15 Common Resume Mistakes (and How to Fix Them)

A resume does not have to be perfect to work, but small mistakes can push a good candidate to the bottom of the pile. Recruiters often look at a resume only briefly, so anything that looks careless or unclear is noticed quickly. Here are fifteen common mistakes and how to fix each.

Content mistakes

1. Typos and grammar errors

Fix: Read the resume aloud, check it with a spell checker, and ask someone else to read it. Pay attention to names of companies and tools.

2. Listing duties instead of achievements

Fix: Say what changed because of your work. “Handled customer calls” becomes “Resolved around 40 customer calls a day and kept satisfaction scores steady.” See our action verbs guide.

3. No numbers or specific results

Fix: Add figures where you truthfully can: how many, how often, how much time or money saved. If you cannot measure it, describe the outcome clearly.

4. One resume for every job

Fix: Adjust your summary, skills and the top bullets to match each posting. It takes ten minutes and makes a visible difference.

5. A weak or generic summary

Fix: Replace phrases like “hard-working team player” with specific skills and a proof point. See our resume summary examples.

6. Including irrelevant information

Fix: Remove old, unrelated jobs, hobbies that do not help, and personal details such as age or marital status unless local custom or the job posting asks for them.

7. Lying or exaggerating

Fix: Stay truthful. Dates, job titles and qualifications are easy to check, and a false claim can cost you an offer later. Present real experience in its best honest light.

Formatting mistakes

8. Too long or too dense

Fix: Aim for one page (two at most for experienced people). Keep bullets to one or two lines, and cut older, less relevant details.

9. Tiny fonts and cramped spacing

Fix: Do not shrink text to squeeze in more. Remove content instead, and keep clear spacing between sections.

10. Inconsistent formatting

Fix: Use the same date style, bullet style and capitalisation throughout. Using a template helps keep things consistent.

11. Fancy designs, graphics and skill bars

Fix: Keep the design simple. Complex layouts and graphics can confuse applicant tracking systems and do not replace strong content. See our ATS-friendly resume guide.

12. Missing keywords from the job posting

Fix: Use the posting’s wording for skills and tools you genuinely have, in your skills section and bullets. Do not hide keywords or stuff them in.

Practical mistakes

13. Unprofessional or wrong contact details

Fix: Use a simple email address based on your name, and double-check your phone number. Make sure any LinkedIn link works and the profile is up to date.

14. Sending the wrong file or a poor file name

Fix: Name the file clearly, such as FirstName_LastName_Resume.pdf, and follow the file type requested. Make sure your PDF contains real text if you are uploading to a job portal (see our guide for the difference between image and text PDFs).

15. Not explaining a gap or a change

Fix: If you took a break, a short, honest line (for example “Career break for family care” or “Full-time study”) is better than leaving readers to guess. Keep it brief and focus on your skills.

Final proofreading checklist

• Read it out loud from start to finish
• Check dates, job titles and spellings of names
• Make sure every bullet starts with a clear verb
• Compare your skills with the job posting
• Open the final file and check that it looks right on screen and when printed

The free resume builder keeps formatting consistent for you, so you can focus on the content. Try the sample data first if you want to see how a finished resume looks.

A before-and-after example

Here is how a few of the fixes above change a real-looking bullet list.

The second version is longer, but every line says what you did and what happened as a result.

How to review your resume in ten minutes

1. Two minutes: look at the whole page. Is it tidy, with clear sections and enough space?
2. Three minutes: compare it with the job posting and adjust your summary and skills.
3. Three minutes: read every bullet aloud and fix weak verbs or vague wording.
4. Two minutes: check contact details, dates and spelling, then save the file with a clear name.