Abbott

now has my resume deep in a hard drive somewhere, too. Or wait -- I think BrassRing has it, and every time I send it to Company X, BrassRing shares it with Company X or something. I have no idea how it really works. What's BrassRing, anyway? Shouldn't matter, considering that only three hundred million of my closest friends and I are applying to those online listings every day.

I'll keep trying, though. The shotgun technique is a handy warm-up for when you actually get a referral or recommendation. If you've sent out seven hundred electronic resumes, then by the time you actually interact with another human, you're too jaded to even believe you could possibly get a new job. With that tension gone, you can relax, and that gives a much better impression.