Imagine this—you’ve just finished the long and tedious task of updating your resume. You added your new skills, checked in with all your references, and proofread the whole thing more than a dozen times. It looks good to you, and you’re eager to start applying for jobs.

You send it with an application for a job in IT, which means yours will be on average one of more than 350 applications received for that open position. But don’t worry, you’re perfectly qualified and you know that once the hiring manager sees the fun icons and the detail you put into choosing a different font for each section, your resume is going to be placed on the top of the pile.

Then, you get denied.

Now, there are many possible reasons why you might not get the job you apply for, but the way you choose to write and organize your resume is a major contributor. Depending on what size company you are applying to, there is a 35-98% chance that your resume will first be sent through an applicant tracking system. These systems are built to look for very specific criteria and when an ATS receives a resume that it cannot read properly, the applicant is often denied. It’s estimated that up to 75% of qualified applicants have been passed over for a job because the ATS software was unable to make sense of their resume.

Assuming you do get past the scrutiny of an application tracking system, you still only have an average of 6 seconds to impress the hiring manager, and some of the more ‘cute’ details you’ve included on your resume might actually make you seem outdated or unprofessional.

If you’re worried your resume might be prematurely rejected, or that it isn’t sending the right message about you as a potential worker, follow our guide below! We’re here to help you put your best foot forward and avoid seeming out of touch in the modern labor market.

Things to Do…

1. Do keep it short, direct, and relevant.

Ideally, your resume should be no longer than a page and part of appealing to the average ATS is optimizing your language and formatting to meet the software’s criteria. You want to use keywords from the job description as often as possible, and be direct instead of clever or quirky.

2. Do highlight your truly unique/rare skills.

One of the things that makes a resume seem the most outdated is an emphasis on skills that are no longer considered to be impressive or are thought of as a given. For example, if you are a fast typer and a wizard with Microsoft Office, that’s great, but it’s not going to set you apart. Alternatively, if you have expertise in something like cloud computing or data analysis, definitely highlight those.

3. Do list your references and relevant links.

Contrary to what you may have heard in the past, employers are now interested in seeing your references listed, as well as having access to any of your personal websites or social media accounts. While it might seem unprofessional to link your Instagram page, considering the fact that 92% of employers report checking an applicant's social media accounts anyway, you’re really just saving them the trouble of having to go search for you online.

Things Not to Do…

1. Do not use unprofessional fonts, icons, or other embellishments.

You want the most eye-catching thing on your resume to be you. Don’t fall into the trap of using crazy fonts or colorful headers. In a professional setting, these only make you stand out in a bad way.

2. Do not include your home address.

It is very unlikely that a potential employer will ever need to contact you using your home address in this day and age. Including this information will not only take up unnecessary space on the page, but it will also signal to hiring managers that you haven’t been keeping up to date with the changing trends of the current labor market.

3. Do not change your formatting halfway through.

Once you’ve decided on a format, stick with it. If you get to the bottom of the page and find that your information is running onto page two, don’t simply make the font smaller for the second half of your resume. These types of visual inconsistencies can be major red flags, so try your best to find a format that you like, and that will also present all the information cleanly and consistently.