askSam RTS Tutorial

Overview

askSam RTS has four main parts:

     Ÿ      Resume database - for applicant information and resumes

     Ÿ      Requisition database - for job orders

     Ÿ      Clients database - for job orders

     Ÿ      Employee Skills database - for tracking information about employees and their skills.

This tutorial will focus on the Resume database. It will show you how to enter and import resumes, search through your information, and run reports. Since all four parts of askSam RTS operate in a similar manner, you'll feel comfortable using all parts of askSam RTS after completing this tutorial. For more information on how to use the askSam database refer to the askSam Getting Started and Users Guide that came with your RTS package.

The Main RTS Menu

The Main RTS menu is the central part of askSam RTS. From this menu you can go to the different databases and access a variety of features.

When you start askSam RTS, the Main Menu is automatically loaded.

The Main Menu lets you switch to the different parts of askSam RTS. You can also access the Help function and an electronic version of the askSam RTS documentation. Simply click on an option to access it.

Adding Applicants and Resumes to Your Database

This tutorial will focus on the Resume database. Let's open this database and add an applicant and resume. askSam RTS has two different Resume forms - a Detailed Resume Form and a Simple Resume Form. The Detailed Resume Form contains more fields for classifying and organizing your resumes. The Simple Resume Form contains a minimal amount of fields - so it's faster to fill out the form. The ability to search the resume text is the same in both the Detailed and Simple Forms. You can look at both options and choose the one that works best for you or combine the two as needed. In this tutorial, we will work with the Detailed Resume Form... but not in the "real" Resume database. Instead, we will use a sample Resume Database made especially for this tutorial. It looks identical to the real Resume Database, but we've added some sample data so you can search and run reports.

1.     Choose FILE ® OPEN, select the RESTUTOR.ASK file and choose OPEN.

The Resume Menu will appear.

From this menu you can add information, search, run reports, and more. Let's add an applicant to the Resume database.

NOTE: When you are ready to add your "real" data, you would simply click on the Applicant Profile and Resume Database option in the Main RTS menu and then choose the form you would like to add.

2.     Click on the Add Detailed Profile (Resume) option.

The Applicant Information Form appears. The cursor is in the Applicant#[  field waiting for your entry.

3.     Type in the desired information. Press ENTER or TAB to move to the next field.  If you want to return to a field you have already filled out, press SHIFT+TAB or the UP ARROW key.

Most of the fields are self-explanatory.  Some are automatically filled out. Others display a Pick List (pop up window) when you enter the field.  The following is a description of some of the fields:

Field     Description

Applicant#[      assigns a number to each applicant. This number is automatically generated.

Original Date[      the date that the applicant is entered into the system. The date is automatically inserted.

Requisition_# [     tells you what job requisition (if any) this person applied for.

Status[      defines the status of the applicant either open or closed. When you enter this field, a pop up Pick List will appear. It contains the options OPEN and CLOSED. You can select one of the options and choose ENTER. It will be inserted in the field. If you press ESC, the Pick List is removed and you can enter any text in the field. You can create your own Pick Lists or add options to the lists which we've predefined.

Source[     indicates where a resume came from: fax, Internet, OCR. A Pick List appears when you enter this field.

Assigned_To[     lets you assign an applicant to a specific recruiter.

Callback[     date when you wish to make a followup call to the applicant.

Todo[     any type of Todo item you have for the applicant.

Notes[     this field lets you enter notes about the applicant. We have left space for more than one line of text in this field. Just type in your information. askSam will automatically wrap the text to the next line when necessary.  Pressing ENTER in the Notes[ field adds lines to the field. Press the TAB key to move to the next field.

Key_Words[     enter any key words you would like to associate with this applicant. This field is useful when you want to find the applicant based on terms that do not appear in the resume.

Sent_To[     keep a record of the firms who've received copies of this resume.

Resume[     you can scan, import, copy & paste, or type the contents of the resume into this field.

Saving a File

4.     Choose FILE ® SAVE  (or press CTRL+S) to save the applicant form.

Entering the Resume

You can type, scan, or import a resume into your database. In this tutorial, we will import a sample resume which we have included.

5.     Choose FILE ® IMPORT.

The Import Dialog box will appear.

There are certain options that need to be set in the Import dialog.

First, make certain that the resume will be imported to the "End of Current Document". You can set this option by selecting IMPORT LOCATION and selecting "End of Current Document".

Second, the file we are importing is a text file. Make sure the Files Of Type is set to TEXT (*.TXT). askSam lets you import a variety of file types - including Word, Word Perfect, RTF, HTML, and more. To see a complete list you can pull down the Files of Type menu.

Now you are ready to import the resume. The name of the resume is GOODMAN.TXT.

6.     Select the GOODMAN.TXT file and choose IMPORT.

When the import is complete a message box will appear.

7.     Choose the CLOSE button.

The resume is imported onto the end of the document on your screen. You can scroll through the resume using the mouse. To edit the resume (or move through it using the keyboard), press CTRL+E to turn off Data Entry mode or click inside the resume and you will be prompted to turn off Data Entry mode, select YES at the prompt.

You can now edit the resume. You can add formats, spell check, insert or delete information, and make any other changes you require.

Saving a File

8.     Choose FILE ® SAVE  (or press CTRL+S) to save the applicant form and resume.

Searching Your Information

askSam RTS offers some of the most sophisticated search functions found anywhere. Boolean searches, date searches, as well as proximity and full text searches can be accessed from simple dialog boxes. The ACTIONS menu contains commands for the search functions. Feel free to explore the menus and try out any searches that interest you.

