Top 10 Resume Mistakes and How to Fix Them

1. Vague summaries

Problem: Generic statements like “Hard-working professional seeking opportunity.”

Fix: Write a targeted summary with role, impact, and key strengths.

Example: “Product designer with 5+ years in B2B SaaS, improving onboarding funnels (+22% activation) through research-driven UI.”

2. Duties instead of impact

Problem: Listing tasks without outcomes.

Fix: Use accomplishment bullets with metrics: action + result + method.

Template: “Increased X by Y% by doing Z.”

3. Wall-of-text sections

Problem: Dense paragraphs that are hard to skim.

Fix: Use 3–5 concise bullets per role. Bold lead-in keywords sparingly.

4. Unclear job titles

Problem: Creative or internal titles confuse ATS.

Fix: Use market-recognized titles, optionally include internal title in parentheses.

5. Missing keywords

Problem: ATS filters out resumes lacking role-specific keywords.

Fix: Mirror keywords from the job description, naturally and contextually.

6. Weak formatting

Problem: Inconsistent fonts, spacing, and alignment.

Fix: Use a clean, consistent layout with accessible font sizes (≥ 12–11pt equivalent).

7. Overlong resumes

Problem: Two+ pages for early-career roles.

Fix: Prioritize recent, relevant experience. Trim older roles and redundancy.

8. Irrelevant skills

Problem: Laundry lists of tools dilute focus.

Fix: Showcase skills tied to outcomes and the target role.

9. Missing context

Problem: No scale or scope.

Fix: Add size, audience, revenue impact, or usage metrics for credibility.

10. Typos and inconsistencies

Problem: Misspellings, tense shifts, inconsistent dates.

Fix: Proofread, use consistent tense (past for completed roles), and standard date formats.