I Reviewed 1,000 Resumes Last Month. Here's Why Yours Is Getting Ignored.

I need to tell you something uncomfortable.

Last month, I reviewed over 1,000 resumes. I rejected 970 of them in under 10 seconds.

Not because those candidates weren't qualified. Not because the job market is "tough." But because they made mistakes so common, so avoidable, that I could spot them before I finished reading the first line.

I'm not proud of this. But I'm about to tell you exactly what those mistakes are — because nobody else will.

The 10-Second Reality

Here's what actually happens when you hit "Apply":

Your resume lands in a pile with 200-500 others. The recruiter (that's me) has maybe two hours to get through the stack. Do the math: that's about 20 seconds per resume. Maximum.

But it gets worse.

Before I even see your resume, an ATS (Applicant Tracking System) has already scanned it. If you don't hit certain keyword thresholds, you're filtered out automatically. I'll never know you existed.

This isn't a complaint. It's just reality. And if you want to beat it, you need to stop thinking like an applicant and start thinking like a recruiter.

Mistake #1: You're Telling Me What You Did, Not Why I Should Care

I see this constantly:

"Managed team of 5 sales representatives"

"Responsible for customer onboarding"

"Handled social media accounts"

This tells me nothing. What happened because you managed that team? Did sales go up? Did turnover go down? Did you implement something that changed how the company operates?

When I see vague task descriptions, I assume you either didn't accomplish anything notable — or you don't know how to communicate value. Neither is good.

What I actually want to see:

"Led team of 5 reps to exceed quota by 140%, generating $2.3M in new revenue"

"Redesigned onboarding process, reducing customer churn by 35% in 6 months"

"Grew social following from 2K to 45K, driving 3,500 qualified leads to sales"

See the difference? Numbers. Outcomes. Impact.

Mistake #2: Your Resume Doesn't Match the Job Posting

This one hurts the most because it's so fixable.

Every job posting contains keywords. These aren't random — they're specifically chosen because our ATS scans for them. When you use different terminology than the posting, you're essentially speaking a different language.

You might call it "customer success." The job posting says "client management." You have the same skill. But if the system is looking for "client management" and you never use those exact words, you're filtered out.

I've seen candidates who were perfect for roles get rejected by the system because of this disconnect.

The fix takes five minutes:

Pull up the job posting. Read it carefully. Note the exact phrases used for key skills and responsibilities. Then mirror that language in your resume — authentically, not robotically.

Mistake #3: You're Applying to Everything

I can tell when someone has sent me a generic resume. The objective statement doesn't match our role. The highlighted skills aren't what we need. Sometimes the cover letter mentions a completely different company (yes, this happens more than you'd think).

When I see a generic application, here's what I think: this person doesn't actually want this specific job. They want any job. And that makes me question how engaged they'll be if we hire them.

Quality beats quantity. Every time.

The candidates who get interviews? They've clearly researched our company. They've tailored their materials. They've made it easy for me to see why they're a fit.

Mistake #4: You're Hiding the Good Stuff

Your resume has 8 seconds to make an impression. Eight. Seconds.

If your most impressive accomplishment is buried in the third bullet of your second job, I might never see it. If your relevant experience is sandwiched between unrelated roles, I have to work too hard to find it.

Don't make me hunt.

Put your biggest wins at the top. Lead with relevance, not chronology. Make the first thing I see the best thing about you.

Mistake #5: You're Not Reading the Actual Requirements

Here's an insider secret: job postings have two types of requirements.

Must-haves: These are non-negotiable. If the role requires a specific certification or license, you need it. Period. Nice-to-haves: These are wish-list items. We know we probably won't find someone with all of them.

The problem? Many applicants can't tell the difference. They see "10 years experience" and don't apply, when really we'd consider someone with 6 strong years. Or they skip the role entirely because they lack one nice-to-have skill.

On the flip side, some applicants ignore must-haves and apply anyway. This wastes everyone's time.

Read the posting carefully. Apply if you meet the must-haves and at least 70% of the nice-to-haves. That's the sweet spot.

The Pattern I See Over and Over

After reviewing thousands of resumes, patterns emerge.

The candidates who consistently get interviews share certain traits: they're specific about their impact, they speak the employer's language, they show genuine interest in the specific role, and they make it easy to see why they're qualified.

The candidates who disappear into the void? They're often just as talented. But they present themselves in ways that make it impossible for me to advocate for them.

And that's the real tragedy. Qualified people losing opportunities — not because they can't do the job, but because they can't communicate that they can do the job.

What You Can Do Right Now

Stop guessing whether your resume works. Stop wondering why you're not hearing back.

Get objective feedback before you apply. CareerCheck can analyze your resume against actual job postings, showing you exactly where you match and where you're falling short. It's like having a recruiter preview your application before you hit submit.

Because here's the truth: the job market isn't broken. The system isn't unfair. It's just that most people don't understand how it works.

Now you do.