M.B.A. Central has a pool of MBAs and uses a proprietary technology to identify qualified candidates after receiving a job description from the hiring manager. Qualified candidates in the M.B.A Central pool are sent the job description via e-mail. Those who are interested reply via e-mail with a current resume, and the company delivers targeted resumes to a client's hiring manager's desk within five days. Netscape has used the service twice to fill positions for its product marketing group. M.B.A. Central uses a specific and unique message crafted by the person doing the hiring and guarantees between 10 and 30 qualified candidates.
Some controversy surrounds the use of computers in screening new hires.
There are those who argue that computer-assisted interviewing makes it fairer for everybody, helps the interviewer choose the right people for the job, streamlines the hiring process, and allows the company to capture data that can be used in later hiring waves or in employee development and succession processes. But there is also a contingent of the human resource community uncomfortable with in-depth electronic profiling. Their fear is that electronic profiling will exclude someone who doesn't fall within the desired response range, even though that person might have skills the company really needs. This contingent adds that human interviewers may pick up things the computer couldn't. By factoring in information the computer can't anticipate, they would be able to make better decisions.