Question

Positive Letters and Goodwill Messages

. Direct Request Letter: Too Many Résumés!

Your company is overwhelmed with résumés for advertised positions. The director of Human Resources asks you to begin investigating résumé scanning software. However, she doesn't want a visit from a software salesperson until she knows more about the possibilities. You are to compose a form letter that can be sent to different software vendors asking for information. You need to know whether their software can identify job-specific knowledge and experience. One problem your company has experienced has to do with inappropriate information submitted by job candidates. For example, you don't want to know the applicant's race or age. How does the software avoid displaying such information, if the applicant includes it? What about references? This area would seem to need fields available for customization. Does the system rank the résumés according to the job skills and experience required? You would really like a system that, when it finds a great résumé, moves it to the top of the list and perhaps even has a "More Like This" function.

Your Task: Prepare a letter that can be used to send to a number of résumé software vendors. Remember that you want answers, not a visit from a salesperson or the URL of a Web site. Use your imagination to ask open-ended questions that elicit effective feedback. Decide how you want the receiver to respond and by when. How can you make it easy for the receiver to respond? Assume you are writing on company letterhead; use block style and the current date. Place the date 2 inches from the top.

in 200 words.

Answer 1

A direct request letter to résumé scanning software vendors should inquire about their products' abilities to identify job-specific skills, exclude personal details, customize fields, and rank résumés, while focusing on the company's needs and making it simple for vendors to respond.

Step-by-step explanation:

When overwhelmed with résumés for various positions, an efficient solution is to use résumé scanning software. In writing a direct request letter to software vendors, it is crucial to inquire about their products' capabilities in identifying job-specific knowledge and experience, omitting unwanted personal details such as race or age, customizing fields for references, and ranking résumés by required job skills.

A form letter should be crafted clearly and professionally, on company letterhead, using block style, and requesting the vendor to provide detailed information on these key functionalities without arranging a sales visit. It should also specify how and by when you expect their response, making it easy for the receiver to provide the necessary information.

The letter must sell the company's need for an efficient software solution and convey how a prospective vendor's product could be an asset. By focusing on the company's needs for the software and asking open-ended questions, it prompts vendors to give detailed feedback which can help in making an informed decision. A prompt and easy method of response is necessary to ensure a smooth communication process.