Thing is, when you're job hunting you don't get ANY feedback 99% of the time. I don't actually mind negative feedback because then you know where and how to improve. What bothers me is how much of the job-seeking process is essentially a crapshoot.

Does the person reading my resume actually know what the job entails? Will they see my writing style as clever and witty? Or will my attempts to seem serious come off as stuffy and arrogant? Do I list all my experience and risk being underbid by some young hotshot? Or do I try for the job even after being told every other candidate has several more years of experience? Or in this case, I've designed an infographic to set myself apart from every other applicant, but will it be viewed as creative initiative or gimmicky for not conveying enough/the right kind of information?

The current job market is far from the only reason I'm doing my own thing, but being able to avoid that nonsense is certainly a great motivator.