Recruiters spend seconds on a first pass. These common resume mistakes get strong candidates rejected before anyone reads their experience.
A recruiter screening a role with two hundred applicants does not read every resume line by line. The first pass is a quick scan for relevance, clarity and evidence. If your resume makes that scan hard, it goes to the "no" pile — no matter how good your experience is.
Here are seven mistakes we see constantly, and how to fix each one.
1. A generic objective statement
"Seeking a challenging position in a growth-oriented organisation" tells the reader nothing. Replace it with a two-line summary that states who you are, your years of experience and the one or two things you do best — for example, "Accountant with 5 years in FMCG, specialising in month-end close and IFRS reporting."
2. Listing duties instead of results
Every sales executive "managed client accounts". What makes you different is what happened because of you. Rewrite bullets to lead with an outcome: "Grew a 40-account portfolio by 22% in revenue within one year." Numbers, percentages and timeframes make claims believable.
3. One resume for every job
Applicant tracking systems and recruiters both look for alignment with the job description. Spend ten minutes tailoring your summary and top bullets to each role, mirroring the skills and keywords the employer actually used.
4. Cluttered or unusual formatting
Tables, text boxes, icons and multi-column layouts often break when parsed by an ATS, and they slow down human readers too. Use a clean single-column layout, standard headings (Experience, Education, Skills) and a readable font at 10–12pt.
5. Unexplained gaps
Gaps are normal — study, caregiving, relocation, a career change. What hurts is leaving the reader to guess. A single line such as "Career break — family relocation (2023)" answers the question before it is asked.
6. Too long, or too short
For most candidates with under ten years of experience, one to two pages is right. Cut roles older than 10–15 years down to a single line, and drop anything that does not support the job you are applying for.
7. Typos and outdated contact details
A spelling mistake in the first few lines signals carelessness. Read your resume aloud, ask someone else to check it, and make sure your phone number, email and LinkedIn URL are current and professional.
The bottom line
Your resume's only job is to earn you an interview. Make it easy to scan, specific about results and tailored to the role — and keep your HRTA profile up to date so employers who search the talent pool find the same strong story.