Are They Even Reading My Resume? 5 Reasons Resumes End Up In The Trash

If you are going to take the time to apply for a job, make sure that your resume doesn't end up in the trash can.

When you are looking for a new job, one of the most frustrating things is sending in resume after resume, and not hearing anything back from any of the companies you applied with. It has happened to me more times than I care to remember. It feels like I'm emailing cover letters and resumes to a black hole, because I don't hear anything back.

With the tough job market, not only are you having to compete against a large pool of candidates but employers and recruiters are being overwhelmed by the sheer number of applicants for every job opening.

For them, the goal is to find the best qualified person at the best price. In order to achieve that goal in the most effective way, they have to sort through the stack of resumes they've received and toss out the ones that don't look promising.

It might sound cruel and while there is a chance that they could be throwing out several diamonds in the rough, the truth is that they just don't have the time to go through all of them.

In order to keep your resume from being overlooked, here are 5 of the most common reasons why a resume ends up in the trash:

1. No subject line – Especially if you are submitting your resume to a recruiter, it's important to reference the job title in the subject line of your email. Recruiters are generally very busy people and have several job searches going on at the same time. If they can't tell which job you are applying for, they can't do anything with your resume.
   
   
2. You didn't include a cover letter – Cover letters are really important. No matter what you may hear or read, they are always worth the effort. Maybe you don't have to have one, but they certainly don't hurt. They take a little bit of time, but when you are asking someone to give you a job, it's worth the extra work.
   
   
3. Your cover letter is too long – Think short and sweet here. You don't need a two page cover letter. The ideal cover letter is 3 paragraphs long. The first paragraph is a brief introduction, the second says why you think you are a good fit and touches on your qualifications and the third simply closes the letter.
   
   
4. You don't live near the job – If you don't live within a reasonable commuting distance from the job, you probably won't be considered for it. If you are planning to move to a new town and are applying for jobs before you move, include that information in your cover letter. Just a quick sentence that gives the employer an idea of when you are moving can make a huge difference. Otherwise, they probably won't even read your resume.
   
   
5. Your resume is hard to understand – If they have to think too hard to figure out what you are trying to say in your resume, they will probably just toss it. If you are having trouble making your resume easy to read, then get help. Professional resume writers can make a big difference.

Don't let your resume end up being deleted or thrown away without being read. Before you apply for another job, make sure that you are giving yourself the best chance to shine.

If you are a hiring manager, what other things can cause you to throw out a resume without even reading it? I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments.

By Melissa Kennedy- Melissa is a 9 year blog veteran and a freelance writer for PhillyJobsBlog, along with helping others find the job of their dreams, she enjoys computer geekery, raising a teenager, supporting her local library, writing about herself in the third person and working on her next novel.