I’m not necessarily job searching, but I’m casually looking and have applied for a half dozen or so specific positions that I’m really interested in and based on the job description, would be a great fit for. I tailor my resume to each position and write a well thought out cover letter for each one. On paper, everything looks like a great match and at the very least I’d expect a first-call screening from each one. However, I’ve received only generic “thanks for applying” rejection letters without even a first call. I haven’t applied for jobs in quite a long time so I’m wondering if my lack of online presence (especially my inability to supply public code examples as part of the application) is sending my resume straight to the bin.
My question is: how important is that kind of stuff these days? Is an application without a bunch of links to example code dead on arrival in 2024? Or does the issue more likely exist in my resume and cover letter? Speaking of, do people actually do cover letters anymore? They seem “optional” on most applications.