10 of the Most Common Resume Mistakes (To Avoid in 2025)

1. Describing Unrelated Work Experience

In the resume, write work experience related to the position in question. Providing information about relevant experience shows employers that you have the qualifications to do relevant tasks very well. One of the common mistakes in resume writing is including unrelated job experience that doesn’t support your application.

If you are switching to a different industry or job, make an effort to list skills or accomplishments that are transferable to the new position, not the responsibilities of previous jobs. If you have customer service experience but every time you have a job as a cashier, you'll need to find ways to put that into your resume to show what customer contact you've had in that position.

2. Providing Few Details

For each role on your resume, include enough information to outline how you accomplished the role. Attempt to include five bullet points of your responsibilities and achievements in your current or previous job. For all other jobs on your resume, include three bullet points. This level of detail displays your competence and professionalism. 

One of the resume writing mistakes is failing to include adequate context or measurable results, thereby undermining your credibility. When outlining your work experience, start every bullet point with an action verb followed by the result or consequence of the action. Quantitative data, such as percentages and dollars, can also be employed to provide more information in your experience area.

3. Loads of Hobbies and Interests

You enjoy skydiving, stamp collecting, board games, reading science fiction books, and strolling your dog through the countryside. All very nice, but what has it got to do with this career? One of the biggest resume mistakes is including hobbies and interests that have no relevance to the role you're applying for. 

Only list your hobbies and interests if they have some bearing on the role. If, for instance, you are applying to work as an entertainer and you do dance lessons, then that could be pertinent. Think about what admitting to a specific hobby reveals to the recruiter.

4. Creating a Short or Lengthy Resume

Employers generally make up their minds quickly about the candidates, and too lengthy a resume will deter them from even considering your application. One of the most common resume mistakes is to have your resume either too lengthy or too brief for your amount of experience. Utilize one page in length for your resume to encapsulate the most significant information about your skills and experience.

If you have more than 10 years of relevant working experience, you may place a second page of your resume to list your extensive qualifications. Similarly, firms will also consider individuals whose resumes are not more than one page as inexperienced for the job. In case you have only just graduated or lack a lot of experience in the workplace, it would be better to include more details of your education, internship, volunteering, or part-time work. Describe how all this has well prepared you for the new job.

5. Making Grammatical or Formatting Errors

Proofread your resume for spelling, grammar, and punctuation errors before presenting it to hiring managers. One indication of professionalism is the ability to present employers with a clear, well-refined résumé; it is also an excellent first impression. A single spelling mistake in resume can have the effect of seeming careless and decreasing your opportunity to advance the hiring process. You can assist your resume by employing word processing software or computer programs online.

It would also be beneficial if you had a friend or relative review your resume to spot any mistakes that you might overlook. Similarly, ensure that the resumé is well-organized with an easily legible and clear font. In resumes, the most used fonts are Georgia, Times New Roman, and Arial. Allow the qualifications and skills to be the center of your resume; never mind fancy pictures or hues.

6. An Unprofessional Email Address

Emails like "butterflyprincess24@email.com" or "darkknightlover@email.com" will not be doing you any good. You are applying for a professional position, and an immature email will make you noticeable for all the wrong reasons. Using an unprofessional email address is one of the common resume mistakes that can negatively impact your chances. If you created your email when you were a teenager, it's time to create a new one.

As with many things in life, the simplest method is the best. Use your first, last, and middle name (if necessary) to create a professional-sounding email address. You may have to include some variants — for example, adding initials — to find a good address. Just do not use numbers, silly words, pop culture icons, etc.

7. Previous Salary Details

You don't have to put your salary requirements on your resume. Unless asked specifically, you can keep that information confidential until the interview. Similarly, you do not want to mention specifics of your past salaries. Go ahead and white-lie about what you earned in the past, and you may find yourself losing the job in question. Likewise, whether employers are allowed to inquire about past salaries is subject to change based on location. Spare yourself the headache altogether by leaving this out.

8. Adding References

Though many companies request references from job seekers, it is not typically required to include this information on your resume. In fact, including references too early is considered one of the biggest resume mistakes, as employers usually ask for them later in the hiring procedure, once they have examined job applicant resumes.

Include references on your resume only if a potential employer explicitly requests you to. If not, you might make a second document for your referrals. Use the same header, font, and style as your resume in this file to keep uniformity among your application materials.

9. Using the Same Resume for All Applications

If you are sending many employment applications, tailor your resume for every job to show managers why you are the ideal candidate for that particular position. One of the most common resume writing mistakes is using the same resume for every job application without customization. Creating a master resume template that you can copy and store as a fresh document for all job applications is great.

Including particular words and phrases from the job description in a custom resume can help your resume pass an applicant tracking system (ATS). Also emphasized are the skills and experience you possess that are pertinent to the new position.

10. Include a Photo of Yourself

Putting a picture on your resume is a very prevalent error that people commit. It's not difficult to understand why individuals commit this error: having a picture of yourself is necessary when looking for work in Europe and most other nations, and there are a lot of sites that offer picture resume templates meant for non-Americans (ours is one of them). But putting a photo on your resume is unprofessional in the United States and will hurt your job prospects.

Not only that, but putting a photo on your resume exposes you to employment discrimination based on your race, age, gender, or overall appearance. Some businesses specifically refuse to accept resumes with photos because they don't want to risk being accused of employment discrimination.

How can I Make my Resume Stand Out?

We've discussed what not to include on a resume, but how do you ensure it stands out for the best reasons? Having avoided all the above pitfalls, there are one or two other ways in which you can get your application to shine. Have a look at our expert advice here:

• Utilize one of our tested resume templates to design the ideal appearance
• Ensure your resume is not more than one or two pages
• Add resume bullet points to spare yourself some page space
• Apply a consistent style — using a limited number of fonts and colors
• Spice your resume with strong adjectives to make a statement

Before you send your application, make sure that your resume is meeting all of the above criteria. Even a small spelling mistake in resume content can hurt your first impression, so double-check everything before submitting. It does not take much to make sure your application stands above the rest.

Key Takeaways:

1. Your professional resume is the initial impression employers have when they are considering you as a candidate.
2. First impressions count. The recruiters only have about seven seconds to scan each resume that is submitted.
3. To secure that next interview, do not have the mistakes listed in this guide on your resume.
4. Always make sure to proofread and review your resume before applying for positions.

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