I think that the obsession with fine-tuning and reading an endless list of blogs about resumés and finding the ideal job have to do with the fact that it is so damned hard to actually get your resumé to be looked at by a human. Getting over the hurdle of HR or computerized databases or web scripts is in no way trivial.

I was recently helping a friend try to find a job in the Seattle area (this guy being from and in Spain), and you can’t believe just how frustrating it is not to even get a single call back after sending resumes to every concievable place. I think that at most he got two or three emails asking for the resume in some other format, but that was it. And I’m talking about a very smart guy, with experience in his field (OK, limited, he’s only been working for a couple of years), who is definitely not afraid of showing he Knows and Does Stuff. Still, no calls. It sucks.

Yes, I know the answer is networking, but when you’re starting out that’s quite limited too.

I think that the obsession with fine-tuning and reading an endless list of blogs about resumés and finding the ideal job have to do with the fact that it is so damned hard to actually get your resumé to be looked at by a human. Getting over the hurdle of HR or computerized databases or web scripts is in no way trivial.

I was recently helping a friend try to find a job in the Seattle area (this guy being from and in Spain), and you can’t believe just how frustrating it is not to even get a single call back after sending resumes to every concievable place. I think that at most he got two or three emails asking for the resume in some other format, but that was it. And I’m talking about a very smart guy, with experience in his field (OK, limited, he’s only been working for a couple of years), who is definitely not afraid of showing he Knows and Does Stuff. Still, no calls. It sucks.

Yes, I know the answer is networking, but when you’re starting out that’s quite limited too.