Why Recruiters Reject Generic Resumes

You’re not being ghosted. You’re being filtered out. It just feels like ghosting - because no one tells you why. Here’s what often happens behind the scenes (especially for experienced professionals): 📌 You applied. 📌 You felt qualified. 📌 You heard… nothing. But the recruiter? They scanned your application in under 30 seconds and moved on. Not because you aren’t good. But because your profile or resume didn’t signal the right fit fast enough. Here are 3 reasons strong candidates get filtered out early: 🚩 Your profile is too vague. ✅ Use specific job titles, keywords, and metrics. Instead of: 🟠 “Experienced leader with cross-functional expertise” Say: 🟢 “Director of Product | Scaled B2B SaaS platform from $5M to $28M ARR” 🚩 You didn’t show relevance, only experience. ✅ Tailor your resume and About section to this role. Make it painfully obvious: “I’ve done what you need me to do.” 🚩 Your messaging lacks context or impact. ✅ Show how your work connects to business results, not just responsibilities. Bad: 🟠 “Led internal CRM migration” Better: 🟢 “Led Salesforce migration that cut data entry time by 40% and reduced lead leakage” Here’s the reality: Recruiters are under pressure to find clear fit, fast. They don’t have time to decode your potential. It’s your job to make your value undeniably obvious. If you're tired of hearing nothing back, don’t assume the worst. Assume there’s a messaging gap-and fix it. That’s how you move from invisible → shortlisted. #JobSearchStrategy #CareerAdvice #ResumeTips #LinkedInTips #SeniorJobs #RecruiterPerspective #InterviewAdvice #JobSearchSupport

Despite having referrals from employees at Google, this resume got rejected multiple times. I'll tell you why. Even a solid referral can’t save a resume that doesn’t land the basics. Let’s break it down: 1. No clear impact Saying “built a dashboard” isn’t enough. → What changed because of it? Who benefited? What results did it drive? Hiring managers aren’t guessing; they’re scanning for outcomes. Fix: Add real numbers and results. Example: Built a dashboard using React that improved user engagement by 35%. 2. Tool overload A long list of technologies doesn’t prove depth; it shows noise. → Don’t list every tool you’ve touched. Focus on the ones you’ve mastered to solve real problems. Fix: Tie tools to context and outcomes: Used Docker to streamline deployment and cut app loading time by 25% 3. Weak structure, no flow Projects and roles are listed randomly, with no clear story or direction. → A resume should feel like a journey, not a dump of everything you’ve done. Fix: Start with a short summary. Group similar experience. Lead with relevance. 4. Soft skills without substance “Attention to detail” and “great communication” mean nothing if you don’t show them in action. Fix: Show, don’t tell. Example: Collaborated with 4 developers in agile sprints to ship all features on time with zero bugs reported. Referrals might get your resume looked at. But only a strong, impact-driven resume gets you called back. If your resume isn’t getting interviews, the problem isn’t the job market; it’s the message. Need help creating a resume that actually lands interviews? DM me. I’ve helped 400+ people craft resumes that tell their story, show their value, and get results.

Most resumes don’t get rejected for lack of experience. They get rejected for how that experience is presented. Over the last 3 months, I’ve reviewed over 50 resumes.  Friends, Referrals, and community members. Each time, I notice the same patterns. The mistakes are often small but costly. The wins are subtle but powerful. Here’s what I’ve learned from those reviews and what you can fix today: What actually works? 1 - Tailored Content The best resumes don’t try to be everything to everyone. They’re sharp, role-specific, and rich with keywords that match the job description. 2 - Quantifiable Achievements A line like “handled sales” is forgettable. A line like “Increased sales by 20% in 6 months” gets noticed. 3 - Simple, Clean Formatting Single-column. Consistent fonts. No design drama. ATS systems will thank you. So will recruiters. 4 - Professional Summary > Objective Statement Start with a crisp summary that answers: “What do I bring to the table?” 5 - Action Verbs “Led,” “Built,” “Implemented,” “Optimized.” Not “Responsible for” or “Helped with.” What to absolutely avoid? 1 - Generic Phrases “Hardworking team player” is white noise. Show it. Don’t say it. 2 - Outdated or Irrelevant Info That 2012 internship? Probably time to let it go. 3 - Over-designed Layouts ATS bots don’t care about your Canva skills. Keep it functional. 4 - Typos & Formatting Errors One comma out of place? Might not ruin your chances. But why risk it? 5 - Missing Contact Info Yes, this still happens. Double-check that your phone and email are visible. Bonus enhancements that make a difference: - Use metrics in every role, not just the latest one. - Match your skill section to what the job actually demands. - Move education below experience, unless you're a fresh grad. - Include certifications and recent courses. - Keep font styles and spacing uniform throughout. My suggestion? Take an hour this weekend and do a ruthless edit. - Cut fluff. - Add metrics. - Tweak layout. Ask a friend for feedback. And if you want a second set of eyes, I’m happy to help. I regularly do resume reviews (for a small fee). If you're looking for personalized, actionable feedback, DM me or drop a comment. Let’s make your experience shine the way it deserves to. -- ♻️ Reshare if this might help someone. ▶️ Join 2,485+ in the Tidbits WhatsApp group → link in comments

