If you want to work for Lambton County, you will have to submit your application on line.

David Cribbs, general manager of corporate services, says Lambton hired CGI Njoyn to create a site for job seekers which also screens applicants for the position.

“When we post jobs, we get huge responses typically for employment,” says Cribbs. One or two part-time paramedic job postings can bring in as many as 500 applications he says.

“It is very difficult for any group of people to assess that group of resumes so software is a very good solution…it narrows pools down to a more manageable number.”

Cribbs says right now employees sift through every resume weeding out those who don’t qualify for the position and that can take “dozens to hundreds of hours.” It’s not clear how much money that could save the county.

Cribbs doesn’t expect the change will not cause too many problems since “most people’s resumes come to us in electronic form. It is very uncommon for us to have resumes come in paper form.”

He adds people who do not have computers can access the online job application site through a public library. And Cribbs says they are not trying to exclude anyone who can’t use a computer

“Where there are accessibility concerns or any sort of medical accommodation, the county will of course accept hard copy resumes or whatever form the person needs to apply…it’s not meant to create a barrier.”

He adds it’s not an unreasonable expectation to have people apply on line. “Computer usage is quite frankly is an expectation in virtually every job in the county’” he says. “Road plows have GPS devises needed to be working to provide data to prove we have and salt and sanded the roads.”

All the county’s job opportunities can be found at lambtononline.ca and on the county’s Facebook page. You can find a link to apply for the job in each posting.

Cribbs adds the county is moving towards advertising the majority its job online as well. He says some highly specialized positions, such as nurses, solicitors and upper managers, will likely be advertised in their respective trade publications.