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Why Your Resume Gets Rejected in 6 Seconds (And How to Fix It)

Rachel Kim••6 min read
Resume TipsJob SearchCareer Advice
Why Your Resume Gets Rejected in 6 Seconds (And How to Fix It)

As a hiring manager, I spend about 6 seconds on your resume. Six. Seconds. If you don't pass that test, I never see your cover letter, your portfolio, or your LinkedIn. You're just... gone.

I've reviewed over 2,000 resumes in the last 3 years. Here's exactly what makes me keep reading versus what makes me hit delete.

The 6-Second Scan: What I'm Actually Looking For

My eyes follow the same pattern every time:

  1. Top of resume (2 seconds): Name, title, one-line summary
  2. Current/recent job (2 seconds): Company name, role, dates
  3. Quick scan down (2 seconds): Looking for keywords, achievements, red flags

If nothing catches my eye in those 6 seconds, you're out. Harsh? Yes. Reality? Also yes.

Mistake #1: Generic Summary or Objective

What kills you: "Motivated professional seeking opportunities to leverage skills in a dynamic environment."

This tells me nothing. I've read this exact sentence 500 times. It's filler.

What works: "Senior Frontend Developer | Built 15+ React apps serving 2M+ users | Specialized in performance optimization and accessibility"

See the difference? Specific role, specific achievements, specific skills. I immediately know if you match what I need.

Mistake #2: Job Duties Instead of Achievements

What kills you:

  • "Responsible for managing social media accounts"
  • "Developed new features for web application"
  • "Handled customer service inquiries"

I don't care what you were "responsible for." I care what you actually accomplished.

What works:

  • "Grew Instagram following from 2K to 45K in 8 months, driving 30% increase in sales"
  • "Built recommendation engine that increased user engagement by 23%"
  • "Maintained 4.9/5.0 customer satisfaction score while handling 50+ tickets daily"

Notice the pattern? Number + action + result. This is the formula.

Mistake #3: No Keywords = Instant Rejection

Most resumes get screened by software (ATS) before I ever see them. If you don't have the right keywords, you never make it to a human.

What kills you: Using your own made-up job titles and vague descriptions that don't match the job posting.

What works: Copy exact keywords from the job description. If they want "React," don't write "JavaScript library experience." Use the word "React."

Pro tip: Make a skills section with ALL relevant keywords. React, TypeScript, Node.js, AWS, Docker, etc. ATS systems scan for these.

Mistake #4: Wall of Text

If your resume looks like a Wikipedia article, I'm not reading it. Remember: 6 seconds.

What kills you: Dense paragraphs, no white space, tiny font, no bullet points.

What works:

  • White space is your friend
  • Bullet points for everything
  • Bold important numbers and keywords
  • 11-12pt font minimum
  • Clear section headers

Your resume should be scannable. I should be able to get the gist in 6 seconds because it's visually organized.

Mistake #5: Irrelevant Experience That Buries the Gold

What kills you: Listing every job you've ever had, starting from high school, in reverse chronological order, giving each one equal space.

If you're applying for a developer job, I don't care that you worked at Starbucks 8 years ago. Unless...

What works: Lead with relevant experience. Put your retail job in one line if you need to show work history, but don't give it 5 bullet points.

Structure it like this:

  • Relevant Experience: Developer jobs, detailed with achievements
  • Other Experience: One-line mentions of unrelated jobs
  • Education: Degree, relevant courses, certifications

The 5 Changes That Actually Work

1. Quantify Everything

Before: "Improved website performance"
After: "Reduced page load time from 4.2s to 1.1s, increasing conversion rate by 18%"

2. Lead with Impact

Before: "Managed team of 5 developers on e-commerce project"
After: "Led team that shipped $2M ARR product 2 weeks ahead of schedule"

3. Use Power Words

Replace weak verbs:

  • "Did" → "Executed," "Delivered," "Implemented"
  • "Helped" → "Accelerated," "Enabled," "Drove"
  • "Worked on" → "Built," "Created," "Designed"

4. Tailor for Each Job

Yes, it's more work. Yes, it increases your response rate by 400%. Keep a "master resume" with all your achievements, then customize for each application.

5. One Page (Usually)

If you have less than 10 years of experience, keep it to one page. If you're senior with 15+ years, two pages is fine. But make every word count.

The Template That Works

Here's the structure I want to see:

[Name] - [Title]
[City, State] | [Email] | [LinkedIn] | [Portfolio]

[One-line summary with your superpower]

EXPERIENCE
[Company Name] | [Your Title] | [Dates]
• [Achievement with number]
• [Another achievement with number]
• [Third achievement with number]

[Repeat for 2-3 recent relevant jobs]

SKILLS
[List all relevant technical skills with keywords]

EDUCATION
[Degree] in [Field] - [University]
[Relevant certifications]

The Harsh Truth

Your resume doesn't need to be perfect. It just needs to survive 6 seconds. That's the bar.

Focus on:

  • Clear, scannable format
  • Quantified achievements, not job duties
  • Keywords that match the job posting
  • Relevant experience first

Make these changes, and you'll see your response rate jump. Not because you're suddenly more qualified—but because I can finally see that you are.