do employers look at every applicant?

A reader writes:

After realizing that some employers receive hundreds of online applicants, I get the feeling that many of the employers are not even opening my e-mails.  Do employers look at every e-mail applicant?  How can I grab their attention in a subject line?

It depends on the employer. I look at every resume (granted, some only for 10 seconds, but that's because it doesn't take long to know they're not the right match), and I keep looking at them all until I've made an offer and it's been accepted. Other employers stop looking after they have a certain number of strong candidates. Some (generally large) employers use computerized programs that scan resumes for key words, and then send those (and only those) on to a human to review.

I wouldn't try to go for an overly creative email subject line -- I'm not a fan of subject lines that sound too much like a sales pitch. In fact, the only time an applicant's email subject line has ever swayed me one way or another is when it's when it's made a negative impression; I think something simple, like the name of the position, is best.

But others may feel differently, so bring it on in the comments!