Before we start searching, we want to demonstrate how you can navigate through your database. To do this, you will need to have the Resume database open. It should still be open from the previous excercise. If this is not the case, choose FILE ® OPEN and select the RESTUTOR.ASK file.

Moving Through Your Database

There are several ways to move through the Documents in your database:

·     using the Function Keys

     ALT+PgDn     to move to the next Document

     ALT+PgUp     to move to the previous Document

     ALT+Home     to move to the first Document

     ALT+End     to move to the last Document

·     using the Video Buttons -

Searching From the Search Line

To make finding your information convenient, askSam lets you search from the Search Line. The Search Line is the line above the ruler beginning with the Search button.

The Search Line gives you a direct way to quickly access your information. For example, to find applicants with programming experience:

1.     Press ESC (or click the mouse in the Search Line - the line above the Ruler).

2.     Type: programming and then press the ENTER Key.

The Search Results Windows

After a search is executed, the Search Results Window will appear. The Search Results Window appears at the bottom of the screen and displays a list of the Documents retrieved by your search.  Clicking on a document in the Search Results Window displays that document in the top Window of the screen.

From the Search Results Window you can:

·     Scroll through Documents retrieved by your search.

·     Edit retrieved Documents.

·     Delete Documents retrieved by your search (by pressing the DEL key).

·     See the number of retrieved (found) Documents.

·     See the number of hits in each Document.

·     See the context of the hits.

·     Jump from hit to hit in the Documents.

·     Customize the field or fields listed in the Search Results.

Rather than continuing the search, let's start another one. Let's enter another request in the Search Line. This time let's find all applicants that have experience with C++ or Java programming. To do this, we'll need to use the Boolean operator "OR".

4.     Press ESC.

The cursor is placed in the Search Line. Your last request (programming) is highlighted. You can use the cursor keys to edit this request, or you can enter a new request and the old one will be deleted:

5.     Type: C++ or Java and press the ENTER key.

The first Document containing either C++ or Java will appear on your screen. At the bottom of the screen the Search Results Window will be displayed.

6.     To view the next Document selected, choose the NEXT button. To view any other document from the list, click on the document listing in the Search Results Window.

7.     Choose the Close Results View button (X) on the right of the Search Results Window.

Advanced Searching With the Search Dialog

Use the Search dialog from the Actions menu to combine different types of searches into a single request. For example, you could search for applicants in Florida with programming experience.

8.     Choose ACTIONS ® SEARCH. The Search dialog box will appear.

9.     Choose the FIELD button. The Search in Field dialog box will appear.

10.     Type: FL in the Find Word or Phrase field and select State[ as the field to search in.

The Search in Field dialog should now look like this:

11.     Choose the OK button. You return to the Multiple Search dialog box. Now let's search for the word "programming".

12.     Choose the WORD button.

13.     Type: programming and choose the OK button. You return to the Multiple Search dialog box. The dialog should look like this:

14.     Choose the OK button.

     askSam searches for documents with FL in the State field and the word "programming". The first document meeting this criteria is displayed. At the bottom of the screen the Search Results Window is displayed. To view the next Document selected, choose the NEXT button. To view any other document from the list, click on the document listing in the Search Results Window.

15.     Choose the Close Results View button (X) on the right of the Search Results Window.

Reports

askSam reports let you view information from multiple Documents in an organized and summarized manner, create lists, and calculate totals. To create a report you need to decide:

·     What Documents you will select to include in the report.

·     How these Documents will be sorted and grouped.

·     What fields you'd like included in the report.

·     How the report will be laid out.

Once you know this information, creating, editing, and running a report is simple.

Reports are stored as Report Documents in your askSam file. A single askSam file may contain many different reports, each designed to serve a specific purpose.

askSam RTS includes a variety of predefined reports which you can run. In this part of the tutorial, we show you how to run reports.

To Run a Report

1.     Choose TOOLS ® REPORTS.

     The Reports dialog box will appear.

You can now select the report you wish to run and choose RUN.

2.     Select the Applicant Listing with Notes report and choose RUN.

A prompt appears.

 You can enter a search request or choose OK to see a list of all applicants. Let's view a list of all the applicants.

3.     Choose OK.

A new window containing your Applicant Listing will open. You can edit, save, or print this list. If you double click on a line in the report, you return to the document containing the information displayed in that line. You would then press CTRL+TAB to return to your report.

When you have finished paging through your list, close the window.

4.     Choose FILE ® CLOSE or choose the Close Report Output button to close the report

askSam RTS comes with a variety of predefined reports. You can also create your own reports using the report writer in askSam RTS. It's as easy as dragging and dropping the field you want onto your report layout. You do not have to learn complicated commands or a programming language.

Feel free to run some of the other reports in the Resume database. Choose TOOLS ® REPORTS and select the report you wish to see. When you are  finished, choose FILE ® CLOSE or choose the Close Report Output button to close the report.

This concludes the askSam RTS Tutorial. The documentation for askSam RTS and the askSam User's Guide contain more information about the contents of this tutorial as well as other topics not covered in this tutorial.  For a more detailed tutorial on the basics of askSam, see the askSam Getting Started Manual.  Feel free to go back and practice anything that is not clear. We hope you enjoy askSam RTS.

To exit the askSam RTS choose FILE ® EXIT.