Precipitated by the complete destruction of our economy by the reckless policies of the Bush Administration, thousands and thousands of jobs were lost. The figures go in the area of 650,000 jobs lost and, if correct, this represents only the private sector. It does not calculate the thousands of jobs lost in the public sector. Careers were ended for many and it was followed by a long fight to reenter the market, especially in certain fields of interest. For many, this fight continues even after years of trying. This was especially true In the world of executive and senior management professionals and as this writer hears from various sectors in various areas of the country, the struggle is exponentially complicated by that office which is always seeming in the way of productive career searches – HR. Now it is clear that any discussion around this topic will generate more questions than answers but, the consensus of broad based opinion is that the HR office and HR procedures represent a serious barrier to securing senior professional positions. In days gone by, one would find through various sources an organization which was seeking to fill a senior position. A carefully written letter of introduction along with a likewise carefully crafted resume would be submitted to either the CEO, the Executive Director or at the very least, the Senior Hiring Manager for the division of that organization. The customary review process would be conducted and one would either have an interview or not, secure a call back interview or not and secure the position or not. It was all relatively straight forward. Today that is just not the case. Nowadays, there are numerous opportunities for glitches – IT errors, misinterpretations of information, clashes in semantics, the complete absence of a uniform taxonomy of terms among functional arenas and the ever present HR specialist who, again being the consensus, may be the actual cause of many of these and often has little or no working knowledge regarding the functions of senior level positions. In spite of that, they represent the absolute gatekeeper in the process, which may account for why in so many instances, persons with few or no credentials set out as being required in the position description become the successful candidates. There have been many long lasting debates over time – chocolate or vanilla, Ford or Chevy, mustard or ketchup. Now there is a serious debate in the computer world – OS X ( Apple ) or Word ( Microsoft ). While I don’t pose to have the answer to this debate, I have found, having worked with Linux, Microsoft and Apple, that Apple’s OS X is easier to learn and navigate. Research shows that near to forty per cent of professionals are currently using Apple iMac systems and yet by far, IT systems at most companies will not recognize the Safari browser for access. Why have they and their HR process not caught up with that reality ? Could it be that, in spite of assertions to the contrary, a majority of companies and organizations are secretly still relying on electronic scanners to conduct preliminary screenings and scanners only recognize Word documents ? One needs to ask the question. What I don’t understand, as an adjunct to this question is why organizations, corporations and the like refuse to utilize a more universal document such as a PDF used as an email attachment when processing electronic applications. The is a clean document which preserves the integrity of format. Another key, and in most cases, determining factor has to do with the actual format of a resume. As far back as college graduation, one was taught that the purpose of a resume, or Profile as some prefer, was not to secure a job but to secure an interview. The document, or documents were supposed to be designed in such a way as to delineate in clear terms the skills one brought to a specific organization and a specific position within that organization. This, paired with a compelling letter of introduction, or cover letter, was to sell the candidate to the organization and highlight why the candidate warranted a personal interview conducted by the hiring manager or the agency executive. If this is actually the case, then what, one may ask, is the purpose of having dates on the elements of the resume. Why does one need dates of graduation not only from college and beyond but also from high school – yes many ask for high school graduation dates along with a GPA from that level. Why does a company need dates of each and every employment period along with addresses and phone numbers of the company. One would think that all this verification could and should be completed AFTER said first round interviews while the short list for the second round interview is being developed. Is this now the way HR staff are in reality conducting some sort of screening or is it a clear and open path to the rampant agism which pervades the career markets around the country or both ? In a recent conversation with a professional resume coach of some repute, he clearly and emphatically stated that , as a prospective employer, if he received a resume without showing dates, he would drop it from any consideration. There was no compelling reason given, just that this is what he would demand along with the usual demand for a Microsoft Word document. It was as if the skills set presented and accomplishments clearly delineated would not be valid without dates attached. In doing some research for this article, I took a look at several career site sources and several independent sources and asked the question which is preferable, a Chronological resume or a Functional resume. There does not, for the record, seem to be any consensus whatsoever on this one. In fact, at least two of the sites agree that a “Hybrid” style resume is by far the most useful. Again, one has to ask, if the purpose of a resume, or Profile is to demonstrate skills relevant to the position being sought, clear and concise descriptions of skills should be sufficient without dates. Time lines on experience are not pertinent as experience and skills development are not linear but cumulative. Another factor in this quagmire of procedures has to do with electronic applications. E-application processes are now the rule rather than the exception. While one can understand, particularly on a senior management level, that it makes for economy of time considering that having several hundred applicants for a single position is not uncommon, there is considerable evidence that this process often breaks down. Numerous reports have been made regarding at least one major career site which, by the time one’s resume and cover letter are submitted, the formatting has been destroyed and what the recipient sees is a linear text with no format, no highlighting, no bold headlines etc. In addition, often the cover letter is simply not transmitted. This has been the case despite having documents formatted in a specialized text format to accommodate e-application processing. Electronic applications are not going to go away but I hold that it is incumbent on the organization to regularly review the status of its processing and its reliability. And speaking of cover letters, there is much discussion about these. It is, by some reports, not an uncommon practice for HR staff to simply discard cover letters. Sad but true, the fact is that it is in this very document that one offers points specific to the company and the position. Why then are they summarily discarded ? Again, one needs to ask the question. As was mentioned above, unlike our usual articles ,this article was purposed to pose more questions than answers. It was not submitted as a position paper or a stand taken on a topic. It was designed to surface issues that need to be a part of a discussion in the work place and to raise again what continue to be matters which are the cause of significant angst for candidates for senior and executive career positions . We looked at several areas of concern. Perhaps some organization will take on a leadership role in the making what are critical systemic changes across the board so truly qualified candidates will actually have a real chance at being a successful candidate. Indeed, these are questions which demand answers and likewise demand solutions.   For this article, we consulted several career sites including Ladder, Monster, The Undercover Recruiter, Cornell University Careers and JobingSearch. We also had a chat with several resume writing consultants.