3 key takeaways
- Resume mistakes are the common errors that can prevent your application from standing out.
- There are 10 resume mistakes you should avoid in 2024 - 2025.
- Teal's AI Resume Builder can help you avoid common errors with Resume Analysis.
Even small resume mistakes can hold you back from landing interviews.
Think about it: if recruiters have limited time to review every application, there isn't really room for errors that distract from your skills and experience. So, what are the pitfalls to watch out for?
In this article, you'll learn ten common resume mistakes to avoid—from outdated formatting to vague job descriptions—and get suggestions for how to fix them.
Want to create a mistake-free resume? Write one for free Teal's AI Resume Builder with Built-in Guidance and Resume Analysis.
What are resume mistakes?
Resume mistakes are the common errors that can prevent your application from standing out. These can include typos, missing information, irrelevant keywords, or outdated sections. Even small mistakes can give a recruiter the wrong impression, making it harder for them to see your skills and experience clearly.
11 resume mistakes to avoid in 2024 - 2025
1. Missing contact information
Do you have your contact information listed clearly at the top of your resume? If not, be sure to add it. All you need is city and state—no need to include a full street address or zip code.
You should also add a professional email address and phone number, as well as your optimized LinkedIn profile URL. A personal website or portfolio is also a great addition. If you're updating an older resume, make sure you include the correct contact information.
For more detailed guidance, here's some guidance for exactly what to put on a resume.
2. Spelling and grammar errors
Spelling and grammar mistakes on your resume can, unfortunately, take you out of the running for a job.
Scan your resume to check for spelling, grammar, and style inconsistencies. Is your punctuation consistent throughout? Did you spell and style your past company's name correctly? Always double-check your resume for spelling and grammar errors before sending it to a hiring manager.
You can also utilize free tools like Grammarly that will check grammar and spelling errors for you.
3. Including a career objective
One of the easiest resume mistakes to make is including a career objective.
Many hiring managers today view career objective sections as outdated and even unnecessary. It's implied that your objective is to land the job that you're applying for, so there's no need to explain that in further detail.
Career objectives also take up valuable space on your resume. You can use that space instead to talk about your past positions or skills in more detail, which will be more helpful to a hiring manager.
4. Excluding a target title
The target title on your resume, like your keywords, helps hiring managers understand what new job you're looking to fill.
For example, let’s say you’re applying for a social media manager role. On your resume, you would put your name at the very top, followed by “Social Media Manager,” or even “Social Media Marketing Manager,” “Social Media Expert,” or “Social Strategist” as your target title.
However, if you put “Financial Analyst” or “Customer Support Associate” instead, you’re not projecting to the recruiter that you’re a qualified job candidate—or that you researched what the job responsibilities entail.
When including a target title, ensure that it matches as closely to the job description as possible.
Here are 23 examples of marketing manager resumes that nail the target title.
5. Not including a professional summary
It's no secret that hiring professionals spend limited time reading resumes on the first pass. Including a professional summary at the top of your resume is a powerful and effective way to grab a potential employer's attention.
Your professional summary should:
- Be about 3-5 sentences long
- Briefly list your positive attributes
- Mention your current job title and/or experience
- Include success metrics that are relevant to the role you're applying for
- Explain how you plan to help your next company
To build on the social media manager example, here's what a potential summary could look like for this role:
Self-motivated and detail-oriented social media manager with 3+ years of creating best-in-class content at major beauty brands. Grew organic engagement at Beauty Company Y by 50% year over year and pioneered the brand's pivot to TikTok. Eager to help Beauty Company Z with building a robust video content calendar and UGC creator program.
Pro Tip: Check the elements of your resume with Teal's Resume Analysis. Resume Analysis helps you identify resume mistakes and offers personalized suggestions so you can close gaps, highlight your strongest skills, and make each section more effective.
6. Listing duties instead of results
One of the biggest resume red flags, highlighting achievements and impact over listing job duties, should be avoided whenever possible. Simply stating job responsibilities doesn’t tell hiring managers why you excelled or what you accomplished.
Instead, emphasizing results—such as how you improved processes, met goals, or delivered significant outcomes—gives recruiters a clear sense of your value and shows that you go beyond just fulfilling duties. Focusing on achievements, like increased sales or streamlined workflows, makes your resume stronger and more compelling.
