Your resume gets 7 seconds. Make them count with these ATS-proof fixes.
Recruiters spend an average of 7 seconds on a resume. For freshers, where every candidate looks similar on paper, those seconds decide everything. Here are the seven mistakes we see most — and the exact fixes.
1. Decorative templates
ATS parsers read left-to-right; multi-column layouts scramble your content. Use a single-column layout with clear section headers.
2. Responsibilities instead of achievements
‘Worked on the college website’ says nothing. Write ‘Rebuilt the department website, cutting load time by 60% for 2,000+ monthly visitors.’
3. Listing every technology
Mirror the top 6–8 skills from the job description and cut the rest.
4. No projects section
For freshers, projects are proof of work. Two or three projects with a one-line problem, your stack, and a measurable outcome.
5. Typos in company or role names
It signals zero attention to detail. Customize the objective line for every application.
6. A wall of text
Short bullets, consistent tense, generous whitespace.
7. No link to proof
LinkedIn, GitHub, portfolio — include at least one, and make sure it is updated. Then run your resume through the Career Pulse check to see how it scores.