The human resources department of the Richmond County school system has undergone a technology upgrade, replacing a costly, error-prone paper and pen application process with a computerized online system.

"Anything we can do to get a competitive advantage helps us attract the best and the brightest," Human Resources Director Norman Hill said. "This is a major move for the school system."

The new system allows job seekers to apply online anytime from anywhere, Mr. Hill said. They are also able to track their application through the employment process.

By doing all of that, SchoolRecruiter should save money and keep talented applicants from going elsewhere, he said.

The old process was labor-intensive and costly because of the reams of paper used in addition to the labor costs to his department and the school system's print shop, Mr. Hill said.

The new process is projected to save $84,000 a year.

The sluggish procedures, which involved moving stacks of paper through the process, also drove some prospective employees away.

"In the past, we've lost good teachers to other systems because of the time it takes," Mr. Hill said. "Any time you have mountains of paperwork you have potential for losing documents."

SchoolRecruiter went live March 9, and in less than a month 978 people had applied for jobs. Also, 805 people registered without applying for a specific job.

Mr. Hill's department also has benefited from reports compiled by the program, which help determine where job applicants are coming from and which job fairs and recruiting efforts were successful.

The online application process is one piece of three new technologies the human resources department has recently installed.

The others, Vircruiter and DEGREE IMPACT, come at no cost to Richmond County because Mr. Hill won them at a recent conference.

Vircruiter is an online feature that enables current and prospective employees to determine their total compensation, including benefits -- what Mr. Hill called the best kept secret of working in the school system.

Most school systems post a generic pay schedule online, but very few allow people to determine the exact dollar figure of their compensation, Mr. Hill said.

This enables people to make direct comparisons with other jobs to determine which is the right financial fit.

With DEGREE IMPACT, employees can determine the financial feasibility of earning an advanced degree. The online program determines how much more money would be earned.

Richmond County has been turning to technology as a way to cut costs.

The school system faces a projected $24.5 million shortfall next fiscal year.