O.K., I've listened long enough. The path to a job for each of us is going to be slightly different. I, too, used to think that the "blanket" resume approach was useless. However, I know through anecdote and actual experience at my job that sometimes they do work. The person who said that she would "not pass on the resume of someone I didn't know" is con- fused. All she would be doing is giving some other hiring official an opportunity to decide if the person is suitable for THEIR job. It is not necessarily a personal recommendation. Several times in the last couple of years, we have called someone who sent us a resume cold. Usually, the person was no longer available, but if they had been, they would have been ahead of those who did not send out resumes. I also appreciate any institution that responds to the resume I have carefully crafted and sent. I have said this before, and I guess I'm saying it again--when you don't have a job, time stands still. You live for the mail. A simple letter wouldn't kill you and would not take much time. Acknowledge anything that comes across your desk from a job seeker, please! On a related topic: can those of you posting jobs on this list PLEASE include a salary range? It is surely a waste of everybody's time to apply for jobs with salaries that are not in their price range. And a note to AAM: Hey, Andy, can't AVISO require classified ads for jobs to include a salary range? I don't believe for a minute that hiring institutions don't have a clue about salary when they send in the ad. For all those of you seeking jobs out there: don't give up and don't despair--the job for you is out there and sometimes you have to wait a little while for it to come along. If this is what you really want to do with the rest of your life, you'll find a way to keep afloat while you search. Good luck, all. Claudia Nicholson Curator of Collections South Dakota State Historical Society, Pierre [log in to unmask]