Stored Applications

HRH

I am in Illinois. Our applications state that we keep them for only 30 days. However, I think I have every one I ever received, and sometimes actually refer to them. Can you tell me how long you retain applications?

Also, do you respond to every appliction, or only those that look like they would be a good match??

Many thanks!

dixied

We retain resumes for one year. We don't accept resumes unless we are actively recruiting for a specific position. I do not refer back to old resume. I have done it years ago and found that usually the person is no longer interested.

System

I looked in our book HR Quick List ([url]www.hrhero.com/hrquicklist.shtml[/url]) and it say Title VII and other laws require you to keep applications for at least one year.

James Sokolowski
HRhero.com

JudyBeach

Does is this also apply to resumes? What if you do not contact a person who has sent in a resume, are you suppose to keep those to or just those you have contacted?

If we kept all resumes sent in (some are not even solicited) we would create a major storage problem.

Thanks for youe help.

I find this forum so enlightening.

Dutch2

Be careful.... there are two schools of thought about "going into the light."

We were selected for a random audit of our AA program a couple years back. Golly... I thought we never would get that behind us. The DOL told us that if we did not solicit the resume or application that we did not have to consider them as applicants and they recommended that if we were not going to consider them for employment that we trash them. There has been much discussion and legal views lately as to just who/what must be considered an applicant for employment.

JudyBeach

I still have questions about this being posed to me.

1. What about resumes that were sent e-mail that you reviewed but did not contact the individual for an interview? Do we have to save those or just those persons we contacted for an interview.

I guess this would also apply to those resumes sent via the regular mail after a job opening was posted.

Some potential applicants just scour the papers and send resumes out to everyone even if they are not qualified. SO that means we receive a lot of "junk." Are we required to keep those too?

I was hoping that we just needed to keep those resumes where we actually had people come in an fill out an application and have an interview.

Who would really know any different? One could always say that they never received the resume.

Thanks for all of your help.

Judy

HR In NH

I've always considered an "applicant" to be someone who actually applied for a specific job opening. Then, I keep all of these resumes/applications, even if we did not consider them. Electronic storage is much easier, so we scan in any paper resume/applications. I keep them indefinitely right now, but one of these days, we'll get around to clearing out the 1+ year old files.

I do trash any unsoliciated resumes/applications. I've been meaning to purchase postcards to send out to individuals that send these unsoliciated resumes/apps to notify them about our policy, but have not had a chance.

steveg

HRH,

I think you probably have the information you need by now but to be sure.

You are required to keep resumes and applications for a period of one year on those positions for which you ran ads or otherwise had openings.

You DO NOT have to keep applications or resumes which have not been solicited for an open position.

A word of caution; make sure you don't have someone in another department running an ad that solicits for multiple positions and you don't know about it. Trust me it can happen!

If someone submits a resume or application for a position for which you currently do not have an opening you can trash it.