If you are not getting calls or follow up email responses other than auto-generated messages indicating your resume was received, maybe it is due to your resume.

Yahoo Hotjobs has posted an article and I have taken the main themes they provided and added commentary based on what I think is relevant to the IT or engineering professions.

Keep it shorter, and focused; with Twitter, texting, and status updates, being succinct is the norm.

I agree on the laser focused part but far too many times a resume is too short and details are left out which may be further selling points for your qualifications. If you are qualified your resume better support the requirements listed in the posting. Most postings give a decent level of what we are seeking. However, too often the candidate makes erroneous assumptions that the reviewer knows a lot about the industry. Target your resume to the requirements listed. Yes this will involve you to complete the dreaded task of reviewing your resume.

Use Humor in your resume; show some humor or personality in your resume.

I tend to disagree with providing humor in the resume. When you don’t know your audience, why try to be funny or cute in your resume. Comedy in a resume is like picking the reviewer’s favorite color, how do you know it will be funny in text. Save the comedy for the interview.

Have your resume read like a news story, not a dictionary entry; use an eye-catching headline on your objective and list a summary of your skills.

I am not on board with this suggestion unless you are applying for a journalism, communication or creative position. I will say that reporting the facts and the Who, What and When is relevant to get across in your resume what you did, when you did it and where. However if the reviewer wants a news article they will head to a blog or newspaper.

Use a results-oriented style of resume whenever possible, quantify your accomplishments.

I agree.  Elaborate on your accomplishments but avoid broad statements that do not lend themselves to results. Include your results within the body of the job it occurred on. I dread reading the Accomplishments section which drones on and on without explanation where they accomplished all they said they did in the summary. Sales resumes seem to be filled with the Accomplishment section and always lead me to ask…really…prove it.

Show personal interests; a good conversation starter and provides some additional insight into who the candidate is.

If you target your resume to the requirements you don’t need to have the fluff statements which sound like your Grandma wrote your resume. Better yet tell me why you are qualified in your email as you respond. Do the work of the reviewer by telling them right off why you are qualified. As an interviewer chances are we can engage the candidate in some light hearted discussion.

Use keywords; a program may be reading your resume first.

I agree with using key words, this is called targeting your resume but refrain from buzz word bingo which can happen frequently in the IT sector. Just because your former employer had a license to a technology does not correlate to your personal experience with the technology. If you list it on your resume you may have to talk about it. A candidate who is vague on a couple technologies may be padding the resume and that is a sure way to get you removed from the short list.

Use phrases by others about your performance; utilize what others have said about you.

I don’t agree with this at all. Too easy to make up so why would I believe it. If references are checked this is were the interviewer should be looking not a prefab section by the candidate.

Use a nickname; help the recruiter as they may be fearful of mispronouncing your name.

In over 15 years of recruiting the name on the resume has never prevented me from calling a qualified person for an interview. You are not paging someone in a crowded restaurant! If you botch it horribly the applicant will usually know you are trying to reach them since 90% of the time you are calling their cell number.

Overall the opinions of a resume vary but the best advice is to target your resume to the ad or posting and to respond with a short intro as to why you are qualified.