Common resume mistakes and how to fix each one
The mistakes that actually cost interviews, from duty lists and one-size resumes to files software cannot read, with the fix for each one.
By Avowly · Last reviewed 6 November 2026 · 5 min read · How we write these
In short
- Fix duty bullets, adjective summaries, one-size resumes and inflated claims first. They do the most damage.
- Keep the look plain and consistent so the facts stay in front.
- Send the file type the posting asks for, under a sensible name.
- Fix words first, then look, then file, and check the file before sending.
Most resumes are not rejected for one dramatic reason. They leak credibility in small ways, a few lines here and a formatting choice there, until the reader moves on without quite knowing why.
The good news is that the same mistakes appear again and again, which means a short list covers most of the damage. Here they are, grouped by where they live, each with its fix.
Mistakes in the words
Duties instead of results. "Responsible for monthly reporting" describes the job, not you. Anyone who held the role could write it. The fix is to say what you did, how much of it and what changed because you were there.
Before
Responsible for answering customer calls.
After
Handled about 60 billing calls a day and sorted most refund questions on the first call, using the team's knowledge base.
Why it works: The 60 and the first-call share both came from her daily stats on the team dashboard. The line now shows how much she did and how she did it, which the duty line could not.
The guide on bullet points turns duty lines into result lines step by step.
A summary made of adjectives. Hardworking, motivated, detail-oriented. Each is a claim anyone can make, so together they say nothing. The fix is two or three lines of facts.
Before
Hardworking, motivated developer with excellent problem-solving skills.
After
Junior developer with a year on a payments app team, writing and testing Java services and fixing live bugs on the support rota.
Why it works: Every fact came from his first year's work. A reader can believe facts, and an interviewer can ask about them.
The resume summary guide has more rewrites.
One resume for every job. The same file sent everywhere reads as written for no one. Twenty minutes of tailoring to the job moves the right material up and borrows the posting's own words where they are true.
Inflated claims. A stretched title, a team you "led" that you sat in, a tool you watched someone else use. One probing interview question and the whole page loses its authority. Write only what you can back up out loud. The honest version is often smaller, and it is still worth having.
Before
Managed store inventory.
After
Counted and logged stock in the chilled aisle each week, and flagged short-dated items to the supervisor.
Why it works: She did not manage the inventory. She counted one aisle, carefully, every week. The true line is smaller, it still shows care, and it will survive any question.
Mistakes in the look
A wall of text. Six-line bullets and tiny margins tell the reader this will be work. Keep bullets to one or two lines, leave white space, and let the page breathe.
A heavily designed template. Skill bars, icons and decorative graphics cost more than they add, both with readers and with software, and a second column only works when the file still reads in order, as the guide on two-column and designed templates shows with tests.
Inconsistency. Dates in three styles, headings in different sizes, bullets that change shape. None of it is fatal alone. Together it reads as carelessness. The rules in formatting basics take ten minutes to apply.
Mistakes in the file
The wrong file type. Follow the posting. If it does not say, a PDF made from a text file is the safe default, for the reasons the PDF or Word guide walks through.
Headings software cannot place. "My story" instead of Experience, "What I bring" instead of Skills. A person smiles, the parser shrugs, and your history lands in the wrong fields.
A careless file name. "resume_final_v7.pdf" tells its own story. Your name and the word resume is all it needs.
The careless ones
Typos and the wrong company name pasted from the last application are the fastest ways to lose a careful reader. So are a dead portfolio link, an email address from your school days and an old phone number. Read the page out loud once, click every link, and check the details a stranger would use to reach you.
In the words
- Responsible for monthly reporting
- Cut reporting time from four days to two
In the look
- Skill bars, icons and a crowded page
- One plain column with room to breathe
In the file
- resume_final_v7.docx, sent as is
- Maya-Fernandes-resume.pdf, checked first
Fix the words first, then the look, then the file. The examples are made up.
Fix them in this order
Words first, because they carry the decision. Then the look, which is quick once the words are right. Then the file: export it, name it properly, and run it through the free ATS check so you see what screening software sees before any employer does.
Common questions
- Will one typo really get me rejected?
- One typo in an otherwise strong resume rarely decides anything on its own. Several typos will, because they suggest the same carelessness will come to work with you. The out-loud read catches most of them.
- Which single fix is worth the most?
- Rewriting duty bullets into result bullets. It changes how every job on the page reads, because each one starts to say what you did rather than what the role was. Start there before touching fonts or layout.
- What if I have already sent a resume with a mistake in it?
- Usually, let it go. A small typo is rarely worth a follow-up email, which only draws attention to it. Fix your master copy so it never goes out again. If the mistake stops them reaching you or names the wrong company, send one short, polite note with the corrected file attached, and skip the long apology.