The Johns Hopkins Gazette: September 18, 2000
September 18, 2000
VOL. 30, NO. 3

  

HR Initiates Paperless Job Search

By Greg Rienzi
The Gazette
Johns Hopkins Gazette Online Edition

A new university employment system, which will be phased in beginning in October, has pushed the filing cabinet a step closer to obsolete status.

The cornerstone of the new paperless system, dubbed STARS for Systematic Tracking of Applicants and Requisitions System, is a Web-based service that will allow the job seeker, from both inside and outside the university, to submit applications and/or resumes electronically for all university employment opportunities.

The information the applicant submits will then be stored on a database in order to be easily referenced by recruiters from all Hopkins divisions. The primary benefit for applicants, according to human resource officials, is that they need apply only once to be considered for all current and future university openings for a period of one year. In addition, they will receive an immediate acknowledgment of their submission.

"When it comes to recruiting and hiring, times have changed," said Pamela Barkett, staff/labor relations and employment manager in the Homewood Office of Human Resources. "Today's rock-bottom unemployment means that there are more jobs available than there are people to fill them, and seekers have many employment options. Even the most highly regarded employers can't afford to sit back and wait for candidates to come to them," Barkett said.

It is estimated that 40,000 applications are received annually by the four divisional human resources offices.

Paulette Hynson, employment services manager at the School of Medicine, said that by reducing paperwork, STARS will make it easier to track staffing, retention and legally required statistics and also will free time to recruit.

"Even though JHU is one of Maryland's largest employers, when candidates have so many choices, we have to actively recruit them," Hynson said. "STARS is applicant responsive and works quickly and efficiently with candidates to assist Hopkins to recruit and keep the best people here."

STARS utilizes a system created by Alexus International, a Maryland firm that provides Web-based resume management, applicant/requisition tracking and job seeker self-service systems.

Here is how the new system will work:

Potential applicants will be directed to visit a new job posting Web site to view all current employment opportunities. Once he or she identifies a position, the applicant is instructed to fill out the corresponding application on his computer screen and also paste a copy of his resume, references and any other pertinent information before he submits.

Each resume will be electronically archived for one year; when a match occurs, the candidate will be contacted to see if there is mutual interest. Applicants who wish not to be considered for other positions can place a restriction on their resume/application by contacting a human resources representative.

Audrey Smith, vice president for human resources, said the new system is seen as a necessary evolution in the employment process.

"STARS will allow us to more efficiently manage the 40,000-plus applicants who apply annually, reduce our response time to hiring managers and provide a central pool of applicants and jobs, thus streamlining the process for both current employees and external applicants who are seeking opportunities at Hopkins," Smith said.

For more information on STARS, visit www.jhu.edu/~hr1/stars/.


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