The electric resume

It doesn't seem too long ago when a job seeker had to search for openings in a newspaper, print out a resume, handcraft a cover letter and assemble a portfolio for potential employers. My how things have changed in just a few years.

Now, all we have to do is type a couple words into an Internet search engine, answer a few questions using a Web form and attach a resume to the e-mail. Although it seems to be easier than ever to apply for a new job, the process makes it impersonal and sometimes even discouraging. After graduating from college in 2005, I took great pride in every application and portfolio I sent out in the mail. But when I apply for a job today, it feels like just another cog on the conveyor belt to nowhere.

So while it's amazingly easy to pursue that new job, it doesn't have the same vibe. People often ask me how the job search is going, and I'll rattle off the number of applications I've shot out through the Series of Tubes. But it doesn't make me any more hopeful of working -- or even receiving a job interview -- in the near future.