normally put in a cover letter--as one way
to combat this. Has anyone tried this?

I have discovered that if you just do a general submission, you probably
aren't going to hear from a recruiter unless a keyword search brings your
resume to the surface.  The only time I hear back from one of the
e-applications is if I put a specific job number/code in the subject area.
Specific jobs are assigned to specific recruiters and if you specify a
particular position, the e-mail sorters will often just forward it to the
appropriate individual.  In this case, your email cover letter may actual be
read.

Although you might think that doing everything electronically would speed
things up--I have found the opposite to be true.  The increased volume of
applications has slowed the process.  I have sent my resume to
recruiting/consulting firms with dozens of openings for which I am qualified
and it sometimes takes weeks before I hear from them. Case in point: a
Seattle company that specializes in jobs for technical writers.  When I
looked through their web site, I really became excited.  Lots of jobs for
professionals like me.  I sent my resume.  Ten days later I called.  It
still hadn't been entered in the database.  I sent another email to the
person in charge of entering/forwarding e-mail resumes to recruiters in
which I listed all the openings for which I was qualified.  She emailed back
that she had sent my information on to the appropriate recruiters.  I waited
a week and called again. I'm still waiting.  I figure about the time I
accept a position elsewhere, they'll finally get around to calling.

As for thank you notes, I usually ask for the e-mail address of the person
interviewing me.  (All my interviews are conducted over the phone.)  It's
easy to whip out a quick electronic thank you and I feel better and more
complete with the process.  Don't know if it makes a difference or if it
just gets lost in the hundreds of emails sent daily.

I would like to hear how others handle electronic job searches, especially
if that search has been successful and I'd like to hear from the recruiters'
perspective, i.e., what gets their attention.

Thanks for your time.  Mary Margaret

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