Resume storage and retrieval system

#The invention relates to electronic resumé storage and retrieval systems and methods.

#Resumés are a primary communication medium between employers and job applicants (candidates). Employers annually spend billions of dollars to solicit resumés using newspaper advertisements, job fairs, college recruitment seminars, and other methods. In response, job applicants spend billions more to compose, typeset, print, and ship those resumés.

#Unfortunately, present resumé delivery practices are expensive and frustrating for job applicants. Identifying potential employers, obtaining addresses, producing resumés for each, and finally delivering them is burdensome and time-consuming. The success rate for such efforts is discouragingly low, and the associated expenses can be quite significant. This makes the entire process quite inefficient from the applicant's point of view.

#Preferred embodiments of the invention are described below with reference to the following accompanying drawings.

#FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a system embodying the invention.

#FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a server included in the system shown in FIG. 1.

#This disclosure of the invention is submitted in furtherance of the constitutional purposes of the U.S. Patent Laws “to promote the progress of science and useful arts” (Article 1, Section 8).

#FIG. 1 shows a resumé storage and retrieval system 10 embodying the invention. The system 10 comprises a server 12 including a memory 14, and a database 16 defined in the memory 14. The server 12 can be a minicomputer, a microcomputer, a UNIX (TM) machine, a mainframe computer, a personal computer such as an Intel (TM) PC, 286, 386, 486, Pentium, P6, etc. (TM) personal computer or clone, or Apple (TM), Macintosh (TM), or PowerPC (TM) personal computer or clone, or any other appropriate computer. The memory 14 is preferably long term memory (e.g. hard drive, disk drive, tape unit, CD-ROM, etc.). The server 12 includes typical components (FIG. 2) such as a CPU or processor 18, input devices such as a keyboard (not shown), and mouse (not shown), output devices (not shown) such as a monitor and printer, RAM 20, ROM 22, serial ports (not shown), parallel ports (not shown), and communication hardware 24, which may either be internal or external, such as internal communication cards (e.g., modem card or network card) or external communication hardware (e.g., external modem), etc. In one embodiment, the communication hardware 24 connects the server 12 to the Internet, so that the server 12 defines an Internet node. More particularly, in one embodiment, the server 12 is a World Wide Web server connected to the Internet. In this embodiment, the server 12 has a multi-user, multitasking operating system such as UNIX (if the server is a UNIX machine), Windows NT, LINUX (if the server is a personal computer), etc.

#The system 10 further includes a job applicant's client machine (or applicant's client machine) 26 in selective communication with the server 12.