Reason.com - Free Minds and Free Markets
Reason logo Reason logo
  • Latest
  • Magazine
    • Current Issue
    • Archives
    • Subscribe
    • Crossword
  • Video
    • Reason TV
    • The Reason Roundtable
    • Just Asking Questions
    • Free Media
    • The Reason Interview
  • Podcasts
    • All Shows
    • The Reason Roundtable
    • The Reason Interview With Nick Gillespie
    • The Soho Forum Debates
    • Just Asking Questions
  • Volokh
  • Newsletters
  • Donate
    • Donate Online
    • Ways To Give To Reason Foundation
    • Torchbearer Society
    • Planned Giving
  • Subscribe
    • Reason Plus Subscription
    • Gift Subscriptions
    • Print Subscription
    • Subscriber Support

Login Form

Create new account
Forgot password

Thousands of Resum

Jesse Walker | 5.23.2003 10:35 AM

Share on FacebookShare on XShare on RedditShare by emailPrint friendly versionCopy page URL Add Reason to Google
Media Contact & Reprint Requests

When is spam a crushing burden? When you're required by law to keep and file it all.

Start your day with Reason. Get a daily brief of the most important stories and trends every weekday morning when you subscribe to Reason Roundup.

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

NEXT: Nano-A-Go-Go

Jesse Walker is books editor at Reason and the author of Rebels on the Air and The United States of Paranoia.

Share on FacebookShare on XShare on RedditShare by emailPrint friendly versionCopy page URL Add Reason to Google
Media Contact & Reprint Requests

Hide Comments (5)

Editor's Note: As of February 29, 2024, commenting privileges on reason.com posts are limited to Reason Plus subscribers. Past commenters are grandfathered in for a temporary period. Subscribe here to preserve your ability to comment. Your Reason Plus subscription also gives you an ad-free version of reason.com, along with full access to the digital edition and archives of Reason magazine. We request that comments be civil and on-topic. We do not moderate or assume any responsibility for comments, which are owned by the readers who post them. Comments do not represent the views of reason.com or Reason Foundation. We reserve the right to delete any comment and ban commenters for any reason at any time. Comments may only be edited within 5 minutes of posting. Report abuses.

  1. Jim   23 years ago

    It's not nothing for those companies getting 50,000 a month - it probably consumes quite a bit of resources. Even if the technology that enables such results can also be used to field it, it's still and unnecessary regulatory burden that costs us all money on some level.

    I think the solution, for companies that post positions on services like Monster, is having the web service pre-screen them before sending any to the customer company. Or, they will have to manually search such databases for the resumes they are interested in. Again, although this would work it will take extra time and/or money for someone to do this.

  2. Madog   23 years ago

    We get thousands of resumes a week in our three HR Offices at Yale. We have a great system though, they get scanned, the originals are destroyed, and an automatic thank-you letter is generated and mailed with almost no human interaction. We store the digital copies in a database (Resumix). If you have the right system, then it's not that big a deal. It also helps that they have to specify the exact requisition number of every job they want to apply for or else they just sit in the database until the computer decides they qualifications match a search a recruiter is doing. 🙂

  3. Andy   23 years ago

    They *could* store resumes in two places if they wanted, the good ones on a searchable system and the bad ones in the basement. It's even easier for emailed resumes. They could even
    burn them to CD and stash them in a filing cabinet somewhere.

    If they were complaining about having to read them all or generate reports based on them I could understand the complaints, but this is just whining about nothing.

  4. Tuning Spork   23 years ago

    Nowhere in the article is there even a clue to why businesses are federally required to save all resumes for a year. So, my question is, why are businesses required to save all resumes for a year? Why should Big Bang save the resume from someone that they will never have any use for, and why does the government give a rat's ass if they do or don't??

  5. Andy   23 years ago

    I'm not arguing about the cost of sorting, that's a necessary and important part of recruitment. Saying you want good resumes but not the bad ones is ridiculous!

    The only cost that seems unnecessary is that of storage, and sticking them on a CD a month and filing it really isn't much effort. Of course it's also pointless, but that's government for you...

