You have just 7.4 seconds to grab a hiring manager’s attention with your resume. Although that’s an increase from the average of 6 seconds Ladders, Inc. found in 2012, it’s still a minuscule amount of time. In addition to making a great first impression, you need the hiring manager to stay interested until the end. Plus, you need to ensure your resume reaches a human at all, which means first ensuring the bots accept it.
There’s an abundance of advice about what to do to pass the artificial intelligence test for resumes as well as resume best practices to ensure you include all the right things to be in line with current resume trends. However, it’s equally important to know what you shouldn’t do on your resume.
What Hiring Managers Really Want to See
Hiring managers often sift through dozens (if not hundreds) of resumes for a single position. What makes a candidate stand out? Here’s what they’re really looking for:
A Clear and Professional Layout: Resumes should be easy to scan quickly. Use bullet points, consistent formatting, and plenty of white space to avoid overwhelming the reader.
Tailored Content: Generic resumes don’t cut it. Hiring managers want to see that you’ve taken the time to tailor your resume to the specific job. Highlight relevant skills, accomplishments, and keywords from the job description.
Quantifiable Achievements: Numbers make an impact. Instead of saying you “improved team efficiency,” specify that you “increased team productivity by 20% within six months.” Metrics show tangible results and demonstrate your value.
A Strong Opening Summary: The top section of your resume is prime real estate. Use it to deliver a concise summary of your qualifications, tailored to the role. Skip generic phrases and focus on what makes you uniquely qualified.
Professional Contact Information
Ensure your email address is professional (e.g., [email protected]), include only one phone number, and link to relevant profiles, such as LinkedIn or a portfolio website.
Common Resume Myths Debunked
When it comes to crafting a resume, misinformation can lead to missed opportunities. Let’s separate fact from fiction by addressing some of the most common myths that job seekers often fall for:
Myth 1: Your Resume Should Be One Page, No Matter What
While brevity is crucial, this rule isn’t set in stone. If you’re an entry-level candidate, one page is usually sufficient. However, seasoned professionals with extensive experience may benefit from a two-page resume to fully showcase their accomplishments—just ensure every word adds value.
Myth 2: Creative Resumes Always Make You Stand Out
A flashy, graphic-heavy resume can backfire, especially when applying to companies that rely on Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS). These systems may struggle to read non-standard formats, causing your application to be rejected before a human sees it. Unless you’re in a creative field, prioritize readability and simplicity.
Myth 3: The More Keywords, the Better
While it’s essential to use keywords from the job description, overloading your resume with them can make it sound robotic and unnatural.
Balance is key: integrate keywords seamlessly while keeping the tone professional and engaging.
Myth 4: You Need to Include Every Job You’ve Had
Hiring managers don’t need your complete employment history. Focus on roles relevant to the position you’re applying for, emphasizing skills and achievements that align with the job description.
The Biggest Resume Mistakes to Avoid
The following are the top mistakes you need to avoid to prevent a hiring manager from throwing out your resume and ensuring you make it to the interview stage.
1. Including Irrelevant Information
If your resume is more than one or two pages long, you’re definitely including too much information. You may feel like you need to write as much as possible to highlight all the skills and knowledge you have that could be relevant to the job. However, packing too much into your resume will detract attention from the most important details — and bore hiring managers who need to assess countless more resumes.
Most people should be able to fit all the relevant information on a single page. The exception is if you’ve been working in your field for many years and it will be beneficial for hiring managers to have an in-depth understanding of your background, accomplishments, and experience. If your resume is currently too long, think about what information you should cut. For instance, if you’ve already graduated from college or a technical school, you don’t need to include high school. Furthermore, whereas it’s true that hobbies will show you’re a well-rounded person, you should keep information about your interests to a minimum, adding just any that are relevant to the position.
2. Sending the Same Resume to Multiple Companies
One reason your resume may be too long is that you’re including skills that are relevant to different positions. This is likely to happen if you’re reusing the same resume every time you apply for a job. The solution is to tailor your resume to every position you apply for. This will likely mean you need to change the skills you include, mention different work and volunteer experience, and switch up your keywords ( incorporating words that appeared in the job description) every time you submit your resume.
3. Mentioning References
Another thing that will take up unnecessary space is references. Since the employer should request references later in the recruitment process than during the application phase, they shouldn’t be on your resume. Furthermore, you shouldn’t include the phrase “references available upon request.” Hiring managers already know this because it’s true for every job applicant, meaning you don’t need to specify it.
4. Listing an Unprofessional Email Address
If you’ve only just graduated, there’s a good chance you’ll still be using an email address you created when you were younger — which may not be the most professional. Now’s the time to create a new email address that you wouldn’t be embarrassed to have on a business card. It’s ideal to use your full name or initial and last name with a professional domain.
5. Providing Unnecessary Contact Information
The only other piece of contact information you need on your resume is your phone number. Limit this to just one number (even if you have a couple). This will reduce the risk you miss an important call or message from a hiring manager.
