resume examples bad

10+ Bad Resume Examples - Mistakes to Avoid in 2024

They say that to err is human, but some mistakes you’re definitely better off avoiding - especially when it comes to your resume! 

From grammatical and spelling mistakes to using the wrong font and submitting a 3-page-long resume, certain mistakes make really bad resumes. 

And, it goes without saying, that submitting such a resume can seriously harm your chances of getting hired, if not ruin them completely. 

To keep you from making such mistakes - and also give you a good laugh - we’ve put together some bad resume examples that you must avoid at all costs, as well as a thorough explanation of what makes a good resume and a bad resume. 

So, let’s dive right in! 

Good Resume Vs Bad Resume

Before we dive into the most common resume mistakes, we should cover a very important topic:

What’s a good resume, and what’s a bad resume?

Here are the qualities that differentiate the two: 

• Is easy to skim through 
• Can pass applicant tracking systems
• Is free of spelling and grammar errors
• Is ideally no longer than one-page 
• Is tailored to the specific job position
• Is focused on the applicant’s skills and achievements
• Uses a professional font and has a simple layout
• Includes a resume summary or objective
• Is disorganized and difficult to read
• Has spelling and grammar mistakes 
• Includes distracting graphics
• Includes an unprofessional email address
• Has long chunks of text instead of bullet points
• It is not tailored to the job position
• Is not matched with a cover letter 
• Is not tailored to the position
• Includes non-quantifiable achievements

10+ Examples of Bad Resumes

It’s one thing for someone to tell you about resume mistakes and another to see them in all their glory for yourself. 

To give you a better idea of how detrimental some mistakes can be to your resume, we’ve collected some of the “best” examples of bad resumes out there, starting with:  

#1. Uninspired Work Experience 

The work experience section is arguably the most important section of your resume, as it can effectively prove you’ve got the right experience and qualifications to do the job. 

For that to happen, however, simply listing your work responsibilities won’t cut it. On the contrary, your resume must be packed with as many data-backed achievements as possible. 

Well, the resume example above definitely fails to do that. Actually, it does the exact opposite - it’s an uninspired and overly generic listing of work responsibilities that recruiters already know. 

None of what this applicant has listed under their work entry demonstrates how they mastered or excelled at their job, giving recruiters zero incentive to call them back for an interview. 

For example, this entry here:

• Lead Generation

Gives the hiring manager exactly 0 information on what you did at the job. Sure, you generated leads, but how many? How often? Were they quality? 

If phrased like this, however:

• Ran Google Ads campaigns, generating over 200 leads per month for our in-house software.

Then the work experience entry becomes a lot more impressive.

If you’re having trouble writing an achievement-oriented work experience section, you can also follow the Laszlo Bock formula : “Accomplished [X] as measured by [Y] by doing [Z].”

This is what this formula looks like in practice:

• Sourced qualified candidates utilizing various web technologies, social media, resume databases, and referrals from networking events while reducing hiring costs by 35%.

#2. Bad Spelling 

Spelling or grammar mistakes can be very, very harmful to your job search.

Such mistakes tell the recruiter that you either don’t know the language very well, don’t have much attention to detail, or you don’t care much about the job you’re applying for in the first place.

So, make sure to run your resume through a friend to catch any obvious grammar or spelling mistakes. 

We also recommend you try Grammarly , a very handy tool for catching mistakes.

#3. Wrong Design and Layout 

When it comes to your resume, looks matter.

Recruiters usually have hundreds of resumes they need to go through before deciding on whom to call back. The above resume example is so unimpressionable that, chances are, the recruiter won’t even notice it. 

Want to avoid making the same mistake? 

Follow these formatting tips:

• Font size. Your font size should be big enough to read but small enough so that the text doesn’t spill over on page #2. As such, 12 pts is usually a good font size for resumes. 
• Line spacing. The line spacing should be between 1 and 1.5 to save you space. 
• Section headers. To differentiate between sections, use headers for the section titles instead of using the same font size and simply bolding them (like the bad example above). That will only make all the sections look like they’re blended together, which is the opposite of reader-friendly. 

Now, the bad resume example we just covered made mistakes with all 4 of these. By centering their entire resume text, they’ve messed up with the margins, the section headers, and the overall aesthetic of their resume - something recruiters are bound to notice. 

