Have you ever wondered why you have not been selected for an interview? During a job search, it can be frustrating when you feel as though you are not getting any calls after submitting too many applications.
If you find that you are consistently not getting any interviews these might be the reasons:
Your resume’s brand is weak
Personally branded resumes can be very powerful. Use the opportunity to briefly highlight why you are the perfect fit for their position (one-liner about why you’re the best). It is important to match your skills with the job role, because the link between the two is not always that obvious. And while you can achieve that in your cover letter, you still have to sell yourself first in the resume.
Your resume doesn’t represent you well
Your resume should tell the story of your career. If you want your resume to represent you well, pay attention to the resume structure and include the right type and number of achievements with the right level of detail. Inadequate structure or too few achievements can screen you out of consideration.
Your resume includes too few keywords
A way to stand out among completion is by using keywords.
It is a common practice for companies to review job seekers using applicant tracking systems – they literally count the number of times certain key words are used in your resume. It saves much time and effort on their part, but it is bad news for candidates who haven’t customized their resumes. Lacking the right words will not get you to an interview, even if your candidacy matches the position.
Your resume wasn’t properly tailored for each job you pursued
If the keywords that you use and the content do not align with each individual position you want to apply for, the chance to get an interview is not high/drops dramatically.
Tailor your resume to every job description. How to do that? Find the skills and keywords recruiters are looking for, put them in critical places on your resume, and then link those skills to your achievements.
You didn’t upload an ASCII text resume
Some applicants are unaware of how Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) work and don’t realize that when they upload their resumes, there is no guarantee that computers will recognize different formats perfectly. If your resume places key details about each job in the wrong locations or the wrong order, you must correct this to increase the odds of getting an interview.
Also computers can read only numbers. When a hiring manager asks for an ASCII or “text-only” version of your resume, all you need to know is that they’re looking for an unformatted, plain-text document.
