The 10 Worst Resume Mistakes and How to Fix Them

The resume is an important and sometimes overlooked aspect of the job search process. On average, a recruiter skims a resume for 5-7 seconds before making a decision to reject or move a candidate on to the next step of the hiring process. Having a resume that clearly tells your story is vital if you want to land your dream job. However, be careful that you aren’t immediately disqualifying yourself from the job by falling for one of these mistakes.

Mistake #1: Having a resume longer than one page

Recruiters often spend no more than 5-7 seconds skimming your resume; therefore, having a resume longer than 1 page will instantly disqualify you. The only exception is if you have at least 10 years of relevant experience and are applying to a high-level management position.

How to fix: Cut out the fluff!

Your resume should not be used as a collection of tasks that you did at your prior jobs. The resume’s main purpose is to craft your narrative and highlight to the recruiter who you are and what you can offer. When the reader is done with your resume, you want them to think, “This is the ____ who can help us ____.” Example: “This is the excel wizard who can help us automate our business processes.” The narrative you embody on your resume must match what the hiring manager is looking for. Use the job posting to figure out what your narrative needs to be. You should not include any information that does not fit that narrative even if it sounds impressive. Doing this will help you get your resume down to one page.

Mistake #2: Having typos or grammatical errors

Your resume will be immediately rejected if it has any typos or grammatical errors on it. Professional business writing is a critical skill that employers are demanding. Having any mistakes on your resume shows that you are not ready to work in a professional business workplace.

How to fix: Proofread! Proofread! Proofread again!

You need to proofread your resume multiple times to check for any mistakes. Once you’re done proofreading it, have a friend or family member look it over. If you want to be extra cautious, hire someone on Fiverr to look it over to. Bottomline is that you should never submit a resume with a typo or grammatical mistake on it. Recruiters will easily spot it a mile away. Don’t let them throw your resume in the reject pile for something silly.

Mistake #3: Using a graphic design resume for a non-design job

These are the typical infographic style resumes that contain lots of colors and charts. While they do look great, they are not to be used unless you are applying to a creative job such as a graphic designer or an art director.

How to fix: Use the standard (boring) format

There is no need to get fancy with the design of your resume. The standard black text and white background formatting is what recruiters are looking for.

Mistake #4: Using poor formatting

In order for recruiters to skim your resume effectively, there needs to be a good flow between each section that you want to highlight. Having long paragraphs will cause a recruiter to skip right over all the information you are trying to highlight.

How to fix: Proper use of whitespace and bullets

Make sure you are using bullet points and not long text paragraphs. This make it much easier for the recruiter to read.

Mistake #5: Using generic jargon or buzzwords

Make sure every word on your resume means something and is not just fluff to fill up the page. Sometimes having less on the page is better because recruiters can get a better picture of your experience quicker. Examples…synergy, teamwork, responsible for. These words really don’t mean anything.

How to fix: Make every word earn its place on your resume

Similar to mistake #1, you want to cut out any fluff. If this information doesn’t help form your narrative, then cut it out.

Mistake #6: Having a lack of keywords related to the job

With the addition of automation tools, recruiters actually don’t see most of the resumes that are uploaded to the system. If the system doesn’t see enough keywords on your resume that match the job posting, then it will be automatically rejected.

How to fix: Use a word cloud generator to determine common keywords from job posting

You want to make sure your resume matches the words the hiring manager used in the job posting. Use a word cloud generator (wordclouds.com) that will highlight the most common words from the job posting. Doing this will also help you determine your narrative as discussed previously.

Mistake #7: Having an unprofessional email address

Sk8rboi1337@hotmail.com isn’t going to fly anymore. Don’t set a bad first impression because you are using the same email from when you were in middle school.

How to fix: Create a new email

You need to create a professional looking email that mostly contains your name and maybe a few numbers if needed. first.middle.last@email.com is a good structure to use. Check the various email hosting sites (Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo, etc.) to see if your name is available.

Mistake #8: Including a photo with your resume

Attaching your photo with your resume is a bad idea. In today’s world, people are very biased and make assumptions about what type of person you are by looking at your pictures.

How to fix: Ditch the photo

There is no reason why you would need to include your photo with your resume, so don’t do it. This also brings up another point. Make sure your photos on your social media accounts look respectable. Employers do search social media accounts to look for any bad behavior.

Mistake #9: Using a one-size-fits-all approach

Resumes need to be tailored to each position you are applying to. Using a generic resume for the application means that you are going to be just like all the other applicants – ignored.

How to fix: Customize your resume for each job you apply to

Every hiring manager is looking for a specific set of skills. Take the extra time and craft a resume that is tailored to the exact position. Your narrative must match what the hiring manager is looking for or else you’ll be rejected.

Mistake #10: Using an objective statement instead of a professional summary

Objective statements are a thing of the past. If you write that you are looking for a job on your resume, then you can be guaranteed that it will be thrown in the trash.

Example: Looking for a sales job to utilize my experience I have gained in the tech industry.

How to fix: Craft an effective professional summary

Generally, this can be up to three bullet points that are positioned at the very top of your resume, under your contact information. Your professional summary should represent your narrative that you want to convey to the reader, which matches the job posting. After reading your summary, the reader should be able to get a good picture of who you are and what you can do – without having to read the rest of your resume.