I just finished the third interview in a week where the interviewer never even looked at my resume. In a world where companies streamline the screening process to the nth degree, personal networks trump everything else, and applicants are little more than a list of keywords. The conventional resume is dead.

In the interests of efficiency, companies seem to be squeezing out almost all of the opportunities for an applicant to creatively differentiate themselves. I recently completed an online application where 95% of the requested fields were marked as mandatory, and almost none of the fields were free-form. In the instructions, the implication was clear that “irregularities” or incomplete data would negatively impact an applicant’s chances of being hired.

So far in my job search, my personal network has proven to be infinitely more useful than my resume has been. For network-derived job leads, I’ve almost always secured at least a first interview; for job leads where my resume is the first contact with the company, it’s just not happening.

Since there is still a glut of job applicants for many positions, companies can continue to require long lists of highly specialized skills and dismiss applicants who don’t have all of them. In this scenario, meeting 100% of the job requirements plus 95% of the preferred skills often means that applying for the job isn’t going to result in getting an interview. Based on my experience, the idea of assessing an applicant from their resume and determining their usefulness to the organization has been replaced with simply counting keywords.

So, what am I doing to move my job search forward in a post-resume world? I’m putting more effort into my resume. Yes, you read that last sentence correctly. I’m using my resume so it helps with my job search as it needs to be today. Writing and re-writing my resume helps to organize my thoughts about my career, helping me to be more prepared in interviews to discuss my experience, credentials, and strengths in a way that highlights how I can help the organization. My resume is also how my network gets me interviews, because a proper resume is still a requirement for most positions and makes it easier for my network to convince a hiring manager that I’m a good candidate for an interview.

A resume is still an opportunity to stand out to the people who read it, even if most “readers” are automated programs that are just counting keywords. One out-of-the-box option someone recently mentioned to me was to send out Valentine’s Day-themed resumes like using red ink on pink paper. Who knows, something so unusual might get my resume the attention it hasn’t garnered lately…I wonder if I should order some of those candy hearts with a custom message on them.

Has the conventional resume become less important in your job search? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.

Here, Ms. Needleman shares more advice on common mistakes when job hunting online:

There’s been no shortage of warnings about the career dangers of posting racy content on sites like Facebook and Twitter. Yet many job hunters still don’t heed that advice, and others don’t realize they’re doing just as much damage by doing things like bending the truth or spamming their résumés. Recruiters say such faux-pas can result in immediate and lasting career damage.

“You’re going to be remembered—and not in a positive way,” says Colleen McCreary, chief people officer for Zynga Game Network Inc., a San Francisco developer of social games including FarmVille. “Recruiters move around a lot from company to company, and that can carry on with them for a long period of time.”

Ms. McCreary says candidates consistently damage their reputations by sending cover letters that disingenuously claim a specific position at the company is their dream job. With a check of Zynga’s applicant-tracking system, she can see that those people submitted the same letter for several other openings, too. “They’ve now lost all their integrity,” she says. As an alternative, she recommends that job hunters write about the two or three positions they’re most qualified for in a single letter.

Job hunters also regularly flub by submitting their résumés to multiple recruiters and hiring managers at a single firm. “What they’re doing is a huge turn off because it sucks up a lot of time for people,” says Ms. McCreary.

Likewise, job hunters repeatedly derail their chances by applying for positions for which they don’t even meet the basic requirements. “There are a few people out there who seem to see it fit to apply to every job we ever post,” says Dan Goldsmith, a managing partner at AC Lion, an executive-search firm in New York. “Those people just go right in the trash folder.”

Readers, what mistakes have you made when searching for jobs online? Share your experiences in the comments section.

When the chief executive of my former company emailed an announcement to the entire staff a day before the quarterly earnings call, something told me to read it with the accuracy of a medical examiner. And there it was, buried at the end of the announcement was the dreaded paragraph about an 8% company-wide employee layoff. I mentally braced myself for the unfortunate possibility that my job could be eliminated the next day.

Once I received the news, I wanted to forgo the official layoff procedures and race out of the building. I experienced an eerie sense of relief after finally knowing my fate, and took solace in an impromptu gathering of other recently laid off employees outside the company’s headquarters. Then, on the never ending final drive home from work, I asked myself the difficult question: What’s next?

As the days after the layoff turned into weeks, my confidence level started to decline. I went from applying for some positions that were a little above my reach, to exclusively applying to “survival” positions for which I was over-qualified.

As I feverishly attempted to inject some momentum in my job search, I was fortunate enough to have an informational interview with a wise recruiter for a defense contractor. When the recruiter read off the salaries for a few of the positions I had expressed an interest in, he noticed that I was back-peddling once I found out the salary was higher than what I anticipated, without asking myself whether I had the skills or aptitude to perform the job. By eliminating highly desirable positions based on salary alone, I was short-selling my job search and doing my career a major disservice in the short term.

