WRITING FOR THE ROBOT: HOW EMPLOYER SEARCH TOOLS HAVE INFLUENCED RESUME RHETORIC AND ETHICS

To date, business communication scholars and textbook writers have encouraged resume rhetoric that accommodates technology, for example, recommending keyword-enhancing techniques to attract the attention of searchbots: customized search engines that allow companies to automatically scan resumes for relevant keywords. However, few scholars have discussed the ethical implications of adjusting resume keywords for the sole purpose of increasing searchbot hits. As the resume genre has evolved over the past century, strategies of resume "padding" have likewise evolved, at each stage violating one of four maxims of the Cooperative Principle. Direct factual misrepresentation violates the maxim of quality and is of course discouraged, but resume writers have turned in succession to violations of manner (formatting tricks) and then more recently to violations of quantity and/or relevance with deceptive keywording techniques. The authors conclude by suggesting several techniques to business communication instructors that may encourage students to create more ethically sound resumes.