Receiving rejection letters for jobs you’re qualified for can be incredibly frustrating. If you’re having difficulty getting interviews despite your skill set, it might be because your resume is being rejected. Luckily, you can turn your rejections into offers with a few small changes to your resume. Here are three reasons why your resume is being rejected.
Formatting Issues
Today, many companies use applicant tracking systems (ATS) to organize candidates throughout the hiring process. Because of this, you need to format your resume in a way the ATS software can understand. Formatting is also critical in cases where the hiring manager doesn’t use ATS software. Hiring managers and recruiters don’t have long to review your resume, so a clean, well-organized format will help them see why you’re worth hiring. If you need help with resume formatting, try using a template to help you decide how you should present your skills and experience.
It’s Too Long
Though it may be tempting to show employers that you have a lot of work experience by including all your past jobs, long resumes can instead hurt your chances of landing a job. As a college student, you should keep your resume under one page. If you have a lot of work experience, this may mean that you have to leave past roles off your resume. Focus on including the most relevant jobs and skills for the job you’re applying for and cater your resume to each individual job you apply to based on its description.
Spelling and Grammatical Errors
A resume is a way to show employers why they should hire you over other candidates. Resumes with misspelled words and grammatical errors will give potential employers a negative first impression. Therefore, it’s just as important to avoid spelling mistakes on your resume as it is to include the right job experience. Take time to write your resume, and always check it over for typos before you hit send. Asking your roommate or friend to double-check your writing can also help you avoid any issues.
Your resume is your first opportunity to give recruiters a good impression. If you keep these three reasons why your resume is being rejected in mind, you can craft a resume that lands you interviews instead of rejection messages. Good luck with your job search!
