10 Common Resume Mistakes to Avoid (And What to Do Instead 2022)

Writing a resume can be challenging. You are essentially compiling your entire professional life down to a single one page document. And after all the work you put into your resume, it is still too easily overlooked for things that are easily resolved.

So here are the top 10 mistakes that people often make on their resumes, and how you can avoid them:

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1. Grammar, Spelling Errors and Typos

People sometimes spend hours on their resumes. And after a while, you start to see what you want to see.

A resume with these errors tells recruiter about a lack of attention to detail.

So instead of staring at it for hours, have family or friends take a look at it. Using online services like Grammarly could also be valuable.

2. Not Being Specific

Another incredibly common mistake is to include generic information about their previous jobs. Recruiters want to know what you did at your previous job(s), so telling them what you were supposed to do is not exactly helpful.

Talk about specific projects you’ve worked and try your best to highlight their impact.

2. Not Being Specific

Another incredibly common mistake is to include generic information about their previous jobs. Recruiters want to know what you did at your previous job(s), so telling them what you were supposed to do is not exactly helpful.

Talk about specific projects you’ve worked and try your best to highlight their impact.

3. Inflating your skills or accomplishments

I understand the temptation is strong to oversell yourself in the hope that you will meet their expectations. There are two major pitfalls of doing this.

One, recruiters have seen it all before and will be able to see right through it either on the resume itself or during the interview. Two, on the off chance that they do miss it, and you get the job, you could be expected to emulate what you claimed to have done in your previous job.

Overall, it is just a better idea to be honest about your skills and accomplishments.

4. Creating an “All Purpose” Resume

Another temptation is to use the same resume for all the positions you apply for because it’s easier and saves time. The problem with this is that many employers use software to scan resumes for certain keywords that they put in job descriptions. If your resume lacks those, it’s likely it will be sucked into the blackhole resumes go into where there is no return.

The best way to avoid this is read the job description and incorporate some of the words you think might be important into your resume.

5. Not an Appropriate Size

When it comes to the length of a resume, you really have to find the Goldilocks zone for your level.

If you are at an entry level position a one page resume is sufficient, and if you’re at an executive level position, then a two page resume would be more appropriate.

6. Too Much Information

When you’re writing a resume, especially when you’ve been on the workforce for a while, it is understandably difficult to compile all of your experience into one or two pages. But keep in mind that recruiters look at resumes for barely 30 seconds, and if your resume is not visually appealing, it will be discarded.

Try instead to focus on the experience most relevant to the role in question.

7. Focusing on Duties Rather than Impact

Too many resumes focus on the responsibilities of a previous job. Recruiters likely already know what the responsibilities of those jobs are. They want to know what you did, and the impact you made at that job.

Don’t be afraid to show off your accomplishments and the impact you made. That’s what a resume is for, and that is what they’re looking for.

8. No Action Verbs

The lack of action words plays back into the previous point. You end up talking about what you were “responsible for” and trust us, that’s not what they want to hear.

Use strong action verbs in your resume, like resolved, directed, or developed. There are plenty of lists of action verbs online to reference for inspiration.

9. Lack of a Cover Letter

I know you’re thinking that cover letters are often optional, and it’s unlikely that they actually read them anyway. But trust us, recruiters read cover letters more often than you think, and adding one, especially when they are optional will help your application stand out. Besides, a

cover letter will tell a part of your story that your resume won’t be able to, and that can be quite valuable.

10. Not Being Attentive to the Company’s Instructions

Sometimes companies want you to add something specific in your resume, or your application overall and many applicants will overlook it. Be careful about this because also shows that there was some lack of attention to detail.

As a final note, your resume is usually your foot in the door. Using these tips will help you open that door and walk in. We wish you all the best!