You prepared your generic resume and sent it to 200+ companies, then you waited with hope to hear from them soon.
Hope is a very dangerous thing, It can drive a man crazy.
But all you hear back is crickets.
The problem is that you don't understand why no one read your resume.
You keep sending the same generic resume to every company, even when you get no response.
Here are a couple of reasons:
- You are applying where there are already thousands of applicants.
- ATS filters your resume before a human can read it.
- Even if a human read your resume, they spend 5-7 seconds on it before deciding to read further or drop it.
Today let's talk about the second & third point. 7 resume tips to bypass ATS so that a human can read your resume.
Tip 1: Use spell/grammar tool.
This may sound like such basic tip. But you won't believe how many resumes ATS filters because of grammatical errors.
That's why this is #1 tip. Because it's so simple yet most developers get it wrong.
Ask a friend/Chat-GPT to proof read.
A resume without grammatical mistakes shows that you have good communication skills.
Tip 2: Make it concise & easy to scan.
A human spends only 5-7 seconds before deciding to read further or throw your resume into dustbin.
It is your job to make it dead simple for them to figure out if you are a potential fit for the role.
If you can get through those 5 seconds than only you have a chance to show your projects and other stuffs.
In first 5 seconds the recruiter should be able to know:
- How much practical experience do you have.
- What technologies your work with.
- What exactly you did in your last role.
- Do you match the requirements of job.
Tips to make your resume easy to scan.
- Use bullet points when possible.
- Limit the max width of text to 70-75 characters.
- Use active voice and simple grammar.
- Use bold text to highlight important information.
You must, spoon feed them.
Tip 3: Don't list every library/framework you ever touched.
Have you seen resume where they list 50 different technologies, even the once they only heard of.
Don't do that, it make you look spammy and ATS will filter you anyway if you do this.
Stick with smaller number of technologies you are confident with discussing in interviews.
If you list a technology in your resume, Interviewer will ask you about it for sure. So be careful with that.
Tip 4: Read the job description.
Ya, this sounds pretty obvious, but still you don't do it. I know you don't.
Actually read the job description word by word and then prove that you did.
You're self sabotaging to save few minutes by not reading the job description.
Once you read it, use the keywords from job description in your resume.
- Do some light customization of your resume for each role. Don't send same generic resume to every company. Personalize.
- Visit companies official site. Go into interview with basic understanding of what they do.
Tip 5: Make it easy to find your work.
Don't only name your projects provide links to live project or code on GitHub.
So many developers add project name and description but don't link it anywhere.
Again it's the same concept as discussed above. Spoon feed them.
- Add hyperlink to your blogs, GitHub, projects, & website.
- Go through all the links and make sure they are not broken.
Tip 6: Focus on results over formal education.
In my 4+ years as a software engineer not even once anyone asked about my education.
So, instead of filling your resume with all those degrees and certifications. Focus on what result you have generated so far.
- Formal education is a very weak indicator of whether you're good at building software. The best developers I know are self-taught and dropouts.
- Focus on what you've built and its business impact.
Here is a formula to express your results or impact.
- Built (project, feature) that (achieved something) using (technologies).
- Increased (metric) by (amount) through (technical implementation).
- Integrated (technologies) by (strategy) to (outcome).
Be truthful to your role, responsibilities, and title. Don't over-exaggerate.
Tip 7: Order of importance.
Don't waste potential by adding things in chronological order. Put them in order of importance.
If you did your most impactful work a year ago. Put it at the top.
Here is a VIP non-chronological method to explain the importance of your work:
- V (Validation): Defining expertise that you will get hired for.
- I (Integration): How you've used these skills. Your strategy & execution.
- P (People): How you are going to fit into this role.
Here is my example resume: Swastik Yadav Example Resume
Well, that is pretty much it for today. I hope this will help you fix your resume.
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I'll see you next week with a new tip, strategy, and resource to help you monetize your coding skills.
Top comments (1)
Great insights!