Why Is Your Resume Getting Rejected and How to Avoid It (2024)

How often have you taken the time to get your resume ready and apply for a job only to get rejected? Or worse, not hear back at all!

It’s not a great feeling, thinking “My resume is not getting noticed no matter what I do”.

Unfortunately, this is a common experience for job hunters, and the problem may be how your resume is formatted and written.

There may be some issues with the way you’re creating your application. Firstly, to fix that, you can take advantage of our resume builder to get AI-powered suggestions to help you create a better overall application.

But it’s also essential to know what you may be doing wrong. That’s why if you’re wondering how to get your resume shortlisted, review the following reasons why your resume could be getting rejected, and tips to avoid them.

Copy and Paste Resumes

Most likely the main reason your resume is getting rejected is that it’s not tailored for the job you’re applying to. Employers want to see that you fit the position they are advertising and are being honest about how your work history fits in with it.

You’re not going to stand out with some copy-and-paste document that looks the same for everything.

If you want to avoid having your resume dismissed, customize your resume for the job. For example, don’t leave experience that’s irrelevant to the position.

To better customize your resume, you should:

• Use the right keywords for the role. You could get these from the job description.
• If the job description mentions how important communication skills are, make sure you include your communication skills throughout your resume.
• Adjust your summary to ensure you mention your skills that align with the position
• Quantify your achievements, for example, “Improved productivity by 20%”

By following these tips, you’ll avoid another generic resume and guarantee some responses from employers.

Too Much Unnecessary Information

There’s always going to be some level of description on your resume. But when it comes to explaining your previous job experience or expertise, keep it short and sweet.

If you want to avoid having your resume dismissed, don’t include experience that’s irrelevant to the position.

Your summer waiting tables aren’t going to help you get a coding job, so get rid of that past job in your work history and make space for more relevant experiences that’ll make you stand out.

Here’s how you can highlight more relevant information:

• Review the job description
• Format your experience in reverse chronological order
• Make sure any transferable skills you list are relevant

Keep in mind that employers spend only six to seven seconds looking over a resume on average. If your resume is covered with personal stories and unnecessary information, the hiring manager will get caught up in the filler and not get a feel for the real you.

Unprofessional Email Address

You might be surprised to learn that one of the biggest reasons your resume gets rejected has nothing to do with the content of your resume. Instead, it’s all about your email address.

In fact, 35% of recruiters see an unprofessional email address as a dealbreaker.

Luckily, this is an easy fix. Just get a professional email address! Most email platforms are free to use. Even if you want to keep your yellow.rubberducky account, it won’t cost you anything to make a more professional account for job applications

The best professional email addresses contain only your name without numbers. For example, john.smith@email.com is perfectly acceptable. You could also go with

• johnsmith
• j.smith
• jmsmith
• any combination of your first and last name or initials.

It’s also a good idea to skip nicknames. You might go by Lizzie, but Elizabeth sounds more professional and will work better in the long term. And whatever you do, don’t use your current work address!

Typos and Errors

Speaking of unprofessional, typos and errors scattered throughout your resume doesn’t exactly make you seem like you’re a good fit for any position. Employers want to know you pay attention to detail and can perform a job correctly.

A typo on your resume screams “I don’t double check my work.” If an applicant leaves errors on something like their resume, imagine the errors they’ll make on the job!

Before sending your resume to anyone, double and triple-check it for typos and errors. Even if you’re not applying to be a professional writer doesn’t mean you can’t use proper grammar, spelling, and punctuation.

If you are still unsure, have someone proofread your resume for you, to avoid any silly mistakes.

Focusing on Responsibilities and Not Achievements

Your work and relevant experience section is one of the most important sections on your resume (if not the most important). It’s where you tell potential employers what you can bring to the table. Unfortunately, many applicants don’t properly take advantage of it.

Many people simply list their previous job responsibilities. While it’s important to explain what you’ve done in the past, most job responsibilities are very similar.

For example, if you’re applying for a job as an accountant, and you say you balanced checkbooks and handled vendor payments, is that different from any other accounting job? In the end, it doesn’t really say anything.

Instead of focusing on your responsibilities, focus on your achievements.

Instead of focusing on your responsibilities, focus on your achievements. Include quantifiable data, which will show off your productivity, here’s an example:

Unexplained Red Flags

There are certain things on a resume that can throw up red flags for potential employers, like gaps in employment or frequent hopping between jobs.

While these red flags might be unavoidable for some, they’re only a problem if you don’t address them.

When you leave red flags up to the imagination, potential employers always think the worst.

Instead, include an explanation as to why the red flags aren’t as bad as they seem on paper. These are just a few reasons you could provide for a career gap:

• Parental leave
• Pandemic difficulties
• Family concerns
• Medical complications
• Termination

It’s understandable if you missed a lot of time for any of these reasons, just be sure you provide a professional explanation without going into too much detail. Employers need to know why you had a gap or jumped around, but only to an extent.

You can also spin your “red flags” as a positive. For example, what skills did you pick up during your pandemic break or while taking care of a sick relative? These skills could help you land the job and prevent your resume from being rejected.

Poor Formatting

A messy resume is a resume that ends up in the rejection pile. It might not be a beauty contest, but it certainly doesn’t hurt.

Poorly written and disorganized formatting will confuse employers and make your resume essentially unreadable. Ensure you use a clean, organized format for your resume to make information easy to read (and scan) to avoid your resume getting auto-rejected.

Without a doubt, a messy resume can land you in the rejected pile, whereas a well-formatted resume could put you ahead of other candidates.

If you’re not a designer, that’s okay! Take advantage of our free online resume templates.

Key Points

Now that you can answer the question “Why is my resume getting ignored?”, you can start to improve your application.

Remember that your resume should:

• Be specific to the position
• Not include irrelevant details
• Be formatted correctly
• Not have an unprofessional email
• Avoid typos and grammatical errors

It’s important to also use our online tools to help you apply these tips and ensure your application is ready to go!

Don’t forget to send a follow up email after you apply to a job to make sure your resume got to the recruiter.

Armed with your flawless resume, get out there and nab the job of your dreams—and stay out of the rejected pile.

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