Something I cannot shake lately is how different outcomes are even when I apply with almost the same resume.
Same experience, same roles I qualify for, but one application gets attention while another just disappears.
It makes me question whether ATS systems are doing more filtering than people realize and whether small keyword differences decide everything before a recruiter even opens the file.
I have tried changing formatting, rewriting sections, and adjusting wording to match job descriptions but the results still feel inconsistent.
At this point I am not sure if I should be focusing more on writing for ATS systems or writing for humans first.
What has actually worked for people who finally started getting consistent callbacks