[Sigia-l] Entering CVs online - good interfaces

[Mike Brown]

Listera wrote:
> Mike Brown:
> 
> 
>>trying to make to tedious process of entering your data as painless
>>as possible.
> 
> 
> There is one, and only one, interface solution to that: File upload.
> 
> As in the "Upload your-already-completed-ready-to-go-in-5-seconds resume"
> button. This is a classic one-to-many problem distribution case.
> 
> If you think there is any another solution, please consider this question:
> Do you think it's reasonable to expect a very large number of applicants to
> RE-enter their info just for you AND then repeat the same process wherever
> else they apply at dozens of other sites? If this were the norm online (i.e.
> every employer thought it was indispensable enough to demand it), then why
> have any CVs at all?
> 
> Generally speaking, one can't go wrong assuming that the job application
> process is an *invitation* not a hurdle/quiz/showdown/etc. Why reduce your
> applicant pool by demanding that they do something that can easily be done
> server-side with a parsing application. Let the computer extract info and
> dump it into a DB. At worst, you can ask them to verify it.
> 
> If Google can parse and index 8 billion disparate pages without asking
> people to categorize them manually, surely we can manage a few hundred
> resume pages?
> 

Ok, yes, agreed. I should have given more information then :)

Background:
It's not a job site. It's a site where people enter details about 
themselves so they might get selected to be nominated to be a Board 
member for a statutory body.

The small number of administrators for the site will get requests to 
supply names of prospective Board members and will search across the 
site to supply those who fit certain criteria - eg financial management 
experience, lawyer etc

So the information people will be asked to enter about themselves will 
not be the "classic" CV information, but "CV-like" information. I'm not 
sure how possible it would be to extract the data we want from a very 
disparate bunch of Word documents, for example. Or is this where you're 
suggesting it's possible to extract the info and dump into a DB?

It's considered important that the data is standardised to assist 
"finding" suitable candidates, and for potential sharing of this 
information with other agencies.

I'm certainly not a fan of expecting people to enter lots of data 
online, but don't see how it can be got around in this case - hence the 
request to see ways in which this is done well.

I'm not a techie :)

Mike