I have had a few problems with my job search. Last year, I was forced to quit my job because I was nit-picking too much. I was told that if I quit, I would get unemployment, which I knew was not true. I didn’t have enough documentation to fight anything, so I quit as they wanted me to. All of the online applications I’ve submitted during my job search have caused me a lot of frustration. In each of my cover letters, I request a reply confirming the receipt of my application. I never get any. I also have come across job openings for which the companies want applicants to fill out online applications and take online personality tests. I guess my answers are never what they want because I never get interviews. Is it fair for them to make someone take a personality test before even giving an interview?

EVERY company has its own procedures in place for responding to applications, whether they are received online, by fax or by regular mail.

The way the company acknowledges applications has nothing to do with whether you ask for a confirmation of receipt. Some companies have auto replies set up that shoot out e-mails confirming they received the applications. Some may not. There is nothing personal about the process. No one is sitting and reading the applications as they come in. The computer system sorts the résumés according to keywords in the résumés that match the requirements entered by the company. That is the only way large companies can sort through the hundreds – perhaps thousands – of résumés they receive daily.

Small companies are a different story. If your résumé interests them, you may very well get calls for either telephone or in-person interviews. It sounds as if your unfamiliarity with the process and unrealistic expectations are causing your frustration.

Asking applicants to take personality assessments may not be common, but it saves companies from making hiring mistakes. Assessments can sort people according to personality types, from dominant and controlling to passive and submissive. They also can sort people by their critical-thinking abilities and methods, which reveal how people solve problems; people range from being highly analytical thinkers to being creative thinkers. This information helps the applicants, as well as the companies, though helping the applicants may not be the companies’ goal.

As desperate as you are to get a job, getting into another ill-fitting job is not to your advantage. Find out as much as you can about the company, its history and work environment, its various departments, and requirements for the various job openings. Then decide where to apply. Online applications may be easy, but they are still a waste of time if you don’t fit the requirements.