Used a different resume format and got a call back in 2 days

I spent like 6 months sending out my resume the same way with basically no responses. Maybe 1 or 2 interviews total and they were both for jobs I was way overqualified for. Last week I got sick of it and tried one of those simple one column formats with no fancy graphics or colors. Just black and white text with my skills listed out plain. I sent it to 5 jobs on Monday and by Wednesday I had 3 people call me for interviews. I guess all those templates with the sidebars and icons were confusing the automated systems or something. Has anyone else had luck switching up their resume layout like that?

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3 Comments

beth_park3mo ago

Tried the same thing last year after reading that most companies use software to scan resumes before a person ever sees them. Switched from a colorful two column design to a single column with just bullet points and plain section headers. Got responses from places that ignored me before. It seems like those fancy layouts confuse the scanners or maybe they just can't read the text right. Even the font choice matters, I went with Arial instead of something decorative and it worked better.

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tessaperry3mo ago

Yeah you're right, I used to think the fancy ones stood out but this makes more sense.

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jenny_lee3mo ago

Well, I had a similar experience. I went from a resume that looked like a Pinterest craft project to one that's basically a grocery list, and suddenly people called me back. I guess my fancy format was just confusing the poor computers reading it. Maybe they thought I was applying to be a graphic designer not an accountant. I figure if the robots can't read it, the humans never will anyway.

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