While I still feel incredible financial pressure to land another job as quickly as I can, I’ve decided to diversify the types of positions I apply for, like a well-balanced financial portfolio. Approximately 30% of the positions I apply for are positions which I’m over-qualified for, 40% are positions which match my skill set, while the remaining 30% are within reach, but a little more senior than my most recent roles.

Additionally, I adopted a new approach to my job search. I realized that every position is temporary. But, by under-valuing my own worth based on the salary alone and not based on the skill set or my aptitude for a position, I was putting myself on the quick path toward discontentment with the ultimate fruits of my search efforts. No one said it’s an easy approach to take. But, I pray I have the perseverance to avoid cheating myself out of positions which will showcase my skills, talent, aptitude and worth. Why? Because I owe myself more than a quick fix for a temporary inconvenience as I make the much anticipated transition from layoff victim to layoff survivor.

Readers, what role does salary play in your job search? Share your stories in the comments section.

I am about a third of the way through my commitment to my temporary assignment and have been so caught up in the assignment that I have not been able to maintain the contacts I worked so hard to re-establish last fall. I must now move into active, disciplined networking. I need to let my former colleagues know what I have been up to and how the temporary assignment validates my ability to re-enter the workforce and immediately contribute to an employer.

I was lucky enough to get a temporary management assignment within a month or so of deciding to re-enter the job market. Prior to that, I spent roughly eight hours every day, five days a week understanding the tools needed now to locate potential jobs. I not only looked at job openings in the field I had worked in for years, but also looked for opportunities that might have a need for some combination of my skills and experiences. Early on, I also was open to looking at jobs that were offering salaries that were nowhere near the salary I made when I left eight years ago.

My first serious interviews came largely as a result of networking and reconnecting with colleagues that I had lost touch with during the time I took off to be with family. Every colleague I contacted, and those they referred me to, were always accommodating and able to share solid ideas about where to look or who to talk to for a lead. I also genuinely enjoyed the chance to catch up with them and learn where they were and what they had accomplished since we last worked together.

It should be easier this time, since I have current contact information. In fact, even though I have not had much to contribute in the last several months, I have been able to keep an eye on what my old colleagues and newer connections have been up to since the fall. I will have to just buckle up and get going if I want to maintain those connections. Balancing a current work assignment, family and outreach to my connections will be more of a challenge this time around as I now work eight hours a day and don’t have the same time to network as I did before. However, I know if I don’t figure out how to find that time, it will be a big part of why I could be out of work again this coming fall.

Readers, if you currently have a temporary job, how are you searching for full-time opportunities? Are you finding it difficult to balance your time? Share your stories in the comments section.

After I was laid off, one of my first calls was to a friend with whom I had worked at a previous company. As part of my networking outreach, I wanted to let him know that I was looking for a new opportunity. Since that first call about a year ago, his company was acquired and he left for another startup. Yet just last week, I received a call from the chief technical officer of my friend’s old company about a marketing opportunity there. It’s amazing to see that a seed that was planted over a year ago may now bear fruit.

My last blog post provided another seed by reconnecting me with a friend from high school. We graduated together more than 30 years ago from a high school in Rapid City, South Dakota. She got in touch with me from California after reading my previous post. She generously offered her LinkedIn network as a resource. Shortly after her initial email to me, she sent me a job description for a C-level position at a company just 20 minutes from my home. One of the company’s vice presidents was a former employee of hers. A single seed, magnified by the power of the Internet and social networking, connected me with a job opportunity via a friend from my teen years who lives 3,000 miles away. Exhilarating!

Another seed sowed by this blog resulted in a phone called I received two weeks ago from a reporter for the Japanese newspaper. The reporter was working on a story about professionals out of work in the U.S. He flew from his base in Washington, D.C. to meet me in New York, where I was meeting with a college friend about business opportunities, and interviewed me for over an hour.

It was clear during the interview that it was unheard of in the Japanese culture for someone with my education and work experience to be unemployed. It was fascinating to compare his reality with the one that I and countless others with excellent educations and strong work experience face each day. My story and photograph will soon appear in a Japanese newspaper delivered to 11 million households and businesses. I am excited to see how this seed will blossom.

Readers, how has networking paid off for you in the long run? Share your thoughts in the comments section.

At the start of the New Year, I began to receive a number of calls regarding available product manager positions. One inquiry was from a headhunter that I had been communicating with regularly during my search. The role was described to me, and I knew that it could be a good fit. Per the hiring manager, the recruiter asked me to fill out a profile form describing a little bit about my background and personality. After a few days, I followed up on this paperwork and was given the HR manager’s number. The recruiter advised that I reach out to the company.

