12 Worst Resume Mistakes You Could Ever Make
Resume Mansion
We write job-winning resumes, cover letters, and LinkedIn profiles, for all job seekers, from entry-level to C-suite.
As a professional resume writing service, we get to see hundreds of resumes a month. While almost every resume has a few minor errors, sometimes we come across resumes that carry major errors that have put the owners’ careers at a standstill.
Writing the perfect resume is no easy task, even for the most word-savvy people. Many candidates struggle with their resume writing process because they have no idea of what not to do. They attempt to write their own resumes and keep sending those out with no success on the job hunt.
If you have been getting rejected from all your job applications for a few months, it is time to review your resume for mistakes. Through the years, we have identified the following as the worst resume mistakes a candidate could ever make:
1.Bad grammar and typing
This is the most obvious resume mistake in the world. But you’d be surprised about the number of typos the average resume contains. Having grammatical errors and typing mistakes on your resume is the easiest way to put off an interested employer. They will relate the lack of proofreading as a sign of your carelessness.
Pro tip: When you think you’ve found and corrected all the errors in your resume, print it out and recheck for errors. You are bound to see errors more clearly when writing is in print.
2.Not being specific enough
Your resume has to be all about you. It has to sell your best qualities to a hiring manager and almost force them to hire you for your talents. But, if you use vague statements in your resume without the specifics, you lose one more chance at making the recruiter see the real “you” through the resume.
“Led the company sales team” does not sound as impressive as “Led a team of 15 sales professionals to exceed annual sales targets by 50%”
3.Not tailoring your resume
A generic resume may have scored high when you were doing it for an assignment in the third semester of your college degree. In the real job market, a generic resume will buy you zero opportunities. If you want a job application to win, you must tailor your resume for the job.
4.Unattractive layout
A black and white resume with zero design elements isn’t likely to wow anyone. Use color sparingly but employ the use of at least two different fonts to add to the attractiveness. Don’t make your resume a boring read.
5.Listing a laundry list of job duties
Hiring managers already know the job descriptions and job duties of a particular job in the field. You don’t want to add 5 boring job duties under your previous job titles to impress the recruiter. No one stands out by stating things expected of a job title. If you want your resume to have a fighting chance in the competition, you must replace those job duties with 5 achievements.
Pro tip: Use the formula “Skill + Result + Context” when writing your accomplishments in the work experience section. Use plenty of action verbs and lead with percentages.
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6.Too much rambling
Your resume should not contain 3 paragraphs about what you did at the last job you had. Confident, concise writing has the ability to make the biggest impact on a reader when it comes to resumes. If you were a hiring manager, would you want to read a 5-page resume? No one wants that. So prune off every unnecessary and redundant detail from your resume
7.Lack of white space
White space is important for a resume. No one wants to read a resume where everything is cramped together with barely a few millimeters between resume sections. Use formatting tricks wisely to display your talents concisely. Leave enough white space to make your resume easy on the human eye.
8.Cutting the resume too short
True, one-page resumes are great to look at. But you don’t want to skip 10 years of industrial excellence just so you can stick everything on just one page of your resume. Your resume can extend to two or three pages based on your experience. Most hiring managers prefer two-age resumes that give all the right information to one-page resumes which barely skim the surface.
9.Weak resume summary
A sloppy summary statement that goes neither here nor there is the best way to get your resume tossed in the trash. The resume summary is the first thing a hiring manager reads. You don’t want to bore them to death by repeating clichéd lines here. Write a strong, powerful summary statement in 2 to 4 sentences to win the attention of the recruiter.
10.Typos in the contact information
Remember, if you misspell even one letter of your email address or one digit of your telephone number, you will never hear from an employer. Always be sure to triple-check your contact details before sending out your resume.
11.Bullet points don’t contain action verbs
Action verbs are the new trend in resume writing to help your achievements get noticed better. They show your involvement in the process and your contribution to the previous company. Action verbs are also an easy way to add a unique touch to your resume. Go for words that really carry weight behind them when you draft your bullet points in the work history section.
12.Not enough soft skills
Soft skills alone would impress no recruiter. But if you don’t add enough soft skills alongside your hard skills, you may come off as a bad addition to a team. After all, no one wants to hire an IT whizz if they have no teamwork skills. Use a perfect blend of soft skills and technical skills to show the recruiter what you bring to the team.