The Top 10 Resume Mistakes That Are Holding You Back From Landing THAT Job

Nikki Paterson Author

Really want THAT job? Make sure your resume doesn't have any of these top 10 resume mistakes.

Your resume is usually the first impression you make on potential employers, and it can either open doors to exciting career opportunities or leave you stuck in a job search rut.

If you've been sending out applications without getting the invitation to interview, it's time to take a closer look at your resume.

In this article, we'll delve into the top 10 resume mistakes that could be holding you back from landing that dream job and explore each pitfall and provide practical solutions to help you craft a winning resume that stands out from the competition.

Let's dive in and unlock the secrets to a resume that grabs attention and paves the way for that coveted interview invitation.

Mistake # 1: Using a generic resume for every position you apply for.

This is a job application killer and a sure-fire way to make your prospective employer or recruiter’s eyes glaze over and palm your resume into the ‘no’ pile.

Your resume is a strategic marketing document and needs be tailored to each specific job by ‘talking’ directly to the position description; highlighting relevant skills and experiences that match the requirements of the position.

Mistake #2: Lack of a clear and strategic format that bounces the reader all over the place.

Your resume should be formatted strategically to walk the reader through your relevant skills, experience and qualifications and lead them to a positive interviewing decision.

Make sure your resume is organised in a clear and logical manner, starting with the sections that are most relevant and important to that specific position and placing the most important information at the beginning of each section to capture and hold the reader’s attention.

Mistake #3: Listing every job you’ve had since high school.

Your prospective employer only cares about your experience, skills and qualifications that are relevant to the role, not everything you’ve ever done – brutal but true.

Avoid ‘watering down’ the impact of your resume (remember that it’s a strategic marketing document) with irrelevant achievements, skills, projects and qualifications; too much information will clutter and dilute your resume and distract from your key qualifications.

When you go to an art exhibition you go to see a selection of the artist’s finest work, not every crayon drawing they’ve done since kindy.

Curate your history and focus on the most relevant and recent experiences that are directly related to the job you're applying for.

Mistake #4: Listing every skill, task, responsibility, and qualification associated with a role.

This is the cousin of mistake #3. Your prospective employer is only concerned with the skills, tasks, responsibilities, and qualifications that are relevant to you being able to excel at the position you’re applying for.

There’s no need to list every task you undertook in a role, only those that are relevant. You run the risk of diluting your message (I am the best person for this job – hire me) by listing the irrelevant. Your prospective employer wants your resume neat – no ice, no mixer – just deliver the goods in a straight hit.

Prioritise the skills and qualifications that are most relevant to the job you're applying for. Be selective and emphasise the ones that align with the requirements of the position.

Mistake #5: Using long and complex sentences.

Research shows that most readers skim content rather than reading it word for word.

If someone has to re-read a sentence or paragraph, their attention wanes and their comprehension of and interest in the content suffers.

Avoid using clunky and longwinded sentences by using bullet points and concise sentences to make your amazingness easier to grasp.

Mistake #6: Including information and achievements with no impact or meaning.

“So what?” are the last words you want to enter your prospective employer’s mind when they’re reading your resume.

Implemented a new system, process or procedure? Great, but what does that mean? What impact did it have?

Whenever possible, quantify your achievements to demonstrate their impact. For example, instead of saying "Implemented a new customer service software," specify the result or improvement it led to, such as "Implemented a new customer service software, resulting in a 20% increase in customer satisfaction ratings." This helps your prospective employer see the value and improvements you can make within their organisation.

Mistake #7: Motherhood Statements

Motherhood statements are statements without any evidence or backing; they’re unvalidated statements where you say you can do something without any evidence that it is true.

“I’m an excellent communicator”, “I’m an innovator”, “I’m a world class unicorn rider”…

Avoid using vague or generic statements that don't provide specific evidence or examples of your skills or accomplishments.

Instead, focus on concrete achievements and experiences that highlight your qualifications for the job e.g., "Excellent communication skills demonstrated through dynamic client presentations, improving client retention rate by 30% and increasing sales by 12%." - Boom!

Mistake #8: Lack of keywords

Keywords are specific words or phrases that are relevant to a job or industry and are terms that recruiters and employers often use when searching through resumes or job applications to quickly identify qualified candidates.

Many companies utilise Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) to manage and streamline the hiring process. These systems scan and parse resumes to identify relevant keywords and determine the suitability of candidates for a particular position. Keywords are used as a way to filter and prioritise resumes based on the presence of specific qualifications, skills, experience, or other desired criteria.

To optimise your chances of getting shortlisted by both ATS and human recruiters, it's important to tailor your resume by strategically incorporating keywords from the job description.

Mistake #9: Using pre-formatted templates that aren’t ATS compliant

ATS isn’t just about keywords, it’s also about format. Some highly stylised templates can mess with the ATS parse – merging information from different columns and text boxes to make nonsensical words and phrases and lose meaning.

Choose a clean and professional resume template that is compatible with the ATS to ensure your resume can be easily scanned and parsed by automated systems.

Mistake # 10: Lack of proofreading.

It’s an oldie but still a goodie. I find typos and grammatical errors the most ironic when they’re in a sentence imploring excellent communication skills.

You’ve written the document, so you’re not always the best person to proof it. Either use a grammar and spell-checking tool or app or ask a reasonably literate friend to proof it for you.

By simply avoiding these common mistakes, you can significantly enhance the quality of your resume, capturing the attention of prospective employers and paving the way for impactful interviews that will shape your professional trajectory and help you land THAT job.

Want more help and guidance crafting a winning resume that gets you noticed by employers? Check out our self-paced course, Get Shortlisted: Write a Winning Job Application, which walks you through the entire process and has templates and examples.