With advice from our resume experts, I have compiled a list of 10 resume mistakes to avoid at all costs to make the best resume.
There are lots of blog posts online that talk about what a perfect resume looks like (including one that I wrote here). But wouldn’t it be much easier if you could instead just have a list of things you simply should not do while writing a resume?
On that note, use my two-page, salary-doubling resume cheat sheet as inspiration for creating the ultimate, optimized resume. It breaks down exactly how a marketing manager was able to double the initial offer they received. Get your own copy by submitting your information right here:
Name* Email Address* SubmitBelow are 10 of the most common resume mistakes to avoid:
1. Resume mistakes to avoid – Colorful or “fancy” layout
Some candidates choose a graphics-heavy layout to make their resume stand out from the crowd. Their resumes include illustrations, infographics, and pictorial representations of their skills and strengths.
Although this is some good out-of-the-box thinking, an Applicant Tracking System (ATS) can’t read, summarize, and rank resumes that are heavily formatted. The average ATS is trained on machine learning algorithms and scans documents for specific data (usually text-only).
Simply put, any information outside of what the ATS “knows” how to read does not make it through.
This means keeping your resume formatting to the minimum.
Traditional resume formats, therefore, are your best bet. But that doesn’t mean that your formatting has to be “boring.” You can create a streamlined visual experience and improve your resume presentation by doing the following:
- Create subheadings within each section
- Group similar ideas together
- Break down paragraphs longer than 5 lines
- Adjust white space for consecutive bullets wisely.
You can learn more about ATS compatibility here: 3 Ways to Make Your Resume ATS Compatible.
However, it is important to note that there are some exceptions to this rule. For example, industries like graphic design encourage applicants to showcase their design skills in their resume and/or portfolio.
Our advice would be that you stick to the traditional resume format and provide a link to your online portfolio. This will save you the ATS incompatibility trouble. Additionally, it will also provide the recruiter full access to your work.
2. Resume mistakes to avoid – Adding irrelevant accomplishments
This is one of the most critical yet poorly understood resume mistakes to avoid.
It is commonly believed that the best way to make a strong impression is to stuff your resume full of all your accomplishments.
This is not true!
Your resume should have accomplishments that are relevant to the role that you’re targeting. IF the company doesn’t ask for it? Don’t include it.
Addressing specific employer needs is the key.
If you’re applying for the position of marketing director, do not bring up academic projects based on your experience in scientific research. A hiring manager will look at that accomplishment and wonder, “Why is this important? I don’t see how this connects to this marketing director position.”
Instead, focus solely on your marketing career and managerial role. Consider each accomplishment carefully. Study the job listing to understand what skills the company wants from a marketing director. Cut out irrelevant accomplishments. Maintaining a laser focus on what the employer wants increases your odds of success.
And if you’re switching careers, look for transferable skills in your professional experience and relate them to target jobs.
3. Mistaking everyday duties with accomplishments
This is another one of the less understood resume mistakes to avoid.
Let me walk you through an example. Say, you’ve been working as a Property Manager at a self-storage company for the past 5 years. Now you’re aiming for a director-level role in the same industry.
In your resume, you have shared day-to-day responsibilities for this experience like so:
- Ensured high-end property maintenance
- Brought potential customers on-board
- Oversaw storage facility operations
The average hiring manager will look at that and think, “This is what any project manager would do… This person isn’t special if they’re sharing their responsibilities. I don’t know what value they bring to the table.”
Adding what you achieved in a role that sets you apart from the competition.
Consider the previous example but now your resume looks like this:
- Sold 15+ units/month by aggressively promoting vacant properties through open house events and social media campaigns; built and executed advertising campaigns on Twitter and Facebook.
- Built a safe environment through consistent follow-up and prompt conflict resolution. Met tenant safety needs through 24/7 surveillance; prevented burglary and property invasion.
Now you’re presenting a clearer picture of what you did as Property Manager. Given proof of required skills shows hiring managers what you’re capable of.
If you’re struggling with identifying accomplishments, think about the problems you identified and solved. What quantified results did you achieve? How was the before-and-after situation? What challenges did you face?
This way you’ll be able to identify accomplishments that will help recruiters see the unique value you’re bringing to the table. If you’re wondering “I don’t have any accomplishments. What do I do?” Fear not. I wrote this blog to help you create powerful resume accomplishments.
4. Resume mistakes to avoid – Bad-mouthing previous employers
All jobs involve challenging circumstances and problems that are difficult to explain. Resume mistakes to avoid include refraining from bad-mouthing previous employers. As a job seeker, you have to be very careful in how you share those situations in the resume. One misstep and you may come across as an unprofessional individual who doesn’t respect their peers or leaders! No one wants to create such an image.
You have to use emotional intelligence, diplomacy, and tact while referring to sensitive situations in your resume. You do not want to trash talk any old company or the employees there.
Consider the following examples:
Example 1: Lifted sales department suffering from weak and chaotic leadership by replacing underperforming management staff; achieved #1 position in the district.
A hiring manager will not want to work with the person who has written the above statement because it is incredibly critical of the managers and their performance. The manager might even feel in danger of losing their job.
