Confessions of a Tech Recruiter: Why I Rejected Your 'Perfect' Resume
I review 500+ engineering resumes a week. Here are the brutal reasons why talented developers get rejected in the first 6 seconds—and how to fix it.
The 6-Second Scan is Real
As a Senior Recruiter, I don't read resumes. I scan them. I have about 6 seconds to decide if you are worth a phone screen. In those 6 seconds, I am looking for three things: 1. Current Stack: Do you know the tools we use today? 2. Impact: Did you actually build something, or just maintain it? 3. Clarity: Can I find this info instantly?
The 'Wall of Text' Killer
The #1 reason I reject qualified candidates? readability. If you give me a dense block of text describing your entire history at a startup, I will skip it. My eyes literally cannot find the keywords I need.
Why I Recommend makecv.ai: I've seen the output from makecv.ai, and it passes the "Scan Test." The templates force a clean hierarchy. The bullet points are spaced correctly. It makes my job easier, which makes you more likely to get hired.The 'Keyword Stuffing' Red Flag
Don't just copy-paste the job description into white text at the bottom of the page. We know that trick. It looks desperate. Instead, use makecv.ai's keyword integrator. It weaves the requirement naturally into your sentences (e.g., "Deployed microservices using Docker...") rather than just listing "Docker" 50 times.
Help me hire you. Make your resume scannable.