And I think that's the crux of the issue. When I was laid off, I hit the job boards. I started out being careful with my choices, doing custom cover letters, etc., but after no response from many, I started "shotgunning" and hoping something would stick. But that's what everyone else is doing: one-click apply to job/send your resume, and then HR gets overwhelmed, and determines not to send individual responses, which continues the spiral.

I had one job I finally got a rejection from a week after I had started someplace else. As much as I may have liked any one position, I had mouths tl feed. No point in waiting 3 weeks for a simple response.

I've gotten very cynical and hardened to this over the years. I remember meticulously researching companies and preparing detailed cover letters showing exactly why I'm a great fit for that job, spending hours reviewing and tweaking them until finally sending them off, only to be "black-holed" by the company. After 40-50 or so of these you just start spraying and praying.

Hiring managers & HR: Tired of getting "spray and pray" resumes? STOP DOING THIS.