Who isn't in a hurry these days? With technology innovations like e-mail and the Web right at our fingertips, our time is spent learning how to be more efficient and effective via the electronic medium.

One area that has taken a 180-degree turn is the resume. No longer do many job seekers send you fine documents printed on parchment paper. In fact, according to Forrester Research, 15,000 businesses in America recruit through the Web, and this number is expected to grow to 124,000 in four years, or 60 percent of medium-size firms.

Electronic resumes are the way to go because they can be used in a number of ways. For example, they can be scanned into your company's network and held electronically rather than in a paper-based file cabinet. In addition, HR Departments are becoming increasingly burdened by the amount of mail they must go through during the day, let alone the number of resumes that must be reviewed. Career Strategist Mark Mehler suggests that companies spend as much as $100,000 annually just sorting through resumes.

A word of caution to those in the job market: As reported recently, it is within an employer's rights to look at every email that is sent from company computers. So if you're looking for a job on company time, beware...

Whether you're in the job market or on the recruiting side, think about the advantages of the electronic resume and consider how this automation can work to your advantage.