The piles of applicant documents on the desks of personnel managers first shrank and then disappeared. This may be because they are now only received electronically, or it could be because it is rare for anything to arrive. Some employers seem not to have understood that every candidate wants to be treated with respect. Qualified applicants can choose their employer and behave accordingly. This is new for many personnel managers and leads to a serious mistake: applications are collected and then sifted, and only in the third step are potentially suitable candidates approached. By the time that happens, they will have already found work elsewhere. Providing immediate feedback is important, even if it is just a “thank you for your application, it has been received and we will get back to you shortly!” More importantly, the subsequent invitation for an interview must follow within three or four days, if possible. Many employers are not prepared for this. That can all be changed with the ECM Digital Applicant Management module.