Hit 200 job applications in 10 weeks and only got 3 callbacks - here's what I changed

I stopped using the same generic resume for everything after a recruiter friend told me she skips anything that doesn't mention the exact tools in the posting, so I rewrote each one with their keywords and got 2 interviews in one week - anyone else have a specific tweak that actually worked?

3 comments

3 Comments

susanb341mo ago

Did you try matching the exact job title from the posting? I've heard some places use automated systems that only flag exact title matches, not just keywords.

hollyl251mo ago

3 callbacks out of 200 is rough but not that unusual. I've seen people get worse ratios. The keyword thing works sometimes but honestly some of those job postings are just copy paste junk anyway.

jade_jenkins1mo ago

Start with the posted job title but also pull keywords from the skills section and drop those in naturally. @susanb34 is right that some systems are just looking for exact title matches, but I've had way more luck copying the first bullet point verbatim and weaving it into my summary. Also make sure your resume is a .docx file and not a PDF - some of those older ATS systems still won't read PDFs at all, even if they claim they do.