I’m a millennial job seeker who kept getting my résumé rejected. Then, I changed the formatting.

Dania Swails, 28, has worked in finance and is looking for another job after leaving her last role. She has faced numerous rejections to jobs she’s applied for. A recruiter suggested she rework her résumé so an applicant-tracking system might more easily read it.

I have a bachelor’s degree in sports management. I graduated in 2019, and the pandemic started in March 2020. So, some of the job offers I had — and the prospects I had — weren’t starting until the next season, but my opportunities went away because of the pandemic.

I had a friend who was a stockbroker. She said, “Hey, my job will train you to become a broker if that’s something you’re interested in.” At the time, I just needed a job. So, I became a broker.

I got into it, and I just really liked it. I liked finance. My dad works in finance; he does taxes and investing. He’s told me my whole life that I need to look into finance. When I started in the industry, my dad and I used to study every night for my Series 7 exam, which I passed.

After working as a broker, I was recruited to be an equity trader. I really got into data and trends research when I was working at that job. I was there for two years, and then I got laid off.

After I got laid off, I went on LinkedIn and found a job as an analyst. It was my first time not working with clients. I worked directly for the bank. I did like being an analyst; I just didn’t like the company.

I felt like, “Well, I’ve been in finance for four years. I’ve managed these accounts. I’ve done this. I haven’t had a problem having a job.” So, at the end of January, I thought, “I’m burned out from this employer. I’ll just leave. I’m sure I can find something else.” That didn’t happen.

When I was a broker — a first-year broker — it felt like I was getting recruited on LinkedIn every day. That’s how I got that job as an equity trader. And, even when I was laid off, I was only out of work for three weeks, and I was right back at work at a new job.

But now, months later, I still don’t have a role. This has been the hardest experience I’ve ever had. LinkedIn had always been my best friend, but now it’s my worst enemy—it’s like a shift happened.

Revamping my résumé

I’d been told my résumé is impressive. I’d also been told it’s too long, too short, too vague, and you need to change the formatting. I had my education and my skills on the side, along with my contact information. I had a template that was pretty fancy looking. I’d always used it, and I always thought that it had caught the recruiter’s eye. But I just haven’t been having much luck. So, I’ve been changing my résumé — adding things, taking things off.

There would be jobs where I met every requirement, and I was getting rejected, getting rejected. When I was an equity trader, I needed three to five years of experience, but they recruited me, and I only had a year and a half of experience. So I was able to get into a higher role. And then, I became an analyst who needed more experience than I had. But they said in the interview that they liked where my head was at, and so I got hired.

After I left my last job, I applied for roles where I didn’t meet all the requirements, but I figured I could talk about my experience. I was getting automatically rejected, so I decided to apply only for jobs where I met every qualification. And I was still getting rejected.

I’ve been in Cincinnati for four years. I like it, but I would also like to go somewhere else—maybe Miami, Philly, D.C., or Chicago. I was applying for jobs and taking my address off my résumé so it wouldn’t flag in the system, but I was still not getting anything.

Then, a recruiter I’d been working with said my résumé could get caught in applicant-tracking systems. She said I should put it through a system that will see if it flags when you compare it to a certain job description.

When I submitted my résumé and job description through this system, I was surprised by the results. It said I had a low chance of getting the job. My résumé had dashes, which could have been throwing it off because an ATS sometimes doesn’t recognize dashes. I also had more than 32 characters in the file name, and I was told that wasn’t good, so I shortened that.

The recruiter said the formatting and template I used weren’t reading, and the ATS wasn’t picking up my key skills or education. I was also told that it will kick it out automatically if it’s over one page, but two.

I’ve had to revamp my résumé completely. I made it a simple document — basic black and white. Instead of having separate columns, it’s straight up and down and in chronological order. It hasn’t been that long, but I have had two callbacks since I updated it.

I was glad to have the new résumé, but it also made me sad because I feel like I missed out on many jobs — especially ones I really wanted.

I said, “Oh, yeah, I definitely will qualify for this.” I’d set my LinkedIn filters: I would apply for jobs that just opened in the past 24 hours with under 10 applicants. It’s like, “OK, this only has three applicants. I meet all the requirements besides a bachelor’s degree in finance.” I have the required experience. Then, my résumé was automatically rejected.

Where I go from here

In the end, I will probably keep both versions of my résumé. I want one that stands out when a person actually looks at it—that jumps out against all the other black-and-white, simpler résumés. Then, I’ll have the résumé I enter in the system for the ATS.

All of this makes me wonder, what is the point of having recruiters if you have a system that flags everything? I get it from an HR standpoint. I would not want to go through 5,000 applications if I were a recruiter. However, as someone who’s job-seeking, this system doesn’t work.

At my last job, my mental health was deteriorating. But I have a new source of stress now. Part of me feels like I’m being punished for not staying at my job—like I stuck my neck out too far. I wasn’t arrogant when I left, but I did have the mindset that I could find something else because I had experience and a degree. And in the past, I was always getting recruited.

When you’ve been unemployed for four months, you feel like maybe you were too arrogant. Perhaps I wasn’t humble enough. Maybe I should have stuck it out. Maybe I should have just stayed until there was something else. All these scenarios go through your head when you’re just not getting anything. It is very demoralizing.

When I apply, it often feels like it’s just about what scans in the system. If you can get through the system, you can prove yourself or have someone take a chance. But you have to get through the system first.