First, I had a brief discussion with the HR manager; it was obvious that there was interest on both ends so we set up a formal phone interview. After a very good phone interview I received an invitation to meet with the hiring manager, marketing manager, and the HR manager. Prior to the interview, I was asked to fill out some personality profile tests in addition to the basic application.

In mid January, I met with the team for about four hours. I hit it off pretty well with the marketing manager and the HR manager, but really made a connection with the hiring manager. After leaving the office I felt pretty good about my chances; I was told that I would have an answer either way in about a week. The following Monday, I received a call asking if I could have a phone interview with two other team members. This was not part of the normal interview process so I knew things were moving along well. On Tuesday, I received a call from the recruiter asking to complete some disclosure forms as well as provide references. He noted that I was pretty close to having this locked up — while there were two other candidates being interviewed, he had presented both of them and knew the fit was not as strong as what I presented. The next day, I received an offer call from the HR manager. After reviewing the benefits and compensation packages with my wife and family, I decided that this would be a good fit. I faxed in my acceptance offer the next day and started my new adventure the following Monday. The process moved very quickly — especially compared to other potential opportunities.

I was fortunate to find a role that presents a great fit. There are a few similarities to my previous roles but a number of changes as well. I am staying in the automotive sector, this time dealing with collision repair business instead of dealerships. In terms of size, my current role is with a small organization as opposed to the very large organization I was previously with. While I am still working in product marketing, I will have more overall responsibility than before and will also get more involved in some other aspects of the business.

Readers, have you or others you know recently landed a new position? Share your stories in the comments section.

The advance estimate of gross domestic product indicates that technically, the recession may be over! The U.S. economy grew in the last two quarters of 2009. This is the best economic news I’ve seen in a long time, even if the numbers are just preliminary! Every month, with each release of economic indicators, I try to figure out if the numbers are consistent with my observations of the environment around me.

The unemployment levels are still very high, and we know the published rates are understated. In fact, much of my extended family is currently unemployed but is not included in this measurement. They fall into various categories not considered to be part of the eligible labor pool including returning to school, extension of maternity leave, or early retirement. All of us would rather be gainfully employed and contributing to our economy, if it was our choice.

I have seen examples everyday of adjusted business models to match market conditions. I have arrived at restaurants that are closed uncharacteristically on the weekends to save money on utilities and other variable costs. There are advertisements on the radio from a local jewelery store, promoting services of jewelery repair rather than new sales. I see the large inventories at clothing retailers with huge markdowns, ahead of the usual seasonal discount periods. At my local yoga studio, there are an increased number of economy-priced classes and an option to volunteer a number of hours/week in exchange for yoga classes.

Although it is sometimes difficult to think beyond the daily frustrations and immediate challenges when unemployed in the midst of an economic downturn, there are positive aspects to economic contractions. It is a time that cultivates an idea generation, encourages innovation and development, and allows us to make corrections to past inefficiencies. As the economy recovers out of the trough of the recent business cycle, I will continue searching for a job with optimism that the next period of prosperity is within sight. Hopefully, we are on the rebound to sustainable growth and have seen the worst this time around.

Readers, what have you noticed as the economy recovers? Share your stories in the comments section.

My recent graduation from a business school was without question one of the more difficult accomplishments of my relatively mundane 35-year life. Having what seemed like a very normal and lucrative career ahead of me, it was an absolute thrill to wake up each day to face the challenges life presented. Of course I was stunned when I received the call to report to the human resources department on the 10th of December 2009, just four days after my graduation. There must be a mistake, I thought, surely they couldn’t be letting me go — after all, I had just graduated. Nothing can prepare you for this type of journey, one without a clearly defined end in sight. I guess if I had to pick one wonderful aspect of being laid off, it would be the time my son and I are spending together, which would not be possible in any other circumstance.

Obtaining my M.B.A. has been a goal of mine since I was young. However, I was not prepared for the sense of entitlement that comes with the degree. Just about everyone I speak with has encouraging words about how the job search will be fine since I have an M.B.A. After all, the investment for the additional schooling is typically a very costly one, and anything short of a corner office equipped with a swiveling leather chair and view of the pond is complete epic failure. However, now that I have the coveted distinction of the three additional letters after my name, I am not too sure that the corner office is within reach at this point in my professional career. I am almost certain that I will be required to completely revamp my career plans at this point, and am really feeling unprepared for the required transition.

Waking up each day to face the fact of not having a job, finding an inkling of self worth or shred of dignity is difficult. For the better part of two decades, I have had to wake up early with clearly defined expectations and deliverables, and was able to find satisfaction and meaning through completion of those duties. Now that those duties are gone, how should the day be structured without them? Being laid off has forced me to become much more cynical about the corporate work environment, but understandably much more empathetic to those employed by the corporations.

