# Resume mistakes that cost interviews and how to fix them

> The resume mistakes to fix first, each with a fix: a generic target, duties instead of results, typos, hard-to-read layouts, plus a proofreading checklist.

- Canonical URL: https://jobbie.bot/blog/resume-mistakes
- Topic: [Resumes](https://jobbie.bot/guides/resumes)
- Published by [Jobbie](https://jobbie.bot/) · Updated 2026-10-06 · 8 min read

The resume mistakes to fix first are a page that is not aimed at the job, bullets that list duties instead of results, errors in spelling, dates or contact details, a layout that is hard for people and software to read, and details that do not belong, such as a photo or your age. Each has a fix you can make in an evening. The ten-step proofreading checklist at the end of this guide catches most of what is left.

## Key takeaways

- Aim before you edit. A resume written for no job in particular is the mistake behind many of the others.
- Replace duties with results: what you did, how much of it, and what changed.
- Check your phone number, email and links first. If they are wrong, nothing else on the page matters.
- Keep the layout plain: one column, standard headings, readable type and a text-based file.
- Take out what does not belong on a US resume: photo, age, marital status, salary history and references.
- Run the same checklist every time you send a new version.

## Targeting mistakes: a resume aimed at no job in particular

A recruiter reads your resume with one posting in mind. These mistakes make them work to see the match.

| Mistake | Fix |
| --- | --- |
| Sending the same resume to every job | Spend fifteen minutes per posting. Reorder your bullets and use the posting’s own wording wherever it is true of you. The method is in [how to tailor your resume to a job description](https://jobbie.bot/blog/tailor-resume-to-job-description). |
| A vague objective, or nothing at the top | Open with two lines: your role, your years of experience and two strengths this posting asks for. |
| Relevant experience buried | Put the most relevant bullet first under each job, and the most relevant section highest on the page. |
| Leaving out the posting’s terms | Name the tools, methods and qualifications it lists, in the places where you used them. |
| Applying far outside your evidence | If you meet few of the stated requirements, no edit will fix it. Choose a closer target. |

> **With Jobbie:** Jobbie’s Resume Tailor generates a role-targeted resume from your profile as a PDF, a starting point for the first mistake on this list. Read each one before it goes out, because every fact on it has to be yours. [See how resume tailoring works](https://jobbie.bot/features/resume-tailoring).

## Content mistakes: duties, vagueness and length

**Listing duties instead of results.** MIT’s career office says experience descriptions should not read like job descriptions. A duty says what the job was. A result says what you did with it.

| Duty | Result |
| --- | --- |
| Responsible for the company’s social media accounts | Grew the Instagram following from 2,100 to 9,400 in a year by posting three customer stories a week |
| Handled customer complaints | Resolved about 30 escalated complaints a week and cut repeat contacts by a fifth with a follow-up call script |
| Assisted with inventory | Recounted 4,000 stock items after a system migration and corrected 310 records before the audit |

The figures above are invented to show the pattern. The guide to [resume bullet points](https://jobbie.bot/blog/resume-bullet-points) has a formula for writing your own.

**Leaving out numbers.** Counts, frequency, money, time and scale turn a claim into evidence. An honest estimate marked “about” is fine.

**Filling space with adjectives.** “Hard-working team player with excellent communication skills” could be anyone. See [resume buzzwords to avoid](https://jobbie.bot/blog/resume-buzzwords-to-avoid) for replacements.

**Running long.** MIT advises one page unless you have extensive experience or an advanced degree. Cut the oldest and least relevant material first; the guide to [resume length](https://jobbie.bot/blog/resume-length) covers what to trim. Federal applications have a hard limit: since September 27, 2025, the Office of Personnel Management has required resumes on USAJOBS to be no longer than two pages.

**Writing in the first person.** Resumes do not need complete sentences. Drop “I,” “me” and “my” and start each bullet with a verb.

**Stretching the facts.** Inflated titles, rounded-up dates and degrees you did not finish can be checked, and a discrepancy can end an offer. Describe what is true as strongly as you can.

## Accuracy mistakes: typos, dates and contact details

- **A wrong phone number or email address.** Purdue’s Writing Lab warns that mistyping your phone number could easily cost you an interview. Call the number and send a test email to the address on the page.
- **Typos and grammar slips.** Spellcheck misses real words in the wrong place, such as “manger” for “manager.” MIT’s advice is to read and reread everything, and to have a few people proofread it for you.
- **Dates that do not add up.** Use one format throughout, such as “Mar 2022 - Aug 2024,” and make sure the dates match your LinkedIn profile and application forms.
- **Mixed tenses.** Use the present tense for your current job and the past tense for earlier ones.
- **Leftovers from the last version.** A summary that names another company, or a skill added for a different posting, shows you did not reread it.
- **Dead or private links.** Open every link in a private browser window.
- **A careless file name.** “Resume final v7 (2)” looks like a draft. Use your name and the word “resume.”

