Hi Lestie,
Great,great topic.
I remember when we did recruitment "manually." I'd receive hundreds of applications and needed to sift through them. I'll be honest, many times I never made it to the bottom of the pile. I'm sure I missed out on many, my great candidates.
Electronic recruitment has it's pros and cons. It goes through all of the applications. The cons, it only picks out key words. The applicant could be perfect for the position, but if they don't use the "key" words they are not selected.
Even though I feel for the job applicant, there just isn't enough time in the day to respond to every single application. Consider, not only the number of applicants, but the fact that many apply and don't come near qualifying. For example, the Taco Bell cashier, who had applied for a librarian position. They had a high school education and the only job they ever worked at was Taco Bell. The librarian job, however, required experience and a Master's Degree. The system often gets clogged with people who apply and don't qualify.
I do, however, get back to every candidate we do interview, to let them know that they didn't get the position. I think that would be even worse, to interview and NEVER hear anything.
I guess the bottom line for me is that they both have their draw backs and neither is perfect. I do believe, however, that more applicants are processed using electronic resources rather than by hand.