Although, I still struggle with the fact that the afternoons are much more difficult to deal with if nothing has been accomplished during the early hours of the morning, it brings me great comfort to know that there are literally thousands of jobs being posted online and millions of job seekers applying for them. The one consistent message seems to be a general malaise and abhorrent disdain for the online job boards. It seems as though people post their resumes online merely to appease some supreme being of the job boards, when in reality, they seem to be a general waste of time. I read a book the other day which suggested barraging presidents and chief executives with letters and resumes, essentially playing the numbers game hoping it will generate a response. This strategy essentially amounts to a crapshoot, and perhaps it is one. Perhaps the entire job hunt is supposed to be riddled with speculation, risk, and a dash of luck.

Readers how have you dealt with a sudden layoff? Share your stories in the comments section.

Here, Ms. Needleman reports on what goes on behind the scenes when you apply for a job:

Many employers start filling vacancies below the executive level by using a team of recruiters or human-resources personnel to weed out applications that fail to meet a job’s basic qualifications. “They should only be removing candidates who are a clear miss,” says Peter Leech, chief marketing officer for Onlineshoes.com, a small Seattle e-commerce company.

How this is done, the time it takes, and the number of applicants selected to go on to the next step varies, but there are some patterns. Some screeners eyeball every submission that comes in, while others search for certain keywords among applications. Likewise, there are screeners who consider cover letters in their evaluations and those who ignore them. Career experts suggest erring on the side of caution. Submit a carefully written cover letter and insert keywords—must-have qualifications usually found in the job posting—with every application. Job hunters should expect to wait anywhere from a few days to several weeks before receiving a response to an application, if at all. A recent survey of 56 companies with at least 500 employees found that just 27% have a formal process to decline every external candidate they consider for an opening, reports CareerXroads, a human-resources consulting firm in Princeton, N.J.

If you’re worried that your application never arrived, wait five days and call the employer to ask for confirmation, suggests J.T. O’Donnell, a career strategist in North Hampton, N.H. Express humility and appreciation since it is likely that several other job hunters have made the same inquiry, she adds. Use the opportunity to inquire if there are any time frames as to when candidates might hear if they were selected for an interview, she adds.

Readers, as your search continues what have you learned about the hiring process? Share your thoughts in the comments section.

Recently, I have dealt with a few failing job prospects, where yet another “perfect fit” didn’t work out. I met a comapany’s internal recruiter at an airport, where he was going to rent a car and drive me to the office for my interview. When the rental car personnel ran his company credit card through the machine, it was rejected. Assuming a malfunction, she called the numbers in, but the card was still rejected. I’m not sure why I didn’t turn and run, but I stepped in and used my credit card to rent the car. The hiring manager seemed perplexed at my story, and the interview did not go well. The recruiter disappeared by the next day, the hiring manager reluctantly took a couple of calls but then also disappeared, my expenses were never paid, and I didn’t get the job.

Another time, I found a position on a Web site. I read vigilantly through the job description and requirements. I met every requirement so I boldly hit the Apply Now button and began. I spent 20 minutes streamlining my resume to match the job description, and writing a clever cover letter. The application site was one of those “all about me” narcissistic sites where you download your resume, but it then enters your information onto their forms. Of course, it got jumbled I had to re-enter all of my resume information onto their forms. This took an additional 20 minutes. Another five minutes to complete the diversity information and everything was good to go. The next screen was their response — it said something like “you did not meet the requirements for this position, your application will no longer be considered.” My candidacy lasted less than one second. Even though I was impressed with their efficiency, I called the company to follow-up. I was told that there was an additional requirement, which was not mentioned in the Web posting, and which I did not meet. I thanked them for their time (the phone call plus one second) and suggested that they divulge the secret requirement a little sooner in the process next time. This mishap set a record for the minimum possible time of rejection.

A third time, the HR guy met me at the front desk — I was 10 minutes early, he was 30 minutes late — and escorted me to his office, where he was just starting his lunch. While digging into his Big Mac, he started to describe the job in “his own words.” Struggling to focus, I began to realize that the job he was describing was not the job for which I had applied. I admitted my confusion and clarified the two positions. He was surprised at the error and scurried out of his office to find out what happened. Unfortunately, he ran into the hiring manager who had been waiting for me to start the interview. The HR guy didn’t bother to mention the mix-up; instead he introduced me to the manager and hastily left the scene. I told the manager of the problem, but the two positions had some similarities so we went ahead with the interview anyway. I didn’t get the job I interviewed for, and I didn’t get the job I applied for. It was like being jilted at the altar by a girl I didn’t even know and I had never asked to marry me, while my real love also said no. A truly huge mishap.

Readers, what mishaps have you had during the hiring process? Share your stories in the comments section.