Death of the HR !!!

Not too long ago, if you knew someone in HR, the chances of getting a interview were pretty high. The HR team commanded immense power on who gets into the company. Organizations relied on this department to bring the best and brightest talent to their teams.

Many people still contend that the HR still wields considerable power. However, there is a thousand pound gorilla in the room which has changed the rules of the game. The "Online Portal" which invites suitable candidates to apply for advertised jobs. The idea is simple, get many suitable resumes on your computer, sort the best among them and send out interview invitations to the selected candidates. One simple problem to contend with, there are thousands of applications for each job and each candidate applies to hundreds and possibly thousands of jobs. All this results in the HR systems inundated with zillions of applications. In-spite of boasting application-screening software , all these software do is pick on certain keywords, certain action verbs , numbers quantifying applicant's magnificent work experience. Students/Job applicants know very well how these software solutions work, resulting in resumes which look almost identical in structuring , use of action verbs etc. All this boils down to a simple conclusion, the HR department is no longer in control of things who gets hired or at least through their web portals.

I am told multiple times, the below approaches are more fruitful for students.
* Networking with hiring managers or employees with influence in the company.
* Applying to the jobs through consultant services company. It seems
these contracting companies have a fast pass to the recruiters. Sad but true.