I review 100+ resumes every month. 90% don’t show impact. They just list responsibilities. And that’s the #1 reason mid-career professionals get stuck. Not because they lack experience. Not because they’re not qualified. But because their resumes fail to communicate value. Here’s the truth: Recruiters don’t read resumes, they scan them. You have 6 seconds to prove you deserve that interview. If your resume reads like a job description, you’re blending in with thousands of others who do the same. But the professionals who stand out? They tell their story through results. After helping thousands of professionals upgrade their resumes, here’s what I’ve seen work every single time: 👇 ✅ Start with a sharp summary (2–3 lines max) Focus on who you are, what you bring, and what impact you create. ✅ Add numbers everywhere Don’t say “handled operations.” Say “streamlined operations, cutting turnaround time by 27%.” ✅ Ditch the outdated sections No “Objective.” No “References on request.” No clutter. ✅ Focus on achievements, not activities Each bullet should start with a strong action verb and end with measurable results. ✅ Keep it lean — 2 pages max Clarity always beats length. ✅ Include only recent & relevant experience If it doesn’t serve your current goals, it doesn’t belong. ✅ Customize for every role Recruiters can tell when you’ve used a generic resume. ✅ Use keywords from the job description ATS bots love them, and it helps you get past the first filter. ✅ Sync your LinkedIn Your resume and profile should sound like they’re from the same person, not two different versions of you. Because let’s face it, Your resume isn’t a timeline. It’s a marketing document. And you are the product. The goal isn’t to tell your entire career story. The goal is to make someone want to know more. 📌 Checkout the carousel for more information! ✨ If you’re ready to transform your resume from “average” to “irresistible,” connect with me on DM if interested. I’ll help you build a high-impact, ATS-friendly resume that attracts interviews, not silence. #ResumeTips #JobSearch2025 #CareerCoach #SnehaSharmaTheCoach #ATSResume

Your resume reads like everyone else's. And that's exactly why it's ignored. I reviewed 50 resumes yesterday. 49 were forgettable. 1 got forwarded to every hiring manager. The difference? A story. Here's what most job seekers don't understand: Recruiters don't hire qualifications. They hire people. Your list of responsibilities? Every candidate has one. Your unique story? Only you have that. Let me show you the transformation: GENERIC RESUME 😴 • Managed marketing campaigns • Increased social media engagement • Collaborated with sales team • Analyzed performance metrics (Congrats, you just described 10,000 other marketers) STORY-DRIVEN RESUME 🎯 • Turned dying Instagram account into 50K community by spotting untapped micro-influencer strategy • Saved $2M campaign from failure by discovering 73% of leads came from ignored channel • Built sales-marketing alignment system after noticing reps wasted 3 hours/day on bad leads See the difference? One lists tasks. One tells stories. Which person would YOU want to meet? Here's how to find YOUR story: 1️⃣ The Problem-Solution Arc 'Noticed [specific problem] → Created [unique solution] → Delivered [measurable result]' 2️⃣ The Transformation Story   'Inherited [bad situation] → Implemented [your approach] → Achieved [dramatic improvement]' 3️⃣ The Innovation Narrative 'Everyone did [standard way] → I tried [different approach] → Results: [breakthrough outcome]' 4️⃣ The Connection Story 'Realized [departments/teams] weren't talking → Built [bridge/system] → Unlocked [hidden value]' Your personal brand isn't a tagline. It's the thread connecting your stories. Example brand threads: 🧵 'The optimizer who finds waste' 🧵 'The connector who builds bridges'   🧵 'The innovator who questions everything' 🧵 'The builder who ships fast' Every bullet should reinforce your thread. Here's my formula: Context (5 words) + Action (10 words) + Result (5 words) 'Noticed team wasting time → Built automation tool over weekend → Saved 20 hours/week' Example: BEFORE: 'Senior Software Engineer with 8 years experience in full-stack development' AFTER: 'Engineer who turns 'that's impossible' into production code. Shipped 3 features competitors said couldn't be built.' Same person. Different impact. One got lost in the pile. One gets interviews in a week. Your experience isn't generic. Stop writing like it is. Every hire solves a specific problem. Show them you've solved it before. But differently. But better. But memorably. The best resume doesn't list what you did. It shows who you are. Through stories only you can tell. Build your story-driven resume with Teal's Resume Builder: https://lnkd.in/gJSNk4FN #PersonalBranding #ResumeTips #JobSearch #Storytelling #CareerAdvice ♻️ Reshare to help someone make their next job move. 👍 Helps me know i'm creating content you want to see :)  🔔 Follow me for more job search & resume tips.

