10 Resume Mistakes That Get Applications Rejected

I'm going to share something I noticed after reviewing thousands of resumes at Fortune 500 companies. The same mistakes appeared over and over — not because candidates were unqualified, but because they didn't understand what recruiters actually look for.

These weren't small issues. They were patterns that got resumes rejected in the first 6 seconds of review. Qualified candidates with real experience, passed over for easily fixable problems 😏

The frustrating part? Most of these mistakes are simple to avoid once you know what they are. Here are the 10 that killed the most applications — and exactly how to fix them.

This is the single most common resume mistake, and it's devastating. I'd see it in 70-80% of applications.

What It Looks Like

Wrong:

• Responsible for managing sales team
• Handled customer complaints
• Oversaw marketing campaigns

Right:

• Led 8-person sales team to 127% of annual quota ($4.2M in new revenue)
• Resolved customer escalations with 94% satisfaction rating; reduced churn by 12%
• Managed $350K marketing budget; campaigns generated 2,400 qualified leads

The wrong version describes what you were supposed to do. The right version proves what you actually accomplished 💡

Why It Happens

Most people copy language from their job descriptions. That's the easiest approach, but it tells recruiters nothing about your capability. Anyone with that title had those responsibilities — what makes you different?

How to Fix It

For every bullet, ask: "So what?" If the answer isn't obvious, add it.

• "Managed social media" → "So what?" → "...grew following from 2,400 to 8,700 in 18 months"
• "Handled customer inquiries" → "So what?" → "...resolved 150+ tickets weekly with 98% satisfaction"

For more on writing strong bullets, see our resume tips guide.

Over 90% of large employers use Applicant Tracking Systems to screen resumes. If your resume doesn't match their keywords, it never reaches a human.

The Keyword Problem

ATS systems scan for specific terms from the job posting. If the posting says "project management" and you wrote "overseeing initiatives," the system might not make the connection.

Common ATS Killers

Format issues:

• Complex tables and text boxes
• Multi-column layouts
• Graphics and images
• Headers and footers (some systems skip these)

Content issues:

• Creative section titles ("My Journey" instead of "Experience")
• Missing keywords from the job posting
• Spelling variations the system doesn't recognize

How to Fix It

1. Read the job posting and identify 5-10 key terms
2. Use those exact terms in your resume (naturally, not stuffed)
3. Stick to simple, single-column formatting
4. Use standard section headings
5. Test by copying your resume into a plain text editor — if it reads correctly, ATS can parse it 🚀

For comprehensive ATS guidance, see our resume formats guide.

This seems obvious, but I can't overstate how damaging typos are. They appeared in roughly 30% of resumes I reviewed.

The Real Problem

A typo isn't just a spelling mistake. It signals:

• Lack of attention to detail
• Insufficient care about this application
• Potential carelessness in work product

If your resume claims "excellent attention to detail" but contains typos, you've immediately contradicted yourself 😅

Most Common Errors

• Inconsistent tense (mixing past and present)
• Missing words ("Managed team 8 people")
• Homophone confusion (their/there, effect/affect)
• Company name misspellings
• Incorrect dates

How to Fix It

1. Use spell check (but don't rely on it alone)
2. Read your resume backward, sentence by sentence
3. Have someone else proofread — fresh eyes catch what you miss
4. Print it out — errors are easier to spot on paper
5. Read it aloud — you'll hear awkward phrasing

Sending the same resume to 100 jobs is a losing strategy. I could always tell when a resume wasn't tailored — and it reduced my interest immediately.

Why Generic Fails

When everything on your resume is general-purpose, nothing stands out as specifically relevant. The recruiter has to work harder to see the connection between your experience and their opening.

Tailored resumes, by contrast, make the match obvious. Relevance jumps off the page.

What to Tailor

Professional summary: Should directly address the specific role.

Skills order: Most relevant skills should appear first.

Bullet priority: Most relevant achievements should lead each section.

Keywords: Should match the job posting's language.

You're not rewriting everything — you're reorganizing and rephrasing to emphasize relevance 💡

How to Fix It

Create a master resume with all your achievements. For each application, spend 15-20 minutes:

1. Rewriting your summary for this role
2. Reordering skills by relevance
3. Moving most relevant bullets to top positions
4. Matching their keyword language

For detailed guidance, see our targeted resume guide.

I've seen resumes with 8-point fonts, no margins, and walls of text. These get skipped immediately — not because the content is bad, but because they're physically painful to read.

Format Killers

• Tiny fonts (below 10 points)
• Minimal or no margins
• Dense paragraphs instead of bullets
• Inconsistent formatting (different fonts, spacing)
• Too much visual design (distracts from content)

What Works

| Element | Recommendation ||---------|---------------|| Font size | 10-12 points for body || Margins | 0.5-1 inch || Line spacing | 1.0-1.15 || Font choice | Arial, Calibri, Roboto || Bullets per role | 4-6 for recent, 2-3 for older |

How to Fix It

Print your resume. If anything is hard to read from a comfortable viewing distance, fix it. White space is your friend — let the document breathe 😉

Resumes aren't autobiographies. Every element should serve your candidacy — and many traditional inclusions actually hurt.

