Avoid These Common Mistakes That Cause Recruiters to Say "No"
You know that recruiters spend just seconds reviewing a resume.
When they're trying to narrow down a stack of resumes, it's often the little things that cause them to stop reading and move on to the next applicant.
We review hundreds of resumes and see the same mistakes over and over.
We also work with recruiters to understand what they look for when reviewing applications.
You'll notice that many of the issues we discuss may seem minor at first glance.
Your resume is your first (and potentially only) chance to make the right first impression, though!
While a missing period or small typo may not seem like a big deal in the grand scheme of things, here's what they tell a recruiter:
- You didn't bother to re-read your work before submitting
- You have poor attention to detail
- You're careless
Any error or inconsistency on your resume causes you to lose credibility before you even had a chance to build it up - no matter how small!
Your resume is only one to two pages long.
You have every opportunity to make sure it's absolutely perfect before submitting it.
When your future career is at stake, put in the effort to make sure you get it right.
Assume there will be no “benefit of the doubt” given by time-strapped recruiters who need to review hundreds of applications!
Before you hit submit, run through our top 10 resume mistakes to make sure yours is spot-on:
1) Making typos and grammar errors
Your spelling and grammar need to be correct.
Period.
I always recommend printing out your resume on paper and reading it out loud.
Slowly.
Word-by-word.
When looking at a screen or skimming on paper, it's too easy for your eyes to skip over otherwise easy-to-spot errors.
You simply can’t rely on automatic spell checkers to catch everything!
In fact, they often cause you additional problems.
Double-check for missing or incorrect punctuation and any sentence structure issues as well.
There are clear-cut rules for using commas, for example: 99% of the time, they are not optional!
You shouldn’t simply place a comma where you would naturally pause when speaking and assume it is correct.
2) Using words incorrectly
There are some English words that can be easily confused - even by a native speaker.
The most common mistakes we see in this category include:
- effect vs affect
- principal vs principle
- then vs than
- who's vs whose
- it vs it's
- your vs you’re
- their vs there
We won't go into the granular details here.
If you're concerned that you may be making these mistakes, check out this guide on commonly misused words and phrases from Columbia Law School.
3) Incorporating clichés and buzzwords
Your mother is allowed to refer to you by clichés, but your resume should not!
Try to avoid generic language that adds nothing to building your unique profile in the mind of a recruiter:
- Experienced
- Passionate
- Skilled
- Motivated
- Excellent
- Successful
Simply put, let your experience speak for itself.
Provide concrete examples and evidence of the contributions you can bring to an employer.
If you would feel awkward reading a line of your resume to someone you just met at a networking event, remove it.
We often come across career summaries making generic statements along the lines of:
I'm a successful, driven revenue management professional with over a decade of proven experience driving excellent results for my clients.
We recommend skipping the professional summary altogether.
Instead, just state the facts using a bullet point in the context of your work experience:
- Implemented revenue management strategies based on booking trends to increase year-over-year revenue by 25%
4) Spending too much time on your objectives and skills
Your resume should tell your story.
We have seen very few (if any) objectives, professional summaries, or skills sections at the top of a resume that have provided anything more than generic, overused industry buzzwords.
Might such a strategy help your resume pass ATS scans?
Possibly.
However, naturally integrating these keywords in the context of your work experiences is a much more effective - and believable - way of proving that you are "highly motivated," have "excellent communication skills," and are a "strong team leader."
5) Telling instead of showing
This point is often the distinguishing factor between an average resume and one that truly impresses recruiters and lands an interview.
You need some bullet points to explain what you were doing on a day-to-day basis.
However, make sure that you are also demonstrating what you did using concrete examples instead of generalizations.
For example, compare the following two statements:
- Created Excel model used to analyze company labor costs
- Developed an Excel model used to analyze company labor costs and optimize scheduling, resulting in a 14% reduction in payroll expenses
Both bullet points are addressing the same point, but the second is more effective because it demonstrates the results of creating the model.
It's also more interesting to read!
6) Writing without parallel construction
Parallel construction simply means that all of your phrases should use similar grammatical constructions, which make them easier to read.
All of your bullet points should begin with an action verb, for example.
Parallel:
- Spearheaded...
- Organized...
- Led...
Not parallel:
- In charge of...
- Responsible for...
- Received...
7) Formatting inconsistently
Your formatting needs to be consistent.
All headings and body text should be in the same font and size.
The amount of spacing after each section should be equal.
When designing your resume in Word, we recommend using separate styles for your headings, subheadings, and bullet points to save time and ensure 100% consistency.
8) Writing a book
Candidates often ask us how long their resumes should be.
The irritating answer is: it depends.
If you are a very senior executive or held several back-to-back contract roles in IT, it may be difficult to effectively convey what you accomplished without spilling onto a second page.
In our opinion, even the President of the United States should be able to put together a solid one-page resume.
Remember that the goal of your resume is to:
- Pique the recruiter's interest
- Convince them that you're a suitable candidate for the job
- Get them to invite you for an interview
If it is, a recruiter may simply not read it.
9) Writing in first person
Your entire resume should be written in the third person.
Save first-person writing for your cover letter.
This strategy is generally considered more professional and allows you save precious words, maximizing the limited space you have to make your case.
10) Forgetting to include or update contact information
It should go without saying, but as a bare minimum, your resume needs to include your current email address and phone number.
You would be surprised how many submissions we come across that are missing this information!
About Resume Pilots
Resume Pilots is an award-winning executive resume writing firm and a proud member of the Professional Association of Resume Writers and Career Coaches. Our previous clients include CEOs and senior executives at the world's leading companies.
As a professional services firm, we take your reputation seriously. We are committed to delivering writing excellence and superior service while operating with integrity and discretion. Recruitment firms we partner with also trust us to consistently deliver quality documents for their clients.
Our writers have studied in the Ivy League and other top-tier universities and have strong writing backgrounds coupled with industry experience.
Here's how we can help you:
Resume, Cover Letter, and LinkedIn Writing Services: If you are looking for end-to-end support, hire one of our professional resume writers to rewrite your documents from the ground up.
Executive Resume Template Downloads: If you plan to prepare your own resume, consider using one of our classic, ATS-friendly resume templates for Microsoft Word.
To learn more about our services, book an introductory call with our founder here or email team@resumepilots.com.
About the AuthorMatt Glodz
Matt Glodz is the Founder and Managing Partner of Resume Pilots and a Certified Professional Resume Writer.
After studying business communication at Cornell University, Matt worked within Fortune 500 companies, where he noted that qualified candidates were frequently denied interview opportunities due to poorly written documents.
At Resume Pilots, Matt combines his business and writing background - which includes prior work for a Chicago Tribune publication - to craft resumes that give his clients the best chance of landing interviews. He works with clients ranging from CEOs to recent graduates and has been writing resumes for over 10 years.
He has been quoted on numerous business and career-related topics in outlets including Business Insider, CNBC, Fortune, Glassdoor, The Ladders, and Thrive Global.