8 months ago, I decided to run a crazy experiment, I applied to 500 jobs with 2 different strategies. 500 job applications and 2 different strategies. One got me ghosted. The other got me 35+ interviews. Here’s the unfiltered truth no one tells job seekers. I did this because it would be extremely useful to students and jobseekers in my ultimate job hunting course community, you can join here: https://lnkd.in/g33ktw-U I wanted to see for myself what works in job applications and what doesn't. Because let's be real: everyone has advice, I give tons of advice, but very few people test these things at scale.  So I did.  I applied to 500 jobs.  Half of them (250 applications) with a single, generic resume, the kind that people usually send out when they mass-apply.  The other half? Customized resumes, tweaked for every job description, every requirement, every company.  I wanted to know:  - Does customizing your resume actually make a difference?   - Or is it just a waste of time?   - What are recruiters really looking for?  And most importantly, what are the mistakes that get your application ignored?  Here’s what I found.  ► Phase 1: The "Spray and Pray" Approach This is what most job seekers do.  Take one standard resume. Blast it out to hundreds of jobs. Hope something sticks.  I did exactly that, 250 times. Yeah, it was brutal :(  Here’s what happened:  - 19 recruiters responded. That’s 7.6% response rate.   - 5 interviews. Just 2% of applications turned into an actual conversation.   - 0 job offers. Nothing. Not a single one.  ► Why did we fail? 1. Too much generic language    - recruiters saw it and immediately thought: "does this person actually fit the role?"      - answer: no.      - why? because it didn’t directly match the job description. it was just a broad list of skills with no clear connection to their needs.  2. Formatting mistakes and typos    - a tiny mistake can kill your chances.      - i had a few small errors, some spelling mistakes, awkward phrasing.  3. Resume sounded just like the J.D     - my original resume just listed responsibilities instead of achievements.      - recruiters don’t care about what you were supposed to do.      - they care about what you did and how it impacted the company.  4. Stuffing Keywords Backfired      - I followed the usual "ATS hack" advice, load up on job description keywords.      - It worked to get past the ATS, but in interviews?      - They would’ve grilled me on skills I barely had.      - They weren’t impressed, they were skeptical.  ► Phase 2: The Personalized Approach For the next batch of 250 applications, I rewrote my resume for every single job.  Painful? Yes.   Time-consuming? Extremely.   Worth it? 100%.  - 41 recruiters responded. That’s 16.4% response rate - more than double the first batch.   - 35 interviews. That’s 14% of applications.  So, what did we change? Continued below ↓

I can’t stress this enough... If your resume is a copy-paste list of generic responsibilities stuffed with keywords, you’re very likely (if not guaranteed) to get passed over by any serious recruiter or the people who actually make hiring decisions. Yes, I understand the “volume game.” I get the logic behind trying to outsmart AI screeners. But here's the truth: most resumes still land in the hands of a real person — and that’s where it falls apart. We can tell when there’s no real thought behind it. If you want to stand out, take the time to craft something that reflects you. Not every version for every job — just one really solid version that speaks to your unique value. Please. It helps you. It helps us. It helps everyone.

