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Still clinging to the idea that resumes should be mailed to you on matted paper? Maybe that's why
you're finding it so hard to attract good employees. A recent study for the Society for Human Resource
Management (SHRM) says that in this tight labor market, accepting e-mail may help attract talented
applicants who otherwise will think you're backward. In fact, business owners increasingly require or
encourage applicants to e-mail resumes because it reduces the paper floating around small offices.
SHRM, based in Alexandria, Va., surveyed 582 small-business owners and human-resources managers and
found that 42% of resumes arrive by mail, 30% are faxed, and less than 20% are received
electronically. Nevertheless, more than a third of the respondents prefer e-mail, and many now insist
on electronic job applications, according to spokeswoman Kristin Accipiter, especially small-business
owners who don't have human-resources staffs. Only 7% still won't accept e-mail resumes.
Why the switch? Efficiency: E-mail allows for easier filing and printing. It also saves time and
money. "Paper just drags you right down," notes Bob Adams, the founder CareerCity.com, based in
Holbrook, Mass., who was chagrined that many applicants for the CEO job at his Web site sent paper
resumes.
It probably works the other way, too. Accipiter says applicants, especially those in the high-tech
sector, prefer digital resumes. If you still embrace a "no e-mail" policy, "you're making a statement
that your company is not comfortable with technology," she says. "You're missing out on talented
people."
By
David Shook
in New York
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