The majority of significant employers today utilize one brand or another of what is referred to as talent acquisition management software to expedite and improve the productivity and effectiveness of their recruiting efforts.  While employment opportunities are highly competitive for job-seekers, securing the services of top quality candidates may be even more so for prospective employers.  The developers and marketers of such human capital management applications are well-known names including PeopleSoft, Kenexa-Brass Ring, and Taleo.  If you have ever taken notice, you will often see the phrase “Powered by” followed by the name of an application provider at the bottom of pages on which you may be uploading a resume, filling out a profile, or answering questions relating to a position for which you may be applying.
From the perspective of the employer, these types of applications enable them to automate functions including:

• posting job descriptions and requirements on their Websites and transferring such postings – if applicable – to job boards and other Web-based employer recruitment resources

• enabling applicants to post or create, review, and update resumes online

• keeping all parties informed of application status and – upon recruiter determination – interviews

• maintaining a database of potential recruits, their resumes and supplementary documentation, positions for which they have applied, results of interviews, and other pertinent transactional information

• providing a tool and interface to search the applicant pool, including the firm’s internal talent pool, by using keyword search capabilities driven by various search engine technologies

• submitting and confirming employee referrals, as well as viewing eligibility statuses and job awards

From the perspective of the job candidate, these technologies place even more emphasis on resumes, cover letters, and any other job-seeking communications vehicles.  The organization, keywords employed, and position of those keywords within such documents are critical to a candidate’s prospects of having his or her resume reviewed by a recruiter or hiring manager.  Otherwise, such documents simply aggregate in the firm’s virtual talent pool until such time as they are purged from the system.

If you have decided to accept another position and leave your current employer, you should consider the following:

Look before you leap

Before tendering your resignation with your present employer, be certain that the offer you have received for that great new job is solid; don’t make the same mistake as one of our clients.

Filling out an application during an interview for a prominent financial firm, our client was asked to include information concerning his entire work history and to ensure the veracity of that data.  As his background had been lengthy, containing positions in fields unrelated to the job for which he was applying, our client had trouble recalling some exact dates and job titles.  Apprising the human resources manager of this, he was advised to fill out the form to the best of his recollection.  Several days later, he received the job offer and, assuming it had been made in good faith, submitted his resignation to his current employer.  Imagine his dismay when the financial company informed him that they were rescinding the offer of employment as he had “lied” on his application!

Reiterating his conversation with the human resources manager, our client learned that, as the firm’s hiring practices were mandated by the SEC (Securities and Exchange Commission), errors equated to falsehoods, constituting breaches of regulations.  When our client sheepishly returned to his original employer with the hope of salvaging his job, he was told that, in light of his resignation, he had already been replaced.

Put it in writing

When you are assured of and accept a firm offer, it is both considerate and good business protocol to give your current employer at least two weeks notice and to do so officially, by drafting a letter of resignation.  As this document will become part of your permanent file and may one day reflect your business ethics to a potential employer seeking references, be professional!   Avoid the temptation to put in writing any negative issues or occurrences that caused you to seek new career opportunities.

A question of length

Among career professionals, there are two schools of thought concerning the length of letters of resignation.  Some subscribe to the concept of short and sweet, recommending that a brief letter be followed by a more in-depth, face-to-face discussion with your manager.  Others favor a longer written explanation, particularly if yours is a case of separating from an employer with whom you have enjoyed a positive relationship.

Regardless of its length, the code of business conduct requires that if you intend to leave your employer, you present him or her with a letter of resignation.  The letter should be addressed and submitted to your immediate supervisor as well as copied (‘cc’d”) to the human resources manager and any other managers with whom you regularly worked.