Job-hunting is stressful and humiliating enough. Now robots judge our resumes | Jessa Crispin

Algorithms decide which applications reach human managers' eyes. But they sort out people with unusual work histories or who lack college degrees

I have been looking for a full-time job for over a year now. I have applied for jobs I am qualified for, jobs I am overqualified for, jobs in my city and jobs that would require a lengthy commute, jobs I would like to do and jobs I'm certain I would absolutely hate. I have applied to jobs in my field, jobs one field over, jobs I have never considered until now, jobs recommended by friends, jobs recommended by the website that has my information on file, jobs I could do in my sleep. In all this time, I have not even made it as far as the interview process.

While a few of these jobs simply ask for a resume and cover letter, mostly when I've been applying for work I'm asked to enter my information into a form on a website. I must choose from a drop-down menu my education level; I must type out exactly my work timeline with precise dates. If I'm emailing someone a resume, I figure I might have a shot. With the forms, however, I know it's hopeless even as I'm doing it. My resume will be sorted out and rejected before anyone even takes a look at it, for one simple reason: I did not graduate college.