PINOY HACK

E-mail providers such as Yahoo Inc. and Microsoft Corp.’s Hotmail often divert suspected spam into a special folder, which presents another opportunity for job seekers to miss a communication from a company. For several years, job seekers have been coached to include key words in their resumes to get picked up by electronic systems within companies that match resumes to particular job openings words denoting expertise, for example, or educational honors. Now, resume experts warn job seekers that a seemingly innocuous word or phrase taken out of context might trigger spam filters.

Dylan Hunter, 34, of Northborough, Mass., notes on his resume that he received a master’s degree in business administration from Babson College, in Wellesley, Mass., in 1999 and graduated magna cum laude. About three weeks ago, he sent his resume to a consumer packaged-goods company and received an automated e-mail response that said his resume had been deleted because it contained a specific obscenity, which the response detailed. Mr. Hunter changed “magna cum laude” to “with high honors,” resubmitted the resume and received an automated reply thanking him for his interest in the company. “The unique thing was that it actually told you what word it was bothered by,” Mr. Hunter says. “I have no idea how many times my resume has gone straight to the circular file.” Via careerjournal

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