12 Resume Mistakes That Cost You the Job

Most resume mistakes aren't dramatic. They're small, quiet errors that recruiters spot in under 10 seconds — and cause your application to land in the "no" pile before anyone reads it. Here are the 12 most common ones and exactly how to fix each.

Mistake #1: Typos and grammar errors

This is the #1 resume killer and also the most preventable. 58% of recruiters say they'd immediately reject a resume with a typo. Fifty-eight percent. For a single typo.

Why? Because your resume is supposed to be the most polished thing you send. If you can't proofread your own resume, how careful will you be with client emails? That's the logic — fair or not, it's the reality.

How to fix it

• Run a spell checker (Grammarly, LanguageTool, Google Docs — all free).
• Read it out loud. Your brain catches missing words you otherwise skim over.
• Read it backwards, sentence by sentence. This isolates each line from context so typos jump out.
• Get a friend to read it. Second eyes catch what first eyes miss.
• Wait 24 hours, then re-read. Time away from the document helps you see it fresh.

Mistake #2: Writing job descriptions instead of achievements

This is the most common mistake on professional resumes, and it's the biggest reason resumes feel "flat." Compare these two bullets:

Job description (weak)

"Responsible for managing social media accounts and creating content for the brand."

Achievement (strong)

"Grew Instagram following from 8k to 42k in 9 months by launching a weekly reel series; reels drove 38% of new followers."

See the difference? The first describes a job title. The second describes an impact. Recruiters know what a social media manager does. They want to know what you did that was better than average.

How to fix it

For every bullet point, ask yourself: "If I took my name off this resume, could a reader tell me apart from any other person who had this title?" If no, rewrite it with a specific action and a specific result.

If you're stuck because you don't think you have numbers, read: How to Quantify Achievements When You Don't Have Numbers.

Mistake #3: Starting bullets with "Responsible for..."

"Responsible for" is the flabbiest phrase in the English language. It's passive, generic, and tells the reader nothing. Cut it. Every time you see it on your resume, replace it with an action verb.

Before

"Responsible for onboarding new hires."

After

"Built and delivered a 3-week onboarding program for 40+ new hires per year, cutting ramp-up time from 8 weeks to 4."

Need verbs? Here you go: 185 Resume Action Verbs.

Mistake #4: Making your resume too long

If you have fewer than 10 years of experience, your resume should be one page. If you have 10+ years, two pages is acceptable — but only if every bullet adds value. Three-page resumes should be reserved for senior executives and academic CVs.

How to fix it

Cut anything that isn't directly relevant to the job you're applying for. Old jobs from 15+ years ago? Summarize into a single "Earlier Experience" line. Irrelevant side projects? Cut. Too many bullets per job? Keep the 3 strongest.

More: How Long Should a Resume Be? The Honest Answer.

Mistake #5: Using an "Objective" section

"Seeking a challenging role in a dynamic company where I can leverage my skills and grow professionally."

Nobody cares what you're seeking. Recruiters want to know what you bring. Replace your Objective section with a Professional Summary — 2 to 4 sentences that highlight your years of experience, top skills, and most impressive achievement.

Full guide: How to Write a Professional Summary.

Mistake #6: Sending the same resume to every job

You wouldn't go on a first date and introduce yourself with a generic pitch that you've said to 50 other people. Don't do it on your resume either.

For every application, you should customize:

• Your summary (swap in the title and skills from the job description)
• Your skills section (prioritize the skills this job needs)
• At least 2 bullet points in your most recent role (reframe to match the job's language)

Doing this takes 10–15 minutes per application. It typically triples your response rate. The math is obvious.

Mistake #7: Unprofessional email address

If your resume email is coolguy1999@hotmail.com, princessjade@yahoo.com, or partyboy@aol.com, fix this before sending one more application. Take 2 minutes, create a free Gmail account, use the format firstname.lastname@gmail.com, and put that on your resume.

It's such a small thing, but it signals "this person is early in their career" or "this person is not serious" — even when the underlying person is neither.

Mistake #8: Missing or broken contact information

You'd be surprised how often resumes have outdated phone numbers, typo'd email addresses, or LinkedIn URLs that point nowhere. Test every link. Call your own phone number. Make sure your voicemail is set up and sounds professional.

Mistake #9: Including a headshot (in North America)

In the US, Canada, UK, and Australia, don't put a photo on your resume. It's not standard, and many companies will discard photo-bearing resumes because including a photo increases their legal exposure to discrimination claims.

The only exceptions are:

• You're in Germany, France, Austria, or much of Continental Europe (where photos are standard)
• You're applying for a role where appearance is part of the job (acting, modeling, on-camera hosting)

Mistake #10: Dense walls of text

Your resume should have breathing room. White space is not wasted space — it's what makes your content scannable. Rules of thumb:

• Margins should be at least 0.5" (1.25 cm) on all sides
• Font size 10–12pt for body, 18–24pt for your name
• Line spacing 1.0 to 1.15
• A visible gap between each section
• Bullet points instead of paragraphs

If your resume feels crammed, you have too much content. Cut something.

Mistake #11: Using weird section names

"Where I've Worked." "My Journey." "Things I'm Good At." These sound creative, but they actively hurt you. Why?

• ATS can't parse them. Applicant Tracking Systems look for standard headings. Creative names get skipped, which means your experience doesn't get scored.
• Recruiters speed-read. They're looking for "Experience" and "Education." Don't make them hunt.

Use: Summary, Experience, Education, Skills, Projects, Certifications, Languages. That's it. Save the creativity for your content.

Mistake #12: Submitting a Word doc or image

Submit a PDF unless specifically asked to do otherwise. Why?

• PDFs preserve formatting. A Word doc opens differently on different machines — fonts swap, spacing changes, your careful design falls apart.
• PDFs look professional. A Word doc doesn't.
• Modern ATS read PDFs fine. This used to be a real concern; it no longer is.

And never submit an image file (.jpg, .png) of your resume. ATS can't read images at all — the parser will get blank text, and your application will be auto-rejected.

Bonus mistakes that don't fit the top 12

Writing in third person

"Jane Smith is a marketing manager with 6 years of experience..." Don't do this. Write in first person (implied). Cut pronouns entirely where you can.

Listing references directly

Don't include references on your resume. Don't even include "References available on request." They know.

Including salary expectations

Don't. It's the #1 way to get filtered out before an interview. Save salary for the offer stage.

Using decorative fonts

If I can't tell at a glance that your font is pretending to be a typewriter, script, or calligraphy, it doesn't belong on a resume. Stick to Arial, Calibri, Helvetica, Inter, Georgia, or Verdana.

Including hobbies that don't add anything

"Watching Netflix, hanging out with friends, traveling." Cut. Only include hobbies if they're genuinely interesting (e.g., "Maintain an open-source Python library with 2k GitHub stars") or reveal something about your character that matters for the role.

The 5-minute final check

Before you submit any resume, run this quick audit:

1. ✓ Is every section heading a standard one? (Summary, Experience, Education, Skills)
2. ✓ Does every bullet start with an action verb?
3. ✓ Does every bullet include a result or metric?
4. ✓ Have I tailored the summary/skills to this specific job?
5. ✓ Is it one page (or two, if senior)?
6. ✓ Is it a PDF with a clean file name (firstname-lastname-resume.pdf)?
7. ✓ Did I spell-check it twice?

If all seven are yes, hit submit.