7. Incorporating too many creative elements
One of many resume dos and don'ts—including creative elements—can be a fun and clever way to show your skills and dedication to a role or company, but too many elements can be overwhelming and make it hard for the ATS to scan your resume correctly.
Steer clear of elements like:
- Hard-to-read fonts
- Uncommon margin sizes
- Low-contrast color combinations
- Photos
- Graphics
- Unconventional layouts
While these can add character to your resume, they can also be distracting and hard for both hiring managers and applicant tracking systems to parse.
If you're not sure how to design your resume, you can use Teal's free templates in the AI Resume Builder. Each template will make your resume ATS-friendly and easy to read, and they're suitable for any industry or level.
8. Focusing on irrelevant keywords
The keywords in your work history, skills, and summary have to, at the very least, resemble the job duties for the role you’re applying for. Irrelevant keywords won't paint a clear picture as to why a recruiter should hire you over other applicants.
This is one of the most important resume mistakes to avoid.
Here's an example.
Let’s say you’re applying for the aforementioned social media manager role but your resume features keywords like “data entry” and “customer service,” it misses the mark. Instead, focus on keywords that match the job description, like “social media strategy” and “audience growth.” This makes it clear you have the relevant expertise the recruiter is looking for.Missing hard skills
9. Missing hard skills
One of the biggest resume mistakes you can make is not including hard skills. If the company goes out of its way to call out hard skills or proficiency with certain software, make sure those same relevant skills exist in your resume. They don’t have to match perfectly, but it shouldn't be a complete gap.
For instance, if you have experience with a CRM and the job listing specifically mentions Salesforce and HubSpot, you want to include those exact titles on your resume. Not including them runs the risk of having your resume deprioritized by applicant tracking software.
Additionally, you can find the most important hard skills by position in this collection of over 1500 resume examples.
10. Not meeting job requirements
You don’t have to match 100% of the requirements for a job—if you do, you’re probably over-qualified—but generally speaking, you want to aim to apply for roles where you meet 70-80% of the requirements.
Research from LinkedIn shows that women apply to 20% fewer jobs than men despite similar job search behaviors.
Before applying, review those job requirements—they’re generally sorted in order of priority—and ask yourself if you’re close enough. If so, shoot your shot!
11. Making your resume too long
Your resume doesn't need to be long to be impactful. If you have fewer than ten years of experience or are switching career paths, keep your resume between one to two pages.
A shorter resume that's full of impact is easier to scan and also forces you to narrow in on the most important skills and details from your career. Recruiters read dozens of resumes from job candidates day in and day out, so keeping it shorter allows them to spend an appropriate amount of time looking through your materials.
Avoid resume mistakes with Teal
By avoiding each of these common resume mistakes, you'll be well on your way to making a resume that gets you further through the hiring process.
Making a resume you're proud of is even easier with Teal. Teal's AI Resume Builder helps ensure you avoid the top resume mistakes by giving you the ability to:
- Analyze your resume for mistakes
- Format your resume perfectly with just a few clicks
- Generate personalized professional summaries, cover letters, and resume bullet points in seconds with AI
- Match your resume to aligned job descriptions
- Create and export unlimited free resumes
Work smarter to stand out from other candidates with Teal. Sign up for free to take better control of your job search and career path.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the biggest resume mistake?
The biggest resume mistake is listing job duties instead of showcasing achievements and impact. Recruiters want to see how you've contributed to past roles, so focus on quantifiable successes that demonstrate your value, such as increased sales, improved processes, or successful projects.
Can errors on a resume disqualify you?
Yes, errors on a resume can disqualify you. Even minor mistakes like typos or outdated formatting can cause hiring managers to question your attention to detail and professionalism.
What if I made a mistake on my resume?
If you made a mistake on your resume, correct it as soon as possible. If you've already applied, consider resubmitting a revised version or reaching out to the recruiter with an updated resume, especially if the mistake impacts key information.
How many mistakes are acceptable on a resume?
Ideally, your resume should be completely error-free. Even one or two mistakes can be enough to disqualify you, as hiring managers may interpret these as a lack of attention to detail.
