Vent: I used to spend 2 hours perfecting my cover letter for every single job and got ZERO interviews

Then last month I just copied the ad text into a simple template, swapped in the company name, and sent out 15 applications in one afternoon. I got 4 callbacks in the first week. What the heck is the point of all that customization if nobody even READS it until they've already glanced at your resume for 6 seconds?

2 comments

2 Comments

blair_dixon28d ago

Same thing happened to me. I spent years tailoring resumes and got nowhere, then one week I just used a generic format and got three callbacks in two days. I think companies are scanning for keywords more than actual quality at that first pass.

rose_hart28d ago

Is it really about keywords or is it more that the generic format just reads easier for a tired recruiter? @blair_dixon you're probably right that the scanning software is just looking for specific phrases, so a clean, keyword-stuffed resume might beat a beautifully formatted one every time. I've seen friends get hits by literally copying job descriptions into their resume with minor tweaks. That's depressing but it seems to work, doesn't it? The whole system feels more like a lottery than a meritocracy at this point.