If you never want to have to worry about any of these things, just use our resume builder ! It’s free, easy to get the hang of, and loved by recruiters worldwide!

#5. Unprofessional Fonts 

Take a long, hard look at the resume example above. 

In addition to being very hard to read, it’s also very unprofessional. If a recruiter sees a resume with a font like this, they’ll simply assume that the candidate is not serious about the job.

So, instead of experimenting with your resume, stick to tried-and-tested resume-friendly fonts like Ubuntu, Roboto, and Overpass.

#7. Too Many Graphics 

This infamous resume example uses so many graphics it simply becomes unprofessional (as well as unpleasant to look at)

Don’t get us wrong, creative resume designs aren’t all bad. Done right, they can help you stand out, catch the recruiter’s attention, and land a job you’ll love.

But even creativity has a limit. When you overuse creative elements on your resume you risk distracting recruiters from what really matters on your resume - your achievements, experiences, and most important skills. 

Want a creative resume that’s not too much? Consider using a pre-designed resume template . 

At Novorésumé, we offer a variety of templates to choose from that are creative, professional, and look much better than the average black-and-white template.

And the best part? Most of the are free! Head over here to browse our resume templates .

#8. Unimpressive Resume Summary 

The resume summary is the first thing recruiters see when looking at your resume.

If the summary matches what they’re looking for, they’re going to go ahead and read the rest of your resume.

If it doesn't, though, they’ll simply skip it.

As such, it’s important for your resume summary to be memorable and captivating - unlike the example that we showed you above.

Specifically, the resume summary above is wrong because it: 

• Is low-effort. It’s obvious that this candidate does not really care where they’ll get hired.
• Not tailored to the company or the role. Customizing your resume summary for the role means that you’re enthusiastic about working at this specific company, and aren’t just applying for random jobs.
• Is not specific enough. The resume summary does not include critical information like the exact years of experience, top skills, and biggest achievements.

To really drive the point home, let’s compare these 2 resume summaries:

Professional marketer manager with 5+ years of experience in digital marketing. Social media marketing experience, including Facebook, Google, and LinkedIn advertising. Experience in managing a Google Ads account with a monthly spend of $30,000. B.A. in marketing management.

Journalist looking to work for your newspaper and put extensive journalistic experience to use. Passionate about investigating and amazing with words.

If you were the hiring manager, which one would you pick?

#9. Unprofessional Headshot 

If you decide to include a picture on your resume, you’ve got to make sure that it’s actually a good idea in the first place.

Companies based in certain countries like the US , UK, or Ireland actively discourage candidates from using photos in their resumes because of anti-discrimination laws. 

So, if you’re based in any of these countries, there’s a chance that including your photo in your resume might just get your application discarded immediately.

In case you don’t live in any of these countries and still want to use a photo in your resume, then you need to make sure that it’s not something from your:

• Social media profiles 
• Old family scrapbooks
• High school yearbook  

Rather, the photo should be:

• High-quality
• Taken by someone else (not a selfie)
• Professional-looking. You don’t need to wear a suit and tie, but a shirt would do you good

#10. Longer Than One Page When Not Necessary

Unless you have over 5-10 years of super relevant work experience, there is absolutely no reason for your resume to be longer than one page. 

See, your resume should only include information relevant to the job you’re applying for. 

You can skip out all sorts of irrelevant details like your first internship, your part-time summer gig, where you went to high school, and so on.

If you do so, then chances are, your resume simply won’t exceed one page.

That said, if you DO have a lot of work experience, are an executive, or work in academia, then your resume CAN be longer than a single page.

FAQs on Bad Resumes

Do you still have some questions on exactly what makes a bad resume? 

We’ve gathered the most frequently asked questions (that we haven’t addressed yet) and answered them below: 

#1. What does a bad resume look like? 

While not all bad resumes look alike, some common qualities of bad resume examples are being messy, disorganized layout, being too long, using an unprofessional font, or simply having uninspired content.

#2. What are some common resume mistakes?

According to this study by CareerBuilder, the most common resume mistakes that make for instant deal breakers include typos or bad grammar (77%), unprofessional email address (35%), resume without quantifiable results (34%), resume with long paragraphs of text (25%), resume that’s not customized to the company (18%), resume longer than two pages (17%), and lack of cover letter (10%). 

