Why You Arent Getting an Interview with Your Resume

Why You Aren’t Getting an Interview with Your Resume As with many of my clients, most people often feel like they are sending resumes to perfect job opportunities. But, they get discouraged quickly when they do not get call-backs for any interviews. It’s frustrating and they start to believe that maybe they don’t the correct skills and qualifications for today’s job market. There could be many reasons why they aren’t getting interviews; I can almost guarantee that SOME of it has to do with your resume. Reason #1 â€" Your resume format is OLD. Maybe you haven’t updated your resume since 1998 and the last time you applied for a job, you physically went to the place of employment and applied in-person. Today, that almost never happens as all companies post jobs on their company websites and/or third-party websites. If you have an Objective on your resume, still have the line, “References available upon request,” at the bottom, or are including any personal information, you may want to rethink your format. Don’t waste space with an Objective or useless information; instead, focus on what you can do for the company and pertinent information that aligns with the job opportunity. Reason #2 â€" You Aren’t Including Key Words. Because you are applying online, the key words are your golden ticket to getting through the Applicant Tracking System (ATS). This means that your resume MUST contain the same words as the job posting. When you read through the job opening, look for the qualifications, knowledge, or responsibilities sections. Then, make sure those skill-sets are the same ones listed on your document. Obviously, don’t include skills that you don’t have or can’t back-up during an interview; but, if you have to change Project Management to Project Leadership, then do it. Reason #3 â€" You didn’t proofread your resume. So, when a hiring manager or recruiter receives hundreds of resumes, they immediately start looking for a way to weed people outâ€"they are NOT looking for a way to include more people as candidates. Be sure to review the document prior to sending it to prospective employers. Do NOT strictly rely on spell check or grammar check; instead, review it a couple of days after you have ‘finished’ it. Then, my recommendation is still to have a trusted friend or colleague review it for you. Often, someone else can more easily recognize our errors than we can. Don’t let a spelling or grammar error move your resume to the NO pile. If you would like more resume tips, click HERE to download my number-one FREE offering!