Finally got my resume past the automated screeners after 47 tries

I kept getting auto-rejected for a job I was qualified for, and it turned out the system was looking for the exact phrase 'project management' instead of 'managed projects'. I spent three evenings rewriting every single bullet point to match the job description word for word. Has anyone else had to play this keyword game to get a real person to look at their application?

3 comments

3 Comments

logan63213d ago

Man I feel this so hard. My buddy spent a week trying to get an interview for a data analyst job and the system kept filtering him out because his resume said "Excel" but the job description wanted "Microsoft Excel" specifically. He changed it to the full name and got a call back the next day. It's ridiculous how picky these bots are, like they can't figure out that "Excel" and "Microsoft Excel" are the same thing.

the_james16d agoProlific Poster

Honestly that keyword matching sounds like a huge waste of time. Automated screeners are there for a reason, to filter out people who aren't a close fit. If you have to change all your wording, maybe you weren't as qualified as you thought. Companies get tons of applications and need a fast way to sort them, it's just how it is now. Spending three nights on one resume seems a bit extreme when you could just apply to more jobs instead.

hollyramirez15d ago

Okay but "maybe you weren't as qualified" is a wild thing to say, @the_james. It's not about being unqualified, it's about speaking the robot's language. I had a friend who was perfect for a project manager role but kept getting auto-rejected because her resume said "tracked deliverables" and the job posting wanted "managed project timelines." Same exact skill, different words. She changed three lines and got an interview. The system is just broken like that sometimes.