#3. How do I know if my resume is good enough?

Some common traits of a good resume are a structured and organized layout, clear fonts, achievement-oriented work experiences, and a lack of obvious grammar or spelling errors.

Key Takeaways 

And that’s a wrap! 

After this article, you’ll know what a bad resume looks like when you see one (even if it’s your own). Before you go, here’s a quick recap of the most important points we covered in this article: 

• Your work experience section is one of the most essential parts of your resume. Make sure your experiences are achievement-oriented and in-depth.
• Make sure your resume is spelling or grammar-free by getting a friend to review it or using a tool like Grammarly.
• Keep your resume brief - one page is enough unless you’ve got a decade’s worth of work experience.
• Some common resume mistakes involve adding an unprofessional headshot to your resume, writing a generic resume summary, and lying about your achievements.  

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Bad Resume Examples and Recruiter-Backed Advice on How to Avoid These Common Mistakes

Examples of bad resumes with formatting errors, distracting designs, irrelevant skills and unfocused experience so you can be sure to avoid these mistakes.

4 months ago   •   7 min read

No one wants to be told they have a "bad resume" or to be rejected from an opening due to easy-to-fix mistakes. But it's hard to know how to fix your resume if you've never seen what a truly terrible resume looks like.

The most common issues that create poor-performing resumes are distracting formats, grammar mistakes, irrelevant information, and overuse of resume buzzwords.

In this article, we'll explore some bad resume examples so you can see how these mistakes affect the readability of a resume and learn what not to do. We'll discuss why these mistakes lead to an unprofessional presentation and, more importantly, how to ensure your resume doesn't include any of these common pitfalls.

Common mistakes and bad resume examples

Most "bad resume" mistakes fit into two categories: things that make your resume appear unprofessional and those that make your resume harder to read. Focusing on clarity, readability, and presentation will eliminate these common errors.

Having a resume that's too long

If your resume is longer than two pages, most recruiters will likely skim the first page and disregard the rest. Remember, your resume shouldn't include every job you ever had, but rather a targeted list of your most relevant and significant experience.

Keep your resume to one page by removing outdated or irrelevant information and focusing on industry-specific skills. A two-page resume is acceptable if you have more than ten years of experience, but ensure you still focus on your most significant achievements.

Related : Is a 3-Page Resume Too Long?

Spelling and grammar mistakes

Typos and grammar mistakes may seem insignificant, but they make a resume harder to read and appear unprofessional. They also convey poor attention to detail and a lack of genuine interest in the position, creating a negative impression on recruiters. Always proofread your resume to ensure you eliminate the common spelling, punctuation, and grammar mistakes shown in the example below:

Note how spelling and grammar mistakes give off a poor impression of this candidate.

Including irrelevant information

Including irrelevant information distracts from your skills and experience, making it harder for a recruiter to find critical information. Don't bury essential details in lengthy paragraphs . Use bullet points to highlight your most memorable achievements and use well-structured headings so a recruiter can easily find the information they're looking for.

Listing work experience in the wrong order

Recruiters expect to see your most relevant and recent experience first. If your experience isn't presented in this order, a recruiter might incorrectly assume your lowest level experience is your most recent and disregard the rest of your resume.

For example:

To avoid this mistake, list your work experience in reverse chronological order (most recent first), as shown in the amended example below.

Not optimizing for ATS

Even the most qualified candidate can be rejected if their resume isn't optimized for Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS). Complex formatting, special characters, lack of keywords, and incorrect file types interfere with ATS scanners, leading to an automatic rejection. Make sure to build your resume using an ATS-optimized template and use an AI-powered resume scanner to check that the software can pick out the crucial information.

Focusing on responsibilities rather than achievements

Most hiring managers aren't interested in roles and responsibilities. They want to see evidence of your skills. Instead of listing responsibilities, focus on specific, quantifiable achievements . For example, instead of saying that you "managed a team", write that you "Led a team of 5 associates to increase quarterly sales by 5%". Here is an example of a resume listing roles and responsibilities:

And here is an example of how to improve that resume by focusing instead on quantifiable achievements:

Using flashy or bizarre formatting

While creative formatting may look visually appealing, jumbled elements and colorful design distract from your resume's content and make the critical information harder for both recruiters and ATS to find. Stick to traditional resume templates and formatting for the best results. Here is a good vs. bad resume example, showcasing a professional format alongside a creative, stylized design.

