Why Your Resume Keeps Getting Rejected: The ATS Resume Guide 2025

Imagine you have been fired suddenly, and now you are sitting in front of your laptop, searching for jobs everywhere and applying madly, hoping to receive a response.

But let me tell you one thing that most people don’t know about. Companies these days are using ATS software, and most resumes and CVs get rejected from that system.

No matter how qualified and experienced you are, these systems reject your resume. This way, your resume never shows up to the HRs or the person in charge of hiring.

Many of us have experienced situations where we keep applying to jobs desperately, not knowing that ATS is rejecting our applications just because the resume is not ATS-friendly.

In today's blog, I am going to tell you why it is important to make your resume ATS-friendly and how you can do that. So, if you are a person looking for jobs but not getting back, this blog is for you. Read it completely, and you'll never lack interview opportunities.

Key Takeaways

• If you are not getting a response from the recruiters, it is most likely the ATS that is filtering your application and not letting it pass to the recruiters.
• If you want to make your resume ATS-friendly, make sure to list achievements with proper actions, timelines, and results.
• Always avoid adding fluff to your resume and respect the recruiter's time.
• If you are looking for authentic and legitimate jobs, explore Seek New Jobs, and you will find the best career opportunities.

Mistake 1: Listing Responsibilities

Suppose a company is hiring an SEO person; we all know what responsibilities fall on the shoulders of an SEO expert. So, when you start listing the responsibilities, it makes no difference, and your resume looks exactly like the other tons of resumes they have received.

Instead, you have to list the achievements you have made for the previous company that helped them increase their click, rankings, visitors, etc.

For example, if you are an SEO expert, your responsibilities would be:

• Doing the keyword research for the website's content
• Making sure the content is SEO friendly
• Ranking the website
• Resolving the technical issues
• Creating backlinks

Now, if you see, they all sound very generic, and every other person is using the same lines in their resumes. You have to be different to shine.

So, if you are an SEO expert, your listed achievements will look like:

• Helped my previous company increase its visitors by 150% in just three months.
• Resolved all their technical issues to make the website user-friendly.
• Ranked its Google Business Profile (GBP) in the map pack.

So now, if you analyze these listings, you will see a clear difference between responsibilities and achievements. Listing achievements will show how capable you are, and this way, the chances of your interview increase.

Mistake 2: Not Customizing Your Resume

Many times, your resume gets rejected just because you are submitting the same resume to all the companies that have vacancies. This way, the Applicant Tracking System (ATS) doesn't let your application pass through the system.

Your ultimate goal is to pass the ATS so that the HR finds your resume from the flood they have received. We know that there are some sections that cannot be tailored, for example, the educational section.

But it is important to update the resume as per the job's requirements. Suppose there is a vacancy for an SEO specialist and the industry is related to security guarding.

Now you have to mention how you have helped the previous security company to rank their website and enhance their revenues. You can also mention your best results.

If you don't have experience working in the exact same industry, you can mention the relevant or closest one. But never apply for all the jobs with the same untailored resume.

Mistake 3: Always Use as Much Data as You Can

Recruiters are looking for the data, and once you start providing, you will get tons of interviews. But do not just mention the achievements without providing any timeline, action, or results.

Whenever listing the achievements, you have to tell the recruiter how you did all that. For example, if you are an SEO person, instead of just saying that you have ranked the website, tell them with a proper formula.

In this case, you can go like that: Created the list of high search volume keywords, added them into the website's content, and increased the traffic by 200% within just 2 months.

Now, if you read both the above and the below statements, you will obviously prefer the latter one because it is showing what you have done and what the impact was. You can also use the HR-Proof formula:

Accomplished [X] as measured by [Y] by doing [Z]

2x startup founder and CEO, Laszo Bock, invented this formula, and it has worked for many people, helping them get their dream jobs by passing the ATS.

Formula Link: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/20140929001534-24454816-my-personal-formula-for-a-better-resume/

Mistake 4: Always Avoid the Fluff

When it comes to recruiters, they are not looking for the word count or to read paragraphs; all they want is your achievements in clear words.

They receive hundreds and sometimes thousands of resumes. So, you have to make sure your resume has all the necessary sections filled with the words that actually matter. You have to show them that you respect their time.

If you are a beginner or a fresh graduate, you might have nothing to add to the work experience. In this case, many people start adding the fluff and try to deceive the recruiters, but that doesn't work. If you don't have the experience, be honest and don’t add fluff into the experience section.

Instead, you can add your internship experience or tell the recruiter about your student organization's experience, if you have any. But do not write fluff or add misleading information.

So, these are mistakes you have to avoid. We have seen many people talking about the keywords and more. But you have to first remove the mistakes we have mentioned above.

Moreover, there are many ATS resume checkers available on Google where you can check the score of your resume from an ATS perspective.

Conclusion

Applicant Tracking System (ATS) is one of the biggest hurdles job seekers face these days. If you are the one applying for the jobs desperately but not getting any response, it's most likely the ATS that is rejecting your resumes.

Follow the instructions we have shared in the blog and include all the relevant details to make sure your resume is tailored to the job description.

Moreover, if you are looking for the most authentic and legitimate job posts, explore Seek New Jobs right now and find the opportunities you will never get anywhere else.