While being rejected after a job interview can hurt, having your resume be ignored by a potential employer can sting worse. After all, if you had the right skills—you can feel like you have not been given a chance.
Recruiters and hiring managers have to sift through a pretty hefty stack of resumes, so it is important for job seekers to stop feeling burned by being overlooked and start adding some spice to their CVs. Here are some of the top reasons why recruiters initially ignore resumes and how you can fix it.
- Reason #1: You Have Used a Standard Template
Yes, there are many templates out there that can help job seekers quickly put their work history to paper. While some templates may be more polished than others, hiring managers will quickly be able to detect when someone just filled in the blanks or took time to build a uniquely formatted resume. Simply put, if a candidate doesn’t care enough about his or her career to create a unique resume, they probably won’t stay interested in the job.
Solution: While resumes should follow a particular format and remain clean and crisp, it is always worth reviewing ways to customize a resume before it is sent out to an employer. Using resume paper and generating balance with text can be great ways to present a polished resume without having it look borrowed.
- Reason #2: The Keywords Just Aren’t Right
Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) are a great advantage to employers who have to separate qualified resumes apart from those that are not. However, these systems are specifically designed to detect certain skills and keywords that align with the particular industry and job type. Job seekers who have been using an old resume may find that their resume keywords are out of date or inappropriate—causing their resume to slip through (ATS) cracks before the hiring manager even sees it.
Solution: Pay attention to the job description in the original posting. Understanding the specific skills that are required can better help you understand how to shape wording in your resume—especially if you are submitting it through an ATS. Industry keywords and skills are always changing, so it is important to stay current with what terms are being used—or better yet, hire a professional resume writer who is on top of these trends all the time.
- Reason #3: It Lacks Personality and Individuality
A recent Jobvite report revealed, “51 percent of employed workers are ‘either actively seeking or open to a new job.’” With more than half of already employed professionals potentially vying for the same position you are looking for, there is a great need to stand out. Chances are that if you keep your resume as simple as possible, carry a bland summary and list general skills, a hiring manager will likely be seeing the same type of resume for the 100th time. Recruiters do not like repetition, so if you blend in with your competitors you may already consider your application ignored.
Solution: Job seekers have to be careful when trying to share personal information on their resume—but showing that one is a professional and painting a whole picture is essential. This is where great writing skills come in handy, as it can allow you to describe your work, your outlook and your accomplishments in a truly unique way. Focus not only on the information that makes you different in the workplace, but what also makes you a valuable asset to employers.
A Second Set of Eyes Can Help Prevent Boring Resumes
If you are worried that your resume is just not going to pop out in the way it needs to or has not been gaining any traction with employers, it may be worth getting a second set of eyes to look at the document. Chic Resumes offers resume reviews to pinpoint trouble areas, which our professional resume writers can use to help build an attractive CV. If you would like to schedule your resume review, please contact our reliable team today at (803) 831-7444 or resumewriting@grammarchic.net.
