There's little human interaction in the search for a job

The first thing that struck me about searching for a job, the whole unemployment process in fact is how bloodless the whole thing is.

It would seem that everything has been turned over to computers and their programmers. I've heard all the arguments on how this is supposed to level the playing field and make things more accessible for everyone, but I'm not buying it. 

If anything, the current process is anything but inclusive.

It didn't take long to figure out that you don't submit your resume to be seen; you submit it to be sorted by keywords and matched to the parameters of the job.

My spiffy three-page chronological resume that highlighted a career of accomplishments is pretty much useless at this point. I learned about the need for a one-page resume the day I realized that unemployment is big business for some people.

A very nice 'recruiter' called me to pitch his services. For $5,500 his firm would write resumes for me - the short and long versions - cover letters and give me access to their search engine and databases.

I took a pass and notes on how the one page resume looked.

I worked with a designer friend to create a template for a one-page, online resume that summarizes the last 23 years and is loaded with keywords like 'strategic', 'leadership' and 'innovative'.

Finding the right search engine and keywords for the jobs I was interested in was another chore. I posted resumes on monster.com and careerbuilder.com of course. They sort my resume and send me matches to consider applying for. The best was the one to be a housekeeper - anyone who knows me well is laughing about that one!

But I don't like their search engines as much as I like simplyhired.com. It's just a search engine. It doesn't have all the bells and whistles of the other sites, but it's easy to navigate and it's constantly searching.

I've put in my keywords and it constantly searches for jobs that meet my criteria. When I call up the site it tells me how many new posting there are since my last visit and the new postings are cleared marked as such.

Applying for a job is like falling in a black hole. Most sites will send a confirmation email acknowledging that you applied, but after that it's a crap shoot. Some companies are considerate enough of your time to send an email saying thanks but you're not really a match, but most never respond.

You can make calls to try and reach the right recruiter at company X, but even that's not guaranteed.

In many ways, the 'who you know' element of the hiring process that was supposed to be eliminated through the online application process was only strengthened by it. Because knowing someone of influence or authority is often the only way to penetrate the online process.