Whatever Happened to the Rejection Letter?

I'm now well into month number 4 of unemployment and I know I'm not the only one experiencing this (or at least I hope I'm not the only one) sad cyber space scenario.  I spend a few hours of each morning job searching.  I send out resumes and cover letters, accompanied by letters of recommendation.  I get nothing.  Nada.  Nil.  No response.  In the 4 months that I've been job searching, I think I've actually received only two letters of rejection, nothing else that even leads me to believe my resume is being read.  Every other submission seems to be going into a big black hole in cyber space.

I'll be the first to admit that job searching is easier these days.  When I first started working, I paid someone to type up my resume on resume stock paper, then I would peruse the want ads in the various newspapers, and snail mail my resume, with a cover letter to the address provided, usually a PO Box.  We now have online job searching, but this comes with it's own set of problems, the biggest problem (in my humble opinion) is anonymity.

Online job postings are submitted either by a third-party (recruiting firms) or by the hiring company themselves, but sometimes they keep their company name and information private, which means most of the time I have no clue what/where I'm applying to.  Remember the follow-up letter?  I used to be very good about sending a follow-up card in the mail if I hadn't heard back from a potential employer.  Now, I have no way to send a follow-up because I don't know who/where it goes.  When I submit a resume online, I sometimes get an email confirming my resume has been sent, but it is a "do not reply to" email address.  Basically, "don't call us, we'll call you."  Sure you will.

If anyone out there has any suggestions or creative ways of following-up to online submissions, I would love to hear them!  Truly, I would.  In the meantime, I'll continue on with my job searching journey of course, and I'm still trying to keep from getting discouraged, but isn't it sad when one actually celebrates receiving a rejection letter?  It gives me the perception that someone did pick up my resume and read it, even if they did decide that I am not worthy of their company, at least I feel like I've been noticed!

--Fortuitous Observer