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Google the phrases job hunt and black hole and you'll turn up 55,700 results. The reason for this confluence of terms, as any job hunter will tell you, is that applying for a position increasingly involves two phases.
Step one: Use the employer's online application center to submit your carefully crafted résumé and cover letter. Step two: Sit and wait until the sun burns out and your bones turn to dust.
Behind the awesome silence, of course, is the miracle of automated screening.
Recruiters say the percentage of online applications viewed by an actual human being ranges from 5% to 25%. And while it drives job hunters crazy, there's a good reason companies use so-called applicant-tracking systems to screen and rank candidates. Even in slow periods, your average coffee-stained corporate headhunter is scrambling to fill 20 positions at a time. Given the ease of applying online, recruiters are flooded with more résumés than they can possibly review. The largest retailers, for example, might receive more than a million a year, says Adrienne Whitten, of Taleo, a software outfit that powers the online career centers of nearly half the Fortune 100. And with rising unemployment, that avalanche of résumés is expected to double between 2007 and 2009. What overworked recruiter could resist the lure of software that promises to "quickly eliminate the hundreds of résumés from your mailbox"?
Until recently, it was easy for job hunters to game the system: The computer ranks you higher in the turnip pile if you tweak your résumé to include the same phrases found in the employer's job description. But lately, spoilsport employers are ruining the fun, with sophisticated software that uses artificial intelligence. This newer technology can analyze the résumé of a top performer -- say, Dennis in accounting who saved the company millions by eliminating doughnut Fridays -- and find applicants whose résumés fit his "ideal candidate" profile.
Some outfits even survey their entire workforce to determine what experiences and hobbies are shared by their best players -- along with what their worst workers have in common. After that, it's "Let me hire someone more like Greg and less like Ted," says Greg Thompson, director of strategy for software maker SuccessFactors. Even if you've got a job, your boss could use the software to replace you with a clone who's willing to work for less.
In another new twist, some companies are screening people with instant personality tests. In the past this hurdle usually came after the job interview. But folks like Robert Ruff, president of Sovren, a software outfit whose clients include CareerBuilder.com, Halliburton and recruiter Spencer Stuart, are persuading employers to adopt a universal screening system that has job applicants paying $40 for the privilege of answering questions like "What's more important: being (a) creative, (b) correct or (c) the best?" By coding the results directly into your résumé, an employer can screen you out much earlier in the process -- or suggest that someone with your personality would be better off working in, say, the cafeteria.
Of course, given employers' mad rush to send every possible job overseas, it's probably no surprise that some companies have offshored even the hiring process. These days your résumé might be screened by a worker in the Philippines who can spend the night winnowing a huge applicant pool down to a dozen candidates for a U.S. recruiter to call the next morning. Bob Etheridge, director of business development for OS2i, a recruiting outsourcer with 160 workers in India, says the folks there do great work. On the other hand, if he were applying for a job, he wouldn't leave his fate to the whims of the screening system. "I'd try everything to get closer to the actual decision maker," he says. "But that's me."
Write to Ms. Kadet at cjeditor@dowjones.com
 

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How to Get More Attention From Employers Job seekers can get noticed by employers when they follow these three attention-getting tactics.

Debra Feldman

Of course, today's job market is trying. Though there is stiff competition out there, successful candidates are persistent in unearthing potential job leads. In last month's article, "How to Romance Your Next Employer," I outlined three key elements for a successful job search campaign:

Focus on employers who can appreciate what you offer.

Identify a positioning that attracts attention.

Differentiate yourself as a first-choice expert.

It is not enough just to open doors, get referred and deliver an impressive value proposition. You've got to network purposefully. Don't count on being remembered; take initiative and be intentional about who you speak with.
Once you have an effective plan, you'll be ready for the next three implementation tactics that use networking purposefully, as follows:
1. Demonstrate a short learning curve.
When you make contact directly with hiring authorities, the easiest way to gain their trust and cultivate their support is to demonstrate that you can solve challenges. They will be relieved to know that you will contribute immediately without a learning curve.

Don't dwell on all the company's challenges.

Do develop a meaningful dialogue on ways to solve their challenges to unearth possible opportunities.

Don't ask hiring managers to explain the market.

Do your research, and know the market.
2. Out of sight is out of mind.
Be patient. Polite, persistent, pings avoid missing out on an unexpected opportunity. Remember to give to your connections by offering your resources. Suggest relevant references online or in traditional media. Out of sight is out of mind, so don't drop out. Bring people with mutual interests together to spur conversations.

Don't only be a taker.

Do pay it forward: give assistance, bring people with mutual interests together and look for ways to help others.

Don't ask about job openings explicitly when scheduling an appointment to talk

Do attract employers' attention by seeking advice and information.

Career Advice from TheLadders

3. Reach out to those who decision-makers hold in high regard.
Reach beyond employees at your target companies and connect with authors, key industry figures, academic thought leaders and others to whom hiring managers may go for a recommendation. Be inventive. Seek relationships with suppliers, vendors and consultants affiliated with your target employers.

Don't expect to instantly find these third-party thought leaders.

Do count on working hard to cement new relationships and keep up with existing connections.

Don't only network with decision-makers who may be busy or inaccessible.

Do access leads indirectly through suppliers, vendors, consultants, former co-workers and others.

Persevere. Networking purposefully is the very best strategy for making connections. Regularly accessing and assessing a large number of high quality contacts produces results: referrals, leads and, most importantly, offers.