As the job market got tougher and automated hiring became more common, some job seekers stopped relying on just one resume. Instead of constantly editing the same file and crossing their fingers, they started trying new things. Many are now using AI tools to quickly create custom resumes that better match what companies are looking for.
A recent Reddit post on r/jobsearchhacks captures the mood perfectly. The original poster described applying twice to the same job using two different resumes, two emails, and slightly different versions of their name. One resume leaned heavily on technical certifications and hard skills, the other on leadership, communication, and soft skills.
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The results were immediate and revealing. According to the jobseeker, for a project manager role, the technically focused resume received an instant rejection. The leadership-focused version got a call from the hiring manager the very next day.
That contrast convinced the poster they had learned something important about how modern hiring actually works. “This taught me exactly what keywords their internal system was actually prioritizing,” they wrote. “People will say this is unethical, but when companies use automated bots to ghost thousands of qualified candidates, I don’t see the problem with testing the system.”
Some readers applauded the approach as a rational response to an impersonal hiring process. Others warned it could backfire badly.
One commenter summed up the absurdity with humor. “Now everyone submits 2x as many resumes, chaos ensues, sometimes people are pitted against their alter egos,” they wrote. “‘Sorry Rob, Robert just has more leadership experience.’”
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Another joked about logistics. “What if both versions of you get invited to interview?” they said. “Do you show up twice, in disguise?”
Not everyone was laughing. Several commenters with recruiting experience said many applicant tracking systems flag duplicate profiles automatically. “The system… flags it’s a duplicate profile,” one person warned, adding that even applying months later with a new email can trigger a profile merge.
Others saw the idea as unnecessary overkill. “This is overkill. Chill my dude,” one commenter wrote bluntly.
Still, a sizable group argued the tactic reflects how distorted hiring has become. One person defended the mindset, saying, “When it comes to being employed by a mega corp. there is nothing unethical about playing all of the games that they play, but just doing it better.”
Several commenters offered a more practical takeaway: the experiment did not prove that submitting two resumes is smart, but that knowing how to tailor messaging matters more than ever.
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That idea came up repeatedly. Experienced job seekers said they already keep multiple resume versions on hand, each highlighting different strengths, and then adjust the best-fitting one for each job description. As one commenter put it, “It’s usually very obvious which version has the best shot for a given [job description].”
What is apparent is that job seekers are starting to treat hiring the same way companies treat marketing: test, measure, adjust. “Why leave your future up to a coin flip when you can double your chances and see what actually sticks?” the OP framed it bluntly.
That same A/B testing mindset is spreading far beyond resumes. In the business world, companies are using artificial intelligence to test messaging at scale and figure out what actually works.
Startups like Rad AI focus on using data-driven intelligence to cut through content chaos and improve results, instead of relying on guesswork. For job seekers and employers alike, the message is similar: in an automated world, the right words matter more than ever.
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This article As The Job Market Tightened, Candidates Got Creative With AI. Now They’re Sending Multiple Resumes. ‘People Will Say This Is Unethical, But…’ originally appeared on Benzinga.com
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