Why is your job application getting rejected?
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Getting rejected from every job that you apply for is quite a hit to your self-esteem. It becomes difficult to maintain a positive outlook on your job search when nothing seems to be going right for you. However, you shouldn’t give up on your job hunt just yet. Maybe what your resume is missing is a bit of TLC.
Just because you are exceptionally talented in what you do, you will not be automatically hired by employers. Your resume needs to do a good job of selling your skills and experiences to the right employer for you to get noticed. So, why is your resume failing to do that?
Your resume is not ATS-friendly
This is the reason over 75% of job applications get rejected by employers. Applying for a job with a resume that has not been written to be ATS-friendly is a mistake. The first step to creating an ATS-compatible resume is selecting an ATS-compliant resume template. Once you have made your choice, you can start filling in the details, taking care to include keywords from the job description.
Your resume is not tailored to the job
If you use the same resume to apply for every job, you will not succeed in your job search. The demands and expectations of employers vary a lot. What you include in your resume to suit the needs of one employer will not impress a different employer. This is why you must customize your resume for each job application. Here are five easy steps to tailor your resume for a given job description:
- Remove irrelevant work experience
- Skip the unnecessary additional resume sections
- Trim away the fluff words
- Add skills and experiences required by the employer
- Incorporate keywords into the resume
Your resume does not highlight your contributions
One of the best ways to show potential employers that you excel at your job is by highlighting the contributions you have made to your previous employers. To do this, you must first identify and uncover your professional achievements. When listing your professional achievements on the resume, you should use strong, compelling language consisting of action verbs and adjectives. The results you mention alongside your achievements must be quantified whenever it is possible.
Your resume is poorly structured
You don’t want your resume to confuse the readers and send them scrambling in search of answers. When a hiring manager takes up your resume in their hand, you want them to have an excellent reading experience while navigating through your career journey. Resume sections that are scattered everywhere, text blocks that are not aligned properly, and an overall messy look do not do you any favors in the job market. Structuring your resume right will help you attract more attention.
Your information is misleading
In this modern age, it is easy for recruiters to find anything they want about you with a simple internet search. Most companies perform background checks on their candidates before proceeding to the interview stage. If there are multiple differences between the information you have mentioned on your resume and the information that is available online, you are more likely to be ignored by recruiters. If you have mentioned inaccurate dates, unexplained employment gaps, embellished job titles, or other false information on your resume, you should remove them.