“I applied to 200 jobs on Naukri, LinkedIn, Indeed… but no one even saw my resume.” This is what one of my students told me, eyes filled with doubt. And I wasn’t surprised. Because after reviewing 60,000+ resumes, I’ve seen the same painful truth: 90% get rejected by ATS before a human ever reads them. Not because the candidate isn’t talented. But because the resume is invisible. Here’s the reality: Recruiters spend 7 seconds skimming your resume. Job portals use ATS filters to auto-reject anything that doesn’t match keywords. And these small mistakes are costing thousands of people their dream jobs. Here are 10 game-changing details most candidates miss (don’t let yours be one of them 👇): 1️⃣ Missing Contact Info Sounds obvious, but 1 in 5 resumes don’t have a phone number or clickable email. ✅ Put your phone and professional email right at the top, ATS-readable. 2️⃣ No Clear Role Title “Intern” isn’t enough. ✅ Use: “Marketing Intern – Social Media Campaigns” instead. It tells the recruiter what you actually did. 3️⃣ Achievements Without Numbers “Handled client accounts” = vague. ✅ Try: “Managed 12 client accounts worth ₹3 Cr, improved retention by 25%.” 4️⃣ Ignoring ATS Keywords Job portals like Naukri & LinkedIn match resumes by keywords. ✅ Mirror exact job description terms in your skills/experience section. 5️⃣ Not Linking LinkedIn/Portfolio In 2025, recruiters expect proof. ✅ Always include your clickable LinkedIn URL + portfolio/GitHub/Behance links. 6️⃣ Using Fancy Templates That Break ATS Many Canva-style resumes look pretty but fail ATS scans. ✅ Stick to clean, text-based formats in Word/PDF. 7️⃣ Burying Skills at the Bottom Recruiters skim. ✅ Put a “Core Skills” section on the first half of page one. 8️⃣ Generic Summaries ❌ “I’m a hardworking professional seeking growth opportunities.” ✅ Instead: “Data Analyst with 3 years’ experience in SQL & Python, improved reporting speed by 40% at TCS.” 9️⃣ Overcrowded With Irrelevant Details Nobody needs your 12th board marks if you’re 5 years into your career. ✅ Cut the noise, keep it sharp, 1–2 pages max. 🔟 Forgetting to Proofread One typo can ruin first impressions. ✅ Run it through Grammarly + ask a peer to review. I’ve helped 50,000+ candidates land offers at companies like Google, Accenture, KPMG, Barclays, and Wipro by fixing exactly these mistakes. And trust me, your dream job isn’t far. It’s just one strong resume away. If you want my step-by-step guide on “How to Write an ATS-Friendly Resume” that got my candidates hired at top companies, comment YES and I’ll share it in my next post. #resumetips #atsresume #careercoach #jobsearchindia #interviewpreparation

🚩 Top 3 red flags I notice instantly in student resumes. I receive 10+ CVs daily. And 3 things make me reject one instantly. Every job-seeker in their early 20s is confused about what they want to do or pursue which leads them to destroy the one thing that is the most important- The CV. We’ve all been there, thinking that our CV should be fancy and long. But after reviewing thousands of CVs over the years, I can tell you this, you won’t get rejected because you lack potential, but because of small mistakes in your CV. Here are the top three red flags that any recruiter will notice instantly: 1. Only responsibilities, no results❌ Copying lines like “Worked on budgets” or “Assisted in analysis” from ChatGPT won’t say anything about the impact you created. Instead, make it personalised and add numbers to support your work. 2. 3-page CVs for entry-level roles❌ For a fresher applying for an entry-level position, a long CV is just overwhelming. No one reads past 1 page. Work on creating a crisp one-page CV that shows impact. 3. A generic professional summary❌ Any single person can spot an AI-generated summary in seconds. “Motivated individual seeking opportunities to leverage my skills in a dynamic organization.” This tells me nothing about you. Write something real, specific and personal. I am saying this from my personal experience, no recruiter spends more than 6-8 seconds on your CV. If it is filled with generic summaries and no results, it would be rejected instantly. Design your CV like a sales pitch and not an autobiography!🙌🏻

Your resume is getting rejected by AI before a human ever opens it. I’ve worked with job seekers who had: - 10+ years of experience - Impressive results - Strong referrals And they still weren’t hearing back. Why? Because most applicant tracking systems (ATS) are built to filter, not understand. Here’s how to fix it (without turning your resume into a keyword-stuffed robot): ✅ Use standard section headings Stick to: - “Work Experience,” - “Certifications.” - “Education,” - “Skills,” Avoid creative headers like “My Journey” or “What I Bring”, they confuse the system. ✅ Remove all tables, columns, and icons ATS can’t read text inside design elements. Even a simple 2-column format can break the parser. ✅ Mirror the job title If the posting says “Customer Success Manager,” use that exact phrase. “Client Experience Lead” might sound nicer, but it won’t match the filter. ✅ Add role-specific keywords Scan the job description and naturally include tools, skills, and certifications it mentions. Aim for 8–10 relevant terms that match your real experience. ✅ Use standard fonts and file types Stick to Arial or Calibri. Submit as .docx unless PDF is clearly accepted. ✅ Keep it simple No photos, no charts, no logos. ATS tools aren’t designed for visuals, They’re designed to scan text. --- A strong resume today needs to pass two tests: ✔️ Machine-readable ✔️ Human-readable Get past the filter. Then tell your story. Need help checking yours? Comment down “ATS check” and I’ll go over a few resumes in my next workshop on Friday. You don’t need a new resume. You need a version that actually gets seen.