You have been applying for weeks. Maybe months. Your resume looks good, you have spent hours on it, and the response is silence, or automated rejection emails at best.
Silence is frustrating, and it rarely has a single cause. This guide covers seven things worth checking, most of which you can fix yourself.
How Applicant Tracking Systems Can Get in the Way
Many employers use an Applicant Tracking System (ATS) to collect and organize applications. Vendor documentation is a better guide to what these systems do than general claims, and it shows that behavior varies by vendor and by employer:
- Parsing is not guaranteed to be perfect. Workday documentation on resume parsing says parsing results "can vary based on resume format and order of words."
- A failed or partial parse does not automatically mean rejection. Greenhouse support documentation describes a case where the resume is attached to the candidate and details are entered manually.
- Employers can set their own rules. Greenhouse auto-reject documentation explains that an employer can configure automatic rejection based on an applicant's answer to a question.
No source here establishes a universal cutoff or a share of resumes that are rejected. What the documentation does show is that format, wording and your answers to application questions can all affect what an employer sees.
Seven Things Worth Checking
1. You're Using the Same Resume for Every Job
The problem: A generic resume may not use the terms a particular posting uses. If the job description says "stakeholder management" and your resume says "working with teams," a recruiter searching or screening by term may not connect them.
The fix: Tailor your resume to each application. Where it is true, use the language from the job description in your experience bullets.
2. Your Formatting May Not Extract Cleanly
The problem: Layouts with tables, columns, text boxes, headers and footers, or graphics can look good to humans but may not extract cleanly. As noted above, Workday documentation on resume parsing says parsing results can vary with resume format.
The fix: A clean single-column layout with standard fonts and simple section headers (Work Experience, Education, Skills, Certifications) is a conservative choice.
3. You're Missing Terms From the Job Description
The problem: If you have a skill but describe it in different words than the posting, a reader or a search may miss it.
The fix: Compare your resume with the job description before submitting. A tool such as FilteredIn's free resume check can point out terms from the job description that your resume does not mention, so you can add the ones that honestly apply.
4. You're Using Only the Acronym or Only the Full Term
The problem: Some people search for "SEO" and others for "Search Engine Optimization." If you use only one form, a search for the other may not find you.
The fix: On first use, write out the full term with the acronym: "Search Engine Optimization (SEO)," "Project Management Professional (PMP)."
5. Your Resume Is Too Long or Too Short
The problem: A very long resume can bury your most relevant experience. A very short one may not give a reader enough to judge your fit.
The fix: One to two pages works for many roles. Focus on recent, relevant experience and lead each role with your most relevant work.
6. The Role May Be a Stretch
The problem: Applying to many roles you only loosely match can use up time without producing responses. Employers can also set screening questions, as noted above, that depend on your answers.
The fix: Consider spending more time on roles where you meet most of the core requirements, and answer application questions accurately.
7. You're Not Reviewing Before You Submit
The problem: It is easy to submit without looking at how your resume reads as plain text or how well it matches the posting.
The fix: Review each resume before applying. FilteredIn's free resume check lets you paste or upload a resume (PDF or TXT) and optionally add a job description, then returns feedback on content and keywords. Its score is product feedback, not a prediction of any employer's ATS or decision.
A Simple Workflow Before Each Application
- Choose a role you are reasonably qualified for
- Read the full job description and note required skills, certifications and key terms
- Customize your resume using those terms where they honestly apply
- Review it with a tool such as FilteredIn, and check that your text copies out of your file cleanly
- Fix the gaps, such as missing terms or confusing formatting
- Submit, and answer application questions accurately
Start With What You Can Control
You cannot see how any one employer handles your application. You can make your resume clear, tailored and easy to read, and you can review it before you send it.
Check your resume with FilteredIn's free resume check →
Sources
- Workday documentation, "Concept: Resume Parsing": doc.workday.com
- Greenhouse Support, "Unsuccessful resume parse": support.greenhouse.io
- Greenhouse Support, "Auto-reject": support.greenhouse.io