Many years ago, applicants would also include a street address, but today this looks outdated, poses a security risk, and is irrelevant for remote jobs or when you’re willing to relocate. Plus, you should only include URLs to your social media profiles if they’re related to your job. Typically, this will just be LinkedIn, but perhaps also GitHub if you need a portfolio.
6. Including the Wrong Contact Information
Double-check all your contact information is correct before sending your resume. If you’ve ever had a different phone number or email, you may have put that on a previous version of your resume that you’ve updated.
7. Providing Inaccurate Names
Make sure you’ve listed the educational institutions and companies you’ve worked for using their official names. For instance, you may know your university by one thing, but its official name may be slightly different. It’s crucial to include the correct full name and perhaps the abbreviation — this will ensure the hiring manager (as well as the bot that assesses your resume first) recognizes the school or company.
The same goes for your own name. Your resume should feature your full legal name, even if everyone in your life calls you by a nickname. An exception is if you go by your middle rather than first name, in which case you can put just your first initial.
8. Writing a Generic Objective
Make your objective short, to the point, and unique to you. This is not somewhere you want to waste words with a big lead in or write something that is obvious based on your education or past positions. Instead, summarize why you’d be the perfect fit for the job due to your experience, qualifications, and goals.
Your objective is something you need to change significantly for every position you apply for. Make sure it’s made up of actual facts about yourself rather than jargon or buzzwords that anyone could use to describe themselves. Otherwise, it will be hard for hiring managers to see what makes you unique — and it may sound like you’re exaggerating.
9. Talking Too Broadly
Employers want to know exactly what you’ve achieved and what skills you’ve acquired. Avoid stating the obvious when talking about past positions — such as writing broadly about duties and responsibilities that are obvious from the job title. Instead, highlight specifics, such as:
- Projects you’ve worked on
- Accomplishments you’re proud of
- Tools you’ve used that are likely to be useful for your next job
Whenever possible, cite statistics — such as an increase in leads or sales or high client satisfaction rates (use percentages rather than actual numbers to give context). If statistics are not possible, use some other form of evidence to back up your claims.
10. Having Minimal Whitespace
A block of text is always imposing. Even though adding whitespace will mean you’re more limited in what you’re able to write, it’s important to include enough whitespace on your resume to ensure it’s easy to read. Using bullet points is great for getting your point across quickly and making the resume readable — it’s unnecessary to use any full sentences.
11. Using a Template Without Making It Your Own
Taking advantage of a template is a great way to ensure you have a readable layout, choose appropriate font sizes and margins, and bold the key information. However, if you use a popular template, your resume will look the same as many other applicants’.
A simple solution is to make slight changes to the template to give it a unique feel. For instance, you could add color, change the font, or switch the order of the sections. This will also be a good opportunity to create a resume that’s a better fit for the type of jobs you’re applying for. Just don’t go overboard by adding unnecessary design elements, changing the fonts to anything too fancy, and using many colors.
12. Striking the Wrong Tone
The right tone is crucial for your resume. This is something that non-native speakers, in particular, often struggle with. Whatever field you work in, you should use formal language (even if you interact with others quite informally). However, you need to avoid being too technical. Whereas this is useful for demonstrating your understanding to an extent, you need to remember that hiring managers that don’t have specialist knowledge. Similarly, you don’t use long words to sound impressive — in the best case scenario, you may sound arrogant; in the worst case scenario, you may use a word incorrectly.
Furthermore, it’s important to make it clear that you are the one who has the experience, possesses the skills, and made the achievements you’re mentioning on your resume. Using passive language distances you from these things. For example, instead of saying something was achieved, say what you did. Consider the difference between saying “customer retention improved” vs “improved customer retention.”
As you can see from this example, you don’t need to start sentences with “I” — just jump right in with a verb. In fact, you don’t need to use any first person pronouns anywhere on your resume because this is implied.
13. Adding Personal Information
Employers are not allowed to use certain personal information to make a decision about who to hire, to ensure their choice is nondiscriminatory. If you include such information on your resume and the employer chooses to hire you, the company puts itself at the risk of a lawsuit.
Such information includes:
- Gender
- Race or ethnicity
- Age
- Marital status
- Disability
- Religion
- Sexual orientation
- Country of origin
- Political leanings
As well as keeping such information out of the written details, this means you shouldn’t include a photo in your resume (unless the position requires a headshot).
Also be aware that you shouldn’t provide prospective employers with your Social Security number — most companies will only ask for this during the onboarding process, after you’ve accepted a formal offer.
14. Stretching the Truth
Stating untruths (including half-truths or misleading information) on your resume is a bad idea. It may help you get an interview or even land a job — but the truth is likely to come out eventually, which may lead to a dismissal or hurt your career in the long run. Be honest about what skills and qualifications you possess now and don’t include any you expect to acquire soon but haven’t yet.
15. Being Negative About Past Work Experience
Keep your resume positive. All jobs have their negative sides (some more than others), but you’ll have definitely gained something positive from every experience. Focus on these, including how you overcame the challenges.
