Robots are reading most resumes these days, searching for keywords and basically ignoring the people behind the resumes, we all know that. So it’s always fun to read about gimmicky approaches people try to get their resumes past the robots to real people.

The Wall Street Journal had a story about unusual resume deliveries recently. One was pinned to a pillow, another had an embroidered cover letter and another was in a Coke bottle.

The reason for all this: “Companies received an average of 383 applications for every opening they advertised in 2013, according to CEB, formerly known as the Corporate Executive Board, and many are funneled through automated tracking systems that rank résumés based on such things as keyword matches. Bypassing the robots requires a blend of ingenuity, skill and chutzpah,” the Journal article states.

While the piece notes there can be off-beat successes, I’m afraid you’re largely stuck with impressing the robots, so start thinking like they do when you create custom resumes for each job to which you apply.

John N. Frank