5 Reasons Why Your Resume Went Into a Black Hole

Published by

Jennifer Sethre

You applied to that job about 3 months ago and never heard a thing. What gives?

  • Some weird format problem.

Resumes suck to write. I know. The software that most companies use to filter them is ultra-shaky and might not be able to read information presented in a creative format. Blarge (you may need an urban dictionary for this one)!

  • You misspelled something

No, not kidding. You really can’t proofread enough, my friend.

  • That software thing?

Ah, that thing we just mentioned. An ATS (Applicant Tracking System) saves hiring manager work-- it filters resumes based on keywords, so they don’t have to read all 5,000 applications.

  • Keywords??? What keywords?

The ones straight from the job description you found online. You heard me!

  • Your resume was either too specific or too broad.

If a manager can’t place you very well in a position from a glance, it’s bad news. Avoid language that makes your skills seem too niche, or that makes your experiences too vague.