16. Including Salary Details
Your resume shouldn’t contain any details related to salary — not your salary expectations for your new job nor your previous salaries. A hiring manager may ask you about pay requirements during the interview, but employers are often not allowed to ask you how much you used to learn (this depends on the location). Avoid creating legal trouble for the employer and put yourself in a good position to negotiate a salary by leaving anything related to pay off your resume.
17. Providing Contact Information for Your Current Job
If you’re applying for a job because you want to move on from your current position, the last thing you want your current employer to know is that you’re actively job searching, as this could cause tension or (illegal) retribution). Most hiring managers are aware of this possibility and won’t reach out to past or current employers without asking you first. However, there’s always the potential for accidents to happen if you provide contact information for your employer. To avoid this, keep your work email and company phone number off your resume.
18. Going Overboard with Soft Skills
Soft skills are critical for all positions, but listing absolutely all those you possess is a waste of space and will tell employers nothing interesting about you. Choose a few that are the most relevant to the position and that you’ve most refined, giving examples to back up your claims.
19. Listing Your Complete Employment History
If you’re relatively new to the workforce, you may need to include all your past jobs to give plenty of examples of your skills. However, once you’ve held a few positions, your older employment becomes less relevant — particularly if you had part-time jobs as a student or have moved into a different career. Just choose employment that is most relevant to the position you’re applying for. This may mean you have gaps, but it shouldn’t be an issue. The hiring manager is likely to ask about any gaps in the interview, which will give you a chance to provide more detail.
20. Mentioning a Low GPA
If you had anything less than an excellent GPA, there’s no need to specify it on your resume. Since it’s not a requirement, it’s only worth including if it will help (not hurt) your chances of landing a job.
21. Talking About Your Expectations for a Job
Your resume should just be about why you’re qualified for a job, not be a place where you talk about what you want from an employer. Discovering if a position is right for you is part of the interview process.
22. Adding Obvious Information
There may be some skills that are a requirement for a position but that it’s obvious you must possess due your experience and education, such as using Microsoft Office or performing online searches. Save space by talking about specific skills and knowledge you have, such as programming languages, analytical tools, or CRMs.
23. Failing to Proofread
No one enjoys writing resumes, but you do need to put in some time to make sure yours is perfect. Never expect your first draft to be free from mistakes. Any errors will make you come across as careless, leading the employer to think you’ll have a similar attitude to your work.
Proofread your resume several times to make completely sure there are no grammatical or spelling errors or typos — then ask someone to double-check. Someone else may notice things you’ve missed, such as incorrect apostrophe usage or mixing up words like “there” and “their.”
24. Naming the File Inappropriately
Don’t ruin all the hard work you’ve put in to make an excellent resume by naming your file something inappropriate — the hiring manager may end up deleting it without even opening the file. Ideal is your first name and last name followed by “resume,” although you may also like to include the job title.
25. Creating the Wrong File Type
Lastly, make sure you save your resume as an appropriate file type. The best is usually a PDF because the formatting will stay the same no matter what the hiring manager uses to open it. However, some companies may request a Word file, meaning you should have a copy ready in this format, too. Your resume should never be a JPEG or PNG because this could mean the applicant tracking software is unable to work properly. Any other type is also unadvisable because the hiring manager may be unable to open it.
Practical Steps to Perfect Your Resume
Now that you know what to avoid and what hiring managers look for, here are actionable steps to craft a resume that’s polished, professional, and attention-grabbing:
Start with a Strong Foundation
Use a clean, simple template with clear headers, consistent fonts, and logical sections. Keep the design visually appealing but minimal.
Customize for Each Job
Carefully review the job description and align your skills and experiences to match the employer’s needs. Personalization is key.
Use Action Verbs
Begin bullet points with strong action verbs like “developed,” “managed,” or “streamlined” to convey a sense of initiative and accomplishment.
Proofread Thoroughly
Typos or grammatical errors can leave a poor impression. Use spell check, read your resume aloud, and ask a friend or mentor to review it as well.
Focus on Results, Not Duties
When describing past roles, emphasize outcomes rather than responsibilities. For example, instead of saying “responsible for training new employees,” write “trained 15 new employees, reducing onboarding time by 30%.”
Incorporate Keywords Thoughtfully
Ensure your resume is ATS-friendly by including relevant keywords from the job posting. Avoid overstuffing and keep the language natural.
Maintain Consistent Formatting
Double-check that fonts, font sizes, and spacing are consistent throughout your resume. Consistency shows attention to detail.
Save as a PDF
Unless instructed otherwise, save your resume as a PDF to preserve formatting and ensure it looks the same on any device.
Your Resume, Your Career: Get It Right
By implementing these tips and strategies, you’ll create a resume that not only avoids common mistakes but also stands out to both ATS systems and hiring managers alike. Remember, your resume is often your first impression—make it count!
Stop sending your resume to hiring managers who never reply, and take control of your career. Join the team at Remote People to start working with businesses from all around the world as a remote person. Reach out to us to learn more.
Author: Susan Snipes
Susan is an experienced, certified HR and compliance professional who provides HR and compliance strategies to companies with global and US-based teams.
