Read time: 2 minutes

Hey there 👋🏽 - Ali here

Welcome to the 2nd edition of Career Science.

👋🏽 to all the job seekers (data & non-data) who are curious to learn the science behind landing their dream role.

This Wild Wednesday we’ll be discussing 5 Resume Mistakes That Repel Interviews (& get you 100s of rejections)

Btw if you still haven’t gotten my AI Job Search Playbook. Then get it below.

Hold on to something cause this one is a 2-minute read. Read this and ignore that hiring manager who told you that you lack experience (hint: you don’t).

Ready for the search science? Let’s go.

This job seeker literally ‘dived’ head first into his job search (with a parachute of course) to find his new role.

Building Career Science: I am working on closing in on my ideal client profile (ICP).

Weekend Pic (end of the 📧): I went hiking. One of my friends knowingly stepped on poo. The other almost broke his neck while trying to climb a tree. Weird folks, great friends.

Job Search Nano-tip: Use Carrd to make a personal website for yourself and showcase your experience and portfolio.

Ali’s Aces (end of the 📧): This week we have an AI tool to automate job applications, lesser-known job boards (that have 100s of roles), and a recruiter/hiring manager finally demystifying what an ATS (actually) does (hint: it does not automatically reject you.)

There’s no such thing as a perfect resume (I know..like.. wwwwhhaaaattt)

A good resume is simply a one page (or two) pdf that is well-aligned to the role you are applying. It differs depending on industry/location/experience level but some mistakes make your resume interview repellent (nice joke right?.. mosquito repellent.. interview repellent?.. sometimes I crack myself up)

So without further ado, let’s get started.

If there’s a formatting party going on in your resume it will likely give the recruiter/hiring manager a headache.

What do I mean by a formatting party?

This might seem trivial but it distracts the person reading from the kick-ass value you bring to the table. You don’t want them to lose interest and move on to the next resume (even if you are the one).

Don’t list out duties. I have seen people literally copy/paste job descriptions (I see you Hadia/Jacob)

Instead include:

SHOW RESULTS

Not sure how? Use this winning formula:

Achieved [result] through [process] using [tool]

Still not sure? Here are a few examples (the before & after):

🔴 Analyzed large datasets using SQL
🟢 Improved performance of key digital marketing metrics by 5% by analyzing large datasets using SQL

🔴 Coordinated, managed, & executed project deliverables, working closely with customers
🟢 Accelerated project deliverable timeline by 5 weeks by collaborating with customers

🔴 Supported team in data-related tasks
🟢 Boosted team efficiency by collaborating on data extraction, transformation, and loading, cutting project timeline by 10%, enabling 2 additional projects per quarter

🔴 Generated dashboards for management with Tableau to uncover insights & trends
🟢 Drove 5% more strategic decisions by delivering actionable insights to management through comprehensive Tableau dashboards

🔴 Cleaned and organized data to ensure it is accurate and usable
🟢 Optimized data quality through careful cleaning and preprocessing, slashing errors by 15% in analysis and reporting

Results can be shown in 3 key ways:

1) Time saved for the business
2) Costs saved for the business
3) Revenue made for the business

Be concise and add numbers where applicable.

The hiring manager might be an expert in your field. But you know who isn’t?

The recruiter.

When you use jargon, only you (Marketing Analyst) and the hiring manager (Marketing Manager/ Director of Marketing) can understand (in some cases not even they)

You cut out the middle man (the recruiter) and god knows how many other people your resume goes through to finally get to the hiring manager (very true for big companies)

Cut the jargon. Write clearly and concisely. Use HeminwayApp.

Your resume should be understandable to your friends & family (not in the industry).

This should be a no-brainer.

Proofread. Proofread. Proofread.

Ok maybe not your grandma (she must have better things to do)

Use Grammarly.

Your resume should make it clear why you are the chosen one for the role.

Match keywords & language from your target role into your resume. I call it talking in the language of the company/recruiter/hiring manager.

Use ResyMatch.io.

Include relevant:

Aaanndd we are done.

Now, don’t make these 5 mistakes and you should be well on your way to an interview (or 2nd or 3rd hopefully.)

Thanks for reading!

Whenever you are ready, here are 2 ways for us to work together:

🤖 Application Automation Tool: Automates Job Applications

💼 Job Boards: Find Remote & Hyrbid Jobs

📚 AI Job Search Playbook: 50+ AI Tools & MORE

✅ Recruiter’s Advice: What exactly is ATS Software?

Reached the finish line? Awesome. I’d love to know what you thought of the 2nd edition of Career Science? Reply to this email. I respond to every email!