Recruiters of Reddit — what actually makes you stop scrolling and read a resume?

I've sent out 200+ applications in the last 3 months. Tailored resumes, keywords, the whole ATS song and dance. Got maybe 4 callbacks.

Meanwhile my buddy slapped together a one-pager in Google Docs, no fancy formatting, and landed 3 interviews in two weeks. Same industry, similar experience.

So what's the actual secret? Is it referrals? Timing? Some formatting trick nobody talks about? Or is it all just luck at this point?

Genuinely curious what's working for people in 2026 because whatever I'm doing clearly isn't it.

reddit.com
u/CloudberryCrystal — 4 days ago