Dear J.T. & Dale: I applied for an HR coordinator job around six months ago. I’ve followed up for a few weeks with a few phone calls and never got a response. Today I saw the exact same job listing. What should I think — they never hired anyone? They hired someone and it didn’t work out? Should I resend my resume, or follow my instincts that this company doesn’t have its act together? — Melissa

J.T.: Sometimes, especially in this economy, companies post a job, run ads, collect resumes and then something happens internally that forces them to put the job on hold. Then, months later, things get cleared up, and they repost the job.

Dale: Or, they hire someone and it doesn’t work out … or, or, or. One frustration of job-hunting is that you almost never learn why you didn’t get called, and yet you want to learn from each experience, so you end up trying to read between the lines, when there are no lines. That said, Melissa, this is one time not to follow your instincts — there are plenty of reasons a good company would end up reposting the job. Get back out there and work your way in for an interview. However, you’ll have to do more than send a standard letter and resume, or else you’ll get the standard response … which is, sigh, no response.

J.T.: Make your cover letter compelling. Show them how much you’ve researched the company and why you respect it — that’s a great way to get their attention. Tell the company specifically what impresses you about it — in other words, talk more about it than about you, and they’ll want to hear more from you.