So you've sent out fifty applications. Maybe a hundred. Crickets.

It’s frustrating. You’ve got the skills, you’ve got the experience. But if your resume isn’t working, it’s usually not because you’re unqualified. It’s because of the little stuff. The stuff you don’t even realize is a problem until someone points it out.

I’ve looked at a lot of resumes over the years. Friends, former colleagues, even friends of friends. And honestly? The same issues pop up over and over. Here are nine of them. Check your resume against this list before you send out another application.

1. The One-Page-or-Nothing Rule

Someone, somewhere, decided that resumes absolutely have to be one page. They don't. Not anymore.

If you're a recent grad? Sure, keep it to one. But if you've got ten or fifteen years in the game, cramming everything onto one page means you're either using size 9 font (don't) or you're leaving out important stuff. Two pages is fine. Three is pushing it unless you're in academia. The goal isn't to hit a page count. It's to be concise and thorough.

2. Typos and Lazy Mistakes

This one seems obvious, but you'd be shocked how often it happens.

I once saw a resume where someone applied for a "communications role" but wrote "communications" as "comunications" in the summary. Another time, someone said they were "detail-orientated." It's not a word. It's "detail-oriented."

Here’s the thing: recruiters aren't stupid. When they see a typo, especially in the first few lines, they assume one of two things: either you don't pay attention to details, or you just don't care enough to proofread. Neither is a good look.

Read it out loud. Have a friend read it. Use a tool, but don't rely on it completely. Spellcheck won't catch "there" vs. "their."

3. The "List of Duties" Approach

This is probably the biggest one. You write stuff like:

  • Responsible for managing a team of five.
  • Handled customer complaints.
  • Assisted with quarterly reports.

Okay. So what? That's what you were paid to do. It doesn't tell me if you were good at it.

Instead, flip it. What was the result? Did your team perform better? Did customer satisfaction go up? Did the reports help the company save money?

So instead of "Responsible for managing a team," try something like: "Led a team of five to exceed sales targets by 20% for two consecutive quarters." See the difference? One is a job description. The other shows impact.

4. Being Vague

Words like "various," "multiple," "several"—they don't mean anything. How many is several? Who knows.

Same goes for "excellent communication skills." Everyone writes that. It's fluff. You need to show it.

If you have excellent communication skills, maybe you wrote the company newsletter. Maybe you presented at a conference. Maybe you trained new hires. Be specific. Give examples that prove the skill, don't just claim it.

5. Forgetting About Formatting

You spend hours perfecting the wording. But if the formatting is a mess, none of it matters.

I've opened resumes where the bullet points don't line up. Where the font changes halfway through. Where the dates are on the left in one job and on the right in another. It looks sloppy. It makes the reader think your work is sloppy too.

Save it as a PDF before you send it. That way, the recruiter sees exactly what you see. No weird formatting shifts when they open it in Word.

6. Too Much Jargon or Buzzwords

Industries have their own language. That's fine. But if your resume is packed with acronyms and buzzwords that only people in your specific role would understand, you're going to confuse the person reading it.

Recruiters aren't always specialists. They're looking for the big picture. And even if they do understand, using too much jargon makes it feel like you're trying too hard. You don't need to say "synergized cross-platform solutions" when you could just say "worked with the marketing team to launch a new campaign."

Keep it clear.

7. The Dated Email Address

This is a small one, but it stands out.

If your email is something like surferdude2005@hotmail.com or princess4life@yahoo.com, get a new one. It takes five minutes. Just your first and last name, or initials, on Gmail. It looks more professional. And while you're at it, make sure your voicemail is set up and isn't just some robotic default message. Recruiters do call sometimes.

8. Lying or Embellishing

Don't do it. Just don't.

Maybe you think you can stretch a six-month contract into a year. Or maybe you list a skill you barely know because the job description asked for it. It's not worth it.

Background checks happen. People get caught. And even if you get the job, if you can't actually do what you said you could, you're going to be stressed out and miserable. Be honest about your experience. If you're missing something, show that you're eager to learn it.

9. A Generic, One-Size-Fits-All Resume

You send the same resume to every job. Change the company name, hit send, repeat.

Recruiters can tell. They know when you haven't bothered to tailor it. Because your resume talks about things that have nothing to do with their open role.

It takes a little extra time, but tweak your resume for each job. Look at the job description. What are they asking for? If they want someone with project management experience, make sure your project management wins are front and center. If they want someone who's worked with international clients, highlight that. It shows you actually read the posting and care about this specific job.

Nobody's resume is perfect. But most of these mistakes are easy to fix once you know they're there. Take twenty minutes. Go through yours. See if any of these ring a bell. It might be the difference between getting an interview and getting ignored.

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