What to Leave Off

Photo: In the US and UK, photos can cause ATS parsing issues and introduce bias. Unless you're an actor or model, skip it.

Full address: City and state suffice. No one needs your street address until the offer stage.

Date of birth/age: Illegal to require in many regions, and invites age discrimination.

Marital status/family situation: Irrelevant to your professional qualifications.

Hobbies: Unless directly relevant to the role or genuinely distinctive.

"References available upon request": This is assumed. It wastes space.

What to Include

• Professional email address
• Phone number
• City/State
• LinkedIn URL (customized)
• Portfolio link (if relevant)

Every line should help you get interviews — if it doesn't, it shouldn't be there 🚀

The summary is your headline — the first thing recruiters read. A weak summary (or none at all) wastes prime real estate.

Weak Summary Examples

"Seeking a challenging position where I can grow professionally and contribute to team success."

"Experienced professional with strong communication skills and a proven track record."

These could describe anyone. They communicate nothing specific about your value.

Strong Summary Structure

A strong summary answers three questions in 3-4 lines:

1. Who are you professionally?
2. What's your specialty or value proposition?
3. What evidence proves your capability?

Example: "Marketing Director with 12 years building B2B demand generation programs. Grew pipeline from $8M to $34M at [Company] through integrated campaigns and sales enablement. Seeking to bring enterprise marketing leadership to a growth-stage technology company."

This tells me exactly who you are, what you've accomplished, and what you're looking for 💡

Resume length generates endless anxiety, but the rules are simpler than most people think.

The Guidelines

0-5 years experience: One page 5-10 years experience: One to two pages 10+ years experience: Two pages Executives: Two pages

The real rule: use the minimum length that fully demonstrates your fit.

Common Length Mistakes

Padding to fill space: Stretching thin content across two pages looks worse than a focused one-page resume.

Cramming to hit one page: Shrinking fonts and eliminating margins to squeeze everything onto one page defeats the purpose.

How to Know

If you're shrinking fonts below 10 points or cutting relevant achievements, go to two pages. If one page has comfortable spacing with normal formatting, don't expand unnecessarily.

For detailed length guidance, see our one-page resume guide.

Resumes should focus on what's relevant now — not document your entire career history.

What to Remove

Ancient history: Roles from 15+ years ago (unless directly relevant) can be summarized in a single line or "Earlier Experience" section.

Obsolete technology: Listing "Microsoft Word" or "Email" as skills suggests you don't understand modern expectations.

Dated certifications: If you got certified in something 10 years ago and haven't used it since, it's not current.

Graduation dates from long ago: If you graduated 20+ years ago, consider removing dates to avoid age bias.

The Keep/Cut/Condense Framework

For each item, ask:

• Keep: Does it directly support this specific application?
• Cut: Is it irrelevant or harmful?
• Condense: Can it be summarized briefly rather than detailed? 😊

This seems minor, but I've seen candidates rejected for contact information issues alone.

Email Address Problems

party_animal_2003@hotmail.com — Looks immature hotmama.sarah@aol.com — Unprofessional drunkenfist@gmail.com — Actually saw this

Solution: Create a professional email using firstname.lastname@gmail.com or a similar format.

Other Contact Issues

• Broken LinkedIn links
• Missing country code on phone (for international applications)
• Using a work email (signals poor judgment)
• Voicemail that sounds unprofessional

Best Practice

Test every link in your resume. Call your own phone to check voicemail. Have your LinkedIn profile complete and aligned with your resume. These details matter 🚀

Lying or Exaggerating

Background checks exist. References get called. LinkedIn makes verification easy. Getting caught in a lie is career-damaging.

Using First Person

"I managed" instead of "Managed" is stylistically inconsistent with resume conventions. Implied first person is standard.

Including Salary Information

Never include current or expected salary unless specifically required. It limits negotiating power and can disqualify you before conversations begin.

Inconsistent Formatting

If your first job entry uses bold for the company name, every job entry should. Inconsistency looks careless.

Most resume mistakes are easily fixable once you know what to look for. The candidates who get interviews aren't necessarily more qualified — they're the ones who avoided these errors and presented their experience effectively.

The essentials:

1. Achievements over duties — prove impact, don't describe responsibilities
2. Keywords and ATS — match the job posting's language
3. Zero typos — proofread multiple times, multiple ways
4. Tailored content — customize for each application
5. Clean formatting — readable, professional, consistent
6. Relevant content only — cut what doesn't serve your candidacy

Your resume's job is simple: get you interviews. Every element should serve that goal.

CVTOWORK provides templates designed to avoid these common mistakes, with structures that work for both ATS systems and human reviewers.

Now review your resume against this list. How many of these mistakes can you identify and fix? The difference between rejection and interview might be simpler than you think 💡