Rather than showing themselves as a problem solver, the candidate winds up looking like someone who does not respect management.
Example 2: Lifted sales department to #1 in the district by training floor team on sales and customer management best practices. Rightsized teams; built a culture of performance-based appraisals.
The above bullet focuses on positive actions taken by the candidate and does not bad mouth anyone involved. It presents a strong and highly professional image of the candidate.
For any sensitive situation, focus on the actions taken. Re-read your accomplishments with a critical eye; can any bullet be misread as “trash talking” any stakeholder?
5. Overcomplicating things
Lengthy sentences with multiple clauses and overlapping details frustrate the reader. For a recruiter skimming through applications at the rate of 7.4 seconds per resume, these maze-like sentences are extremely off-putting. “What is this person trying to say? I don’t get it.”
Recruiters won’t be impressed by too many details; they feel frustrated and confused.
Good resumes keep things simple. Each bullet has a singular theme. Each sentence is complete but also coherent; every piece of information serves a point. Similar ideas are grouped together. Context is provided for pertinent information before a new point is introduced.
One point at a time; keep it simple.
This is the mantra you want to repeat in your head.
6. Grammatical errors
Careless mistakes like confusing “there” with “their” on your resume may cost you a fantastic job opportunity. From run-on sentences to incorrect contractions and prepositions, every single error has the potential to get your resume tossed.
Owing to its importance, we keep referring back to ATS-compatibility. There is no way a resume laden with incorrect grammar usage will be able to beat ATS.
Here is a list of few common grammatical errors you should check for every time:
- A missing comma in a compound sentence.
- Incorrect apostrophe usage.
- Using homophones interchangeably.
- Comma splice.
- A missing Oxford comma in a list of more than three items.
7. Going for a one-size-fits-all approach
Many applicants want to target multiple jobs in the same industry. And to hit this target, they’ll create a “one-size-fits-all” resume that is super generic.
This is the single biggest mistake you can make in your job search.
Every guide to resume writing advocates addressing specific employer requirements. This means that you have to include the skills and accomplishments that your target company is looking for. You cannot convince an employer that you’re the best person for the job when your resume doesn’t show the skills that the company wants.
Many companies may have the same job position open but because each company’s culture, goals, and methodologies are different, the job requirements will differ as well.
The first step while writing a resume is to look for commonalities between the job description and your previous experiences. Tailor your resume as per the job listings. Cut out bullets that aren’t showing off the needed skills. Adjust and change your keywords to match the target company’s language.
Keeping your resume vague to suit all jobs only limits your chances of success. Visit Job-Seeker’s Holy Grail: a focused job search to learn how to choose the job that suits you the most.
8. Missing out on keywords
By now, we hope you understand why it’s important to keep your resume highly job-specific. If you’re wondering “How can I do that?” your answer lies in keywords. If the employer is looking for a PMP certified Project Manager and you have that certification? Adding “PMP” after your name in the resume will immediately catch the recruiter’s eye.
Similarly, skim through the job description and extract a list of keywords. Don’t just focus on hard keywords like software, methodologies, and tools. Look for soft skills as well, like innovative strategy building, team management, leadership, and communication skills.
Studying the job listing increases your understanding of what the job demands. You can then revisit your resume to see how much the keywords, skill section, and accomplishments align with the company’s needs. Incorporate those keywords into your resume bullets and skills section.
However, don’t overdo it.
Make sure you’re fully confident about the keywords you’re adding in. Don’t add them only for the sake of beating ATS. For instance, if you’re adding “Agile Project Management,” make sure you have an accomplishment to back that up.
Otherwise, you may end up beating ATS, but you will fail in the interview.
Lastly, don’t try to dodge ATS by inserting relevant keywords as white text.
You may have seen this “hack” already but it does not work. The ATS will read and transform that white text into regular black text. You might pass the ATS but a human reader will fail you immediately.
9. Missing basic information
This is one of the silly resume mistakes to avoid. You will be surprised how many people forget to include important information, like their contact details, in their resume. If you’re missing keywords, it reduces your chances of success. However, if you’re missing the contact details then how will a recruiter get back to you?
Before sending your resume, make sure your contact information is within the body of the resume. Do not include it in the header or footer. Many ATS do not pick up information from those sections.
10. Lying on the resume
The last one on our list of resume mistakes to avoid is lying on your resume.
Falsifying and fabricating information on your resume can have a long-lasting impact on your future. At best you ruin your reputation. At worse you might be blacklisted in your industry.
It’s extremely hard, if not impossible, to justify why you got fired if the reason involves dishonesty.
On top of that, your chances of getting caught are extremely high as CareerBuilder Survey suggests that 75% of HR managers were able to identify lying applicants.
Always tell the truth. If you’re not sure how to “spin” a bad situation into a positive? Consider hiring professional help to disguise or emphasize problem points. Looking for services that guarantee a resume with no such mistakes? Head over to our website to book your order now.
Are there any other critical mistakes you can make on your resume? Share your thoughts in the comment section below.
If you’re looking for more help optimizing your resume, check out these links:
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