ResumeGPS is a new program for colleges, associations, and workforce boards that was designed by the folks at OptimalResume, a provider of career center management software currently embedded within 600 college career hubs in the U.S.
According to Dave McNasby, OptimalResume’s COO and the chief architect behind this new tool, ResumeGPS is a part of their Corporate-Connect Program, which offers employers resume searching capabilities, job postings, brand advertising, and event reservations (not available until this summer). Both Corporate-Connect and ResumeGPS piggyback on the OptimalResume product.
McNasby outlined ResumeGPS’s three core purposes: 1) to make it easy for employers to search resumes and interview prospects online from participating institutions from a single online location, 2) to generate an additional income stream for participating college career centers, associations, and workforce boards, and 3) to increase user placement rates.
Institutions don’t pay any fees to participate in the program. In fact, McNasby said that OptimalResume shares 50% of annual employer revenue with participants, an amount that is based on each institution’s percentage of total resume click activity.
Employers can create a Corporate-Connect account on the central hub and receive a free 3-month trial of ResumeGPS before they pay any fees. The current monthly fee for employers is $49 per month.
To begin utilizing the program, users log in on their institution’s co-branded OptimalResume domain and opt-in by selecting a resume as their “GPS Resume.” Individuals must be affiliated with a participating institution to join the program.
McNasby said that currently colleges and universities dominate ResumeGPS, with around 40 institutions signing on since its launch in February. But he expects that number to climb as more OptimalResume clients evaluate the program’s potential. The integration of video, for example, may be a big draw for employers looking to add a visual component to their screening process.
“What’s distinctive about ResumeGPS, and Corporate-Connect as a whole is the functionally elegant integration of video screening with resume searching and job postings,” McNasby said. “Employers can be selective and focus their efforts on particular colleges or workforce boards that are participating in the program.”
Two video screening options are available for employers: online interviewing and videoconferencing. With online interviewing, employers can create screening interviews and batch invite individuals to respond via web-cam, verbal, or written responses. Employers can also contact prospects and schedule video conferences that are conducted on the same resume searching interface.
Companies can search resumes from selected institutions using a variety of filters, including resume keywords and activity filters. They can also compile resume books in formats like RTF, PDF, HTML, XML, and ZIP.
Because ResumeGPS is a new program that requires each individual user to opt-in for legal reasons, McNasby expects the resume database to grow rapidly throughout 2009-10. At the moment the number of resumes in the database is quite small – less than 1,000.
“We believe ResumeGPS has the potential to become a significant force in corporate talent acquisition efforts, particularly at the college level, because of its unique ability to provide employers early, cost-effective access to a large pool of entry-level prospects,” McNasby said.
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