The 'American thing' is putting keywords in white text on a white background.
This is just normal stuff.
I get people hitting me up on Linked In for tech that I outgrew 10 years ago. I can either take them off entirely (making me look very 1 dimensional) or counterbalance that with things I'd love for someone to pay me to learn.
I haven't made any decisions so far so the status continues to remain quo.
I think the joke is that the automated scanners weeding out resumes as in the article posted look for keywords like "React" or "Machine Learning" but without context, so when they see "Machine Learning" on a CV, they are more inclined to accept it, not knowing the context. As an interviewer you can simply play dumb on that aspect.
I find job application advice and takes very polarising. Some people are adamant about including other interests in a CV/resume while others consider it a waste of space that implies something negative about the candidate. There are also huge variances in what a CV/resume should contain and be called, such as how many pages it should have[1] or if there should be a picture, that people will die on a hill for.
This is normal! If the hiring managers will reject CVs that have hobbies and you find them valuable information, what you're experiencing is a culture mismatch. That's effective filtering, before you're saddled with a new job contract. Viewing a job application like school, where you're guaranteed a certain result if you have the right talent and work ethic, is the wrong model and will lead to disappointment. It's fundamentally a relationship, so should be viewed like dating.
If I one day become one of HN's fabled star engineers that can have any job they want, I'd like to write a CV in a markdown text file. That's how I really disseminate information in my working life, not Latex.
[1] Having the proper number of pages is an important signal that you are also proper and well educated, i.e. the correct social class.
If I were a hiring manager, and I liked everything else I saw, I'd get a good laugh out of this, which might propel them to the top of my "to be interviewed" pile.
The desire to learn and adapt is probably one of the most important thing in Software.
The ability to take a look at oneself and identify blind spots/weaknesses in ones knowledge and skills is also a great indicator this person won't become an "expert beginner".