Please log in to post comments

Mute this user?

  • Mute User
  • Cancel

Ban this user?

  • Ban User
  • Cancel

Un-ban this user?

  • Un-ban User
  • Cancel

Nuke this user?

  • Nuke User
  • Cancel

Un-nuke this user?

  • Un-nuke User
  • Cancel

Flag this comment?

  • Flag Comment
  • Cancel

Un-flag this comment?

  • Un-flag Comment
  • Cancel

Latest

A School District Cop Allegedly Did Nothing To Stop the Uvalde Mass Shooting. Was That Failure a Crime?

Jacob Sullum | 1.6.2026 5:15 PM

Inspector General Report Finds Serious Failures Led to an Inmate Wasting Away From Treatable Cancer

C.J. Ciaramella | 1.6.2026 4:47 PM

Trump Wants To Seize Greenland Because He Doesn't Understand Trade

Eric Boehm | 1.6.2026 3:50 PM

Venezuela's Acting Dictator Is Delcy Rodríguez, a Maduro Regime Ally With a History of Human Rights Violations

César Báez | 1.6.2026 1:33 PM

The Contradictions of Supply-Side Socialism

Christian Britschgi | 1.6.2026 12:50 PM

Recommended

  • About
  • Browse Topics
  • Events
  • Staff
  • Jobs
  • Donate
  • Advertise
  • Subscribe
  • Contact
  • Media
  • Shop
  • Amazon
Reason Facebook@reason on XReason InstagramReason TikTokReason YoutubeApple PodcastsReason on FlipboardReason RSS Add Reason to Google

© 2025 Reason Foundation | Accessibility | Privacy Policy | Terms Of Use

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

r

I WANT FREE MINDS AND FREE MARKETS!

Help Reason push back with more of the fact-based reporting we do best. Your support means more reporters, more investigations, and more coverage.

Make a donation today! No thanks
r

I WANT TO FUND FREE MINDS AND FREE MARKETS

Every dollar I give helps to fund more journalists, more videos, and more amazing stories that celebrate liberty.

Yes! I want to put my money where your mouth is! Not interested
r

SUPPORT HONEST JOURNALISM

So much of the media tries telling you what to think. Support journalism that helps you to think for yourself.

I’ll donate to Reason right now! No thanks
r

PUSH BACK

Push back against misleading media lies and bad ideas. Support Reason’s journalism today.

My donation today will help Reason push back! Not today
r

HELP KEEP MEDIA FREE & FEARLESS

Back journalism committed to transparency, independence, and intellectual honesty.

Yes, I’ll donate to Reason today! No thanks
r

STAND FOR FREE MINDS

Support journalism that challenges central planning, big government overreach, and creeping socialism.

Yes, I’ll support Reason today! No thanks
r

PUSH BACK AGAINST SOCIALIST IDEAS

Support journalism that exposes bad economics, failed policies, and threats to open markets.

Yes, I’ll donate to Reason today! No thanks
r

FIGHT BAD IDEAS WITH FACTS

Back independent media that examines the real-world consequences of socialist policies.

Yes, I’ll donate to Reason today! No thanks
r

BAD ECONOMIC IDEAS ARE EVERYWHERE. LET’S FIGHT BACK.

Support journalism that challenges government overreach with rational analysis and clear reasoning.

Yes, I’ll donate to Reason today! No thanks
r

JOIN THE FIGHT FOR FREEDOM

Support journalism that challenges centralized power and defends individual liberty.

Yes, I’ll donate to Reason today! No thanks
r

BACK JOURNALISM THAT PUSHES BACK AGAINST SOCIALISM

Your support helps expose the real-world costs of socialist policy proposals—and highlight better alternatives.

Yes, I’ll donate to Reason today! No thanks
r

FIGHT BACK AGAINST BAD ECONOMICS.

Donate today to fuel reporting that exposes the real costs of heavy-handed government.

Yes, I’ll donate to Reason today! No thanks