And although the following resume isn’t flashy, notice how difficult these center-aligned bullet points are to read:

Including too many soft skills

Including soft skills in your skills list overshadows relevant hard skills and makes your list harder to read. Instead, exemplify soft skills in your work experience bullet points through specific examples and quantified results and save your skills list for hard skills.

For example, here is a lengthy skills list that includes soft skills:

Industry-specific skills are lost in this list, and there is no evidence to prove the soft skills of leadership or adaptability. Instead, remove these soft skills to create a more focused, relevant skills list, as shown below.

Not targeting your resume

Sending a one-size-fits-all resume shows a lack of interest in the position and hides your relevant experience amongst irrelevant data. Always tailor your resume to the job by removing unrelated experience and non-industry skills and reworking your resume summary to target each new position.

To tailor your resume for the job you're applying to, use the hard skills and keywords tool below. It provides a list of skills relevant to the job, helping you identify which of your hard skills to include.

Listing too many short-term jobs

Including too many short-term jobs can raise questions about your commitment. Unless you have an industry-relevant reason for having multiple short-term jobs (seasonal, freelance , or contract work , for example), don't include positions you held for less than six months unless they are specifically relevant to your application. Here is a poor resume example, listing too many short-term positions:

To improve this resume, pick the most relevant positions and remove the rest. For example:

Using buzzwords

Buzzwords are generic, overused phrases, like "team player" or "detail-oriented", that take up space on your resume without adding relevant information and make recruiters less likely to take your resume seriously. For example:

A motivated and results-driven professional with excellent communication skills and a strong work ethic. Highly organized and detail-oriented with a passion for teamwork and problem-solving. Proven track record of achieving goals and exceeding expectations.

Notice how these buzzwords make claims without providing evidence and say nothing about the candidate's actual experience. To improve this summary, replace buzzwords with specific quantified achievements, or use our resume summary generator to create a powerful and targeted summary.

Experienced Training Manager adept at developing training programs in high-growth industries. Introduced a new onboarding process that decreased onboarding time by 50% and improved employee retention rates by 35% through a comprehensive career development program.

Note how the overuse of buzzwords gives the reader no insight into the candidate's skills.

How to prevent creating a bad resume

After such a long list of resume pitfalls, it may seem like writing a good resume is impossible. But don't worry. That's what we’re here for. To help you write a great resume without worrying about all tohese potential mistakes.

Proofreading is essential to presenting a professional-looking resume. Our AI-powered resume scanner helps you proofread your resume in seconds, correcting any grammar and spelling mistakes and providing detailed feedback on areas to improve.

Less is more

Less content, less irrelevant information, and less flashy formatting. Make your resume targeted and focused by only including recent and relevant experience. Use our Targeted Resume tool to align your resume with a specific job description and cut your resume down to only the essential information.

Use AI-resume tools

Leverage AI resume tools to receive targeted feedback, making editing quick and easy. Our Score My Resume tool offers personalized feedback on formatting, keywords, brevity, and clarity, highlights common mistakes, and compares your resume against industry standards to optimize your resume's overall effectiveness.

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Bad Resume Examples: These Are the 10 Worst Resumes Ever Written

• Julia Gergelova , 
• Updated October 20, 2023 7 min read

When it comes to resumes, there's a spectrum: from the impressive to the mediocre, and then there's the bottom of the barrel — some really bad resume examples.

In recent years, we’ve had access to various resources and resume builders for crafting stellar CVs. And so, you'd imagine it's tough to create truly bad ones.

And when you stumble upon a dreadful resume, it's all that more unique, isn't it? Bad resumes usually display impervious confidence, lack of attention to detail, terrible formatting, and, most importantly, general weirdness .

Here are 10 worst resumes that recruiters shared with the internet. Is there anything we can learn from them?

Table of Contents

Click on a section to skip

1. My Little Crazy Resume

2. creepy ricky resume, 3. baby boss resume.

• 4. Drug Dealer's Resume

5. Cinnamon WordArt Resume

6. lorem ipsum resume, 7. hire me or die resume.

• 8. Superhuman's Resume

9. Burning Resume

10. clumsy hands resume, key lessons from the worst resumes.

No