## Formatting mistakes: layouts that are hard to read

| Mistake | Fix |
| --- | --- |
| Columns, text boxes, icons and skill bars | One column, standard section headings and plain text. An [ATS-friendly resume](https://jobbie.bot/blog/ats-friendly-resume) is also easier for a person to scan. |
| Tiny type and thin margins to squeeze more in | MIT suggests a conservative font no smaller than 10 points and margins of at least half an inch. Cut content instead. |
| Dense paragraphs under each job | Bullets of one or two lines each. |
| Inconsistent styling | One font, one date format, one bullet style, the same spacing between sections. |
| A scanned or image-only file | Export a PDF from your word processor. If you cannot select the text with your cursor, software that reads resumes as text may not see it either. |
| The wrong file type | Send what the application asks for. If it does not say, a text-based PDF is the usual choice. |

## What does not belong on a US resume?

- **A photo.** MIT notes that photos are generally not preferred for US resumes, and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission says employers should not ask applicants for a photograph.
- **Personal details.** Leave out age, date of birth, marital status, religion and health.
- **Salary history.** A resume is not the place for it.
- **References.** Leave them off, along with the line “References available upon request,” unless an employer asks.
- **Every job you have ever had.** Old, unrelated roles crowd out the experience that matters.
- **A full street address.** City and state are enough for most applications.

> **Note:** This reflects US guidance in general terms and is not legal advice. Conventions differ in other countries, where a photo or personal details may be expected.

## A final proofreading checklist

Run these ten steps on every version before you send it.

1. Reread the posting, then the top third of your resume. Does the top third answer the posting’s main requirements?
2. Check your name, phone number, email address and links by using each one.
3. Compare employers, titles and dates with your LinkedIn profile and the application form.
4. Confirm that every bullet starts with a verb and none starts with “Responsible for.”
5. Point to each number and ask whether you could explain it in an interview.
6. Read the page aloud, slowly, from the bottom up. Errors that your eye skips, your ear catches.
7. Look for consistency: date format, tense, punctuation at the end of bullets, spacing.
8. Search for the names of other companies you have applied to.
9. Export the PDF, open the exported file and select all the text. Paste it into a plain text editor and check that the order still makes sense.
10. Ask one other person to read it, and save the file under a clear name so you know which version went where.

If your resume passes all ten and the replies still do not come, the problem may lie elsewhere in your search. The guide on [why you are not getting interviews](https://jobbie.bot/blog/why-am-i-not-getting-interviews) walks through the other causes.

## Frequently asked questions

### What is the biggest mistake on a resume?

Not aiming it at the job. A general-purpose resume forces the reader to work out whether you fit, and most will not. Tailoring the summary, the order of your bullets and the wording to each posting fixes several other problems at the same time.

### Will one typo get my resume rejected?

Not always. It depends on the reader and the role, and some will overlook a small slip. But it is an avoidable risk, and it weighs more in jobs that depend on accuracy or writing. Read the page aloud and ask someone else to check it.

### Should I put a photo on my resume?

Not for jobs in the United States. MIT’s career office notes that photos are generally not preferred for US resumes, and the EEOC says employers should not ask applicants for a photograph. Some other countries expect one, so follow local practice when you apply abroad.

### How long should a resume be?

One page for students and people early in their careers, two for people with longer relevant experience. MIT advises one page unless you have extensive experience or an advanced degree. Federal resumes submitted through USAJOBS have been limited to two pages since September 27, 2025.

### Should I include references on my resume?

No. Keep a separate list ready and provide it when an employer asks. The line “References available upon request” can go too, because it uses space without telling the reader anything.

### How do I check my resume for mistakes?

Use each contact detail to confirm it works, compare dates and titles with your LinkedIn profile, read the page aloud from the bottom up, and paste the exported PDF’s text into a plain text editor to check that it reads in order. Then ask someone else to read it.

## Sources

- [MIT Career Advising & Professional Development: Resumes](https://capd.mit.edu/resources/resumes/): accomplishments over job descriptions, length, fonts and margins, first person, personal information, photos and proofreading.
- [Purdue Online Writing Lab: Résumé Workshop](https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/job_search_writing/resumes_and_vitas/resume_workshop/index.html): the warning that a mistyped phone number could cost an interview.
- [U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission: Prohibited Employment Policies/Practices](https://www.eeoc.gov/prohibited-employment-policiespractices): the guidance that employers should not ask applicants for a photograph.
- [U.S. Office of Personnel Management: Applicant Guidance on the Two-Page Resume Limit](https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/hiring-information/merit-hiring-plan-resources/applicant-guidance-on-the-two-page-resume-limit/): the two-page limit for federal resumes from September 27, 2025.