Where I am, I can't afford to get certification. I'm definitely not the best programmer, but I do know my junk.

I've been writing software in C++ for over 8 years now and have a very good knowledge of the Win32 API. But when applying for jobs, I get rejected every time I send a resume. I've given my resume to recruitment firms and asked them what they think's wrong with it and they said the only thing they could think of is the fact that I don't have certifications to prove that I know my stuff.

But in my resume, I explain my previous work and projects, and also note that upon request they can actually see what I've done.

Is there anything that you would suggest that might help others to stop ignoring my resumes?

Thank you