Here’s Why Your Resume Will Always End Up in the Trash

Not hearing back from companies that you’ve applied for?

Stock Footage by DEFSTOCK | Animated GIF by Author

Recently, I got the privilege of being involved in several hirings for the company I’m working for. I don’t work for an HR or Admin Department, but I was involved with creating job posts, candidate screening and interviews for video production and software development roles. During these hiring processes, I came across a few surprises that gave me an idea of why some resumes simply won’t work.

Flattened PDF

Photo by Sigmund on Unsplash

If you’re using some fancy designs for your resume, do not ‘flatten’ it into a JPEG or a single layer PDF. In other words, the text in your resume should be selectable. While I go through all resumes manually, many big companies use AI screening tools to select candidates with relevant skills and experience. A flattened PDF would make everything unrecognizable as text, so your resume won’t make it through the screening bots.

In addition, it’s frustrating to get unclickable links. I mean, what’s the point of sharing a link if it is unclickable? Remember, candidate screening and selection is a very…