As a recently laid off engineer, I have experienced the worst of the recession and the harsh job-search environment. Like many other engineers, I have been constantly surfing the web looking for open positions and applying to these jobs via several modes. These modes have mostly involved sending a format of my resume to what I assume is a clearing house and then praying and hoping that someone reviews the resume. Other times, I have been lucky enough to get an email address to which I sent my resume, to what I hope is the proper recipient. The latter mode also prompts its own version of prayers that my precious resume does not end up in the spam box.

Agony and perpetual uncertainty

So, why do I have to go through this agony and perpetual uncertainty about the fate of my resume? Is there an alternative way of representing myself to the right audience and showcasing my talents and skills in a more certain manner?

The resume has for long been useful in providing employers with a summary of what a candidate’s skills and suitability as an employee might be. This worked well until somehow human sorters were replaced with computers ‘sniffers’ which detect certain phrases in resumes and sorts them according to a pre-determined set of criteria. It is then possible that a qualified candidate missing some keywords might be disqualified in favor of a one with a better-written resume.

This clearly puts into question the effectiveness of resumes in this day and age of where technology and abundance of information is available. Why should we keep analyzing a candidate’s caliber solely based on a one-page summary of their skills?