So you have spent countless hours on your computer just to send out as many electronic resumes as you can. Or perhaps you have used up hundreds of sheets of paper to print out multiple copies of your application letter and resume. You have clearly done your best to reach out to those companies you think need your services. But still, not even one hiring manager has called you up to invite you for a job interview.
You may be wondering now what went wrong or what you missed in your resume for it to be taken for granted. The following are some of the most common reasons hiring managers ignore a resume:
1. There is nothing special about your resume.
One likely reason that your resume isn’t getting the attention and interest of hiring managers is because it’s a mere imitation of numerous other resumes out there. If you only used an online resume template, this is likely the reason for your failure. By using resume and career services, you can feel assured knowing that you have an effective resume.
2. You didn’t include the exact dates of your previous employment in your resume.
Although many hiring managers focus on the educational background and skills of a job applicant, there are still others who are very keen on knowing the exact dates an applicant has worked in his or her previous employment. This is an important detail also because it will show consistency on your part. Remember that companies are likely to have bias against job hoppers.
3. Your resume is just unnecessarily long.
Recruiters and hiring managers are already having a hard time scanning through hundreds of resumes and application letters, so you should not make it harder for them by sending an extremely lengthy resume. Hiring managers don’t want to waste time reading the unnecessary details in a resume.
4. There are grammatical errors and typos in your resume.
Having typos and mistakes in grammatical structure is one of the easiest ways to have your resume discarded. No employer will even think about spending time knowing you if you cannot even take the time to come up with a decent resume.
5. Your resume had the wrong format.
Some companies make it clear in their job announcement how resumes should be written, particularly in terms of what information should and should not be included. By taking for granted the simple instructions of the employer, you are showing how unreliable you will be as a potential employee. As any career or life coach will put it, your credibility and reliability are among your strongest tools in your search for a successful career.
