Note   This procedure requires Microsoft Exchange Server to be running in your organization.

An HR recruiter can receive hundreds of e-mail messages every day from external job candidates. Using Microsoft Outlook Rules and Alerts, you can set up a simple rule to automatically identify messages from external addresses. With all mail from external sources grouped together, you can more easily sort out the junk e-mail messages and respond to qualified candidates from outside of your company.

Using rules to sort messages

Create a rule to identify messages sent from outside your company by setting Outlook to examine the sender's address for the @ symbol. If the address includes the @ symbol, you can have Outlook automatically do any of several things with the message. For example:

• If the message is from a potential candidate to whom you want to respond quickly, Outlook can alert you with a custom sound or a message.
• If you know you'll be unable to respond right away but still want to be alerted to messages from potential candidates, Outlook can mark those messages as important or add a follow-up flag.
• In the case of junk e-mail messages, you can delete them or move them to a folder that you specify.

Set up the rule

1. In Outlook, on the Standard toolbar, click Organize.

    Note   If the Organize button is not visible on your toolbar, click Organize on the Tools menu.

2. In the Ways to Organize Inbox window, click Using Folders, and then click Rules and Alerts.

    Note   In Microsoft Office XP and earlier, click Rules Wizard, and then click New.

3. In the the Rules and Alerts dialog box, on the E-mail Rules tab, click New Rule.
4. In the Rules Wizard, click Start from a blank rule, click Check messages when they arrive, and then click Next.
5. In Step 1, select the with specific words in the sender's address check box, and then in Step 2, click the underlined phrase, specific words.
6. In the Search Text dialog box, type @, click Add, and then click OK.
7. In the Rules Wizard, click Next. The next steps may vary depending upon the actions and exceptions you specify.
8. Select the action you want taken with messages from outside your company, and if necessary, in the list below, click the underlined word or phrase and specify more information. Click Next to advance to the next page of the wizard.
9. On the Are there any exceptions? page of the wizard, you can specify criteria that would exclude a message from being processed by this rule. Click Next to advance to the last page of the wizard.
10. In the Specify a name for this rule box, type any text you want to use to describe the rule.
11. Select one or more rule options, and then click Finish.

Once you've created your rule, you can easily use the Rules and Alerts command on the Tools menu to change the rule criteria or turn it on and off.

 Note   To manage your rules in Office 2000 and Office XP, use the Rules Wizard.