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Resume not getting shortlisted? The 5 usual reasons

Most rejections happen before a human reads your resume, or in the 10 seconds they spend skimming it. These are the patterns we see most often.

Why it happens

1. No numbers

"Worked on a dashboard" says nothing. "Cut report time by 60% for 12 analysts" gets read.

2. Weak opening verbs

Bullets starting with "helped", "assisted" or "responsible for" hide what you actually did.

3. Missing the role's keywords

Screeners look for specific skills. If the JD says SQL and your resume says "databases", you may not match.

4. Non-standard sections

Creative headings confuse parsers. Use Education, Experience, Projects, Positions of Responsibility, Skills.

5. Wrong length

One page, roughly 420–640 words. Much less looks thin; much more doesn't get read.

Fix it now

Use the free resume score in 30 seconds. A score out of 100 and the top 3 fixes. Your resume never leaves your browser.

Fix it for good

InternPrep AI by golash: Interview practice that pushes back like a real panel, and a resume audit benchmarked against what actually got shortlisted.