Online Applications Could Make Traditional Resumes, Cover Letters A Thing Of The Past

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Texting and playing games on your phone might just be the path to a new job.

As CBS2's Dana Tyler reports, resumes are starting to take a back seat to the latest in online applications.

Meg Nicol is two years out of college and has yet to gain much job experience.

"We have a lot to offer companies but it's hard when our resumes are so thin," she said. "Being able to show someone your raw skills and your raw talent in a very quantitative way is important."

Nicol showed off her potential by playing games on her phone -- and landed a new job.

"It's a way to get at key abilities you might not notice, or be hard to measure," Criteria Corp. CEO Josh Millet said.

Criteria Corp. is a pre-employment testing company. It recently launched Job Flare, an app that uses six different 90 second brain games for candidate assessment.

"The games are measuring things like attention to detail, problem solving, critical thinking, and some jobs require quantitative skills as well," Millet said.

Millet says resumes and interviews aren't always the best indicator of the person and their real qualifications.

"An objective environment where you're judged on your abilities is much fairer to the applicant and it's more fun," Millet said.

Launch Pad is another games based application process.

"A resume and cover letter, they're stale," Job Search Ketchum intern Riis Massey-Williams said. "On Launch Pad, you can be as vibrant as possible."

The app is used by summer interns at a New York public relations agency.

"They introduce themselves in 140 characters, they create a game name and they respond to two fictitious client challenges," Michele Lanza from Ketchum KPIX Job Search Trends said.

Lanza adds this new program allows a broader selection of people a better chance at a coveted position.

"It forces people to put more energy into a job application, especially as a student," intern Jade Song said.

At Ladders, a firm that matches professionals with recruiters, CEO Marc Cendella says games boost a candidate's profile.

"Assessment tests that can accurately and effectively assess the ability of a candidate to do a job are welcome," he said. "They're welcome in the workforce, they're welcome in the interview process."

But experts say don't get rid of your resume just yet. Some games will just get you an interview. You'll still need a solid presentation on paper and in person to land the job you're after.