Alice Smith

Lack of Computer Skills May Foil Job Seekers

As a Human Resources Representative for a large school district, part of my day is spent

interacting with applicants seeking employment within our district. The district’s decision to go

to a paperless system several years ago enabled us to do away with paper applications and

instead, have those forms completed online. Although we have seen this move to embrace

technology as a welcomed change for our department, some applicants have considered it a

negative skew by the district.

The populace most affected by the change were those job seekers applying for

employment in the areas of food service and the maintenance departments. In addition to having

little to no computer skills, some of these applicants also have language barriers to contend with.

Currently, our online applications are in English and present an additional problem in completing

the online forms. Other issues facing these applicants is access to technology for completing the

online forms. Some applicants have resorted to using their smart phones to complete the forms

but were met with screen width issues and inaccessible drop-down options adding to their

frustrations.

What could our district do to help job seekers with little to no computer skills, apply for

employment within the district? One of the first issues addressed was access to technology by the

applicant. The district designated an area in the front office of the Human Resources Department

where eight desktop computers were made available to the public for completing our online

application. In the area of language barriers, the district encourages applicants to bring a family

friend or relative with computer skills, to help them apply online and answer employment
questions. Since implementing these changes, the district has seen an increase in traffic and an

increased number of applicants applying to the district.

As the district continues to grow, so too will the community and diverse culture that

resides within our boundaries. Keeping this in mind, the departments continued assessment of

issues affecting employment and the community will need to remain at the forefront with each

new technological innovation. By finding the right balance between the need for qualified

applicants and those with soft abilities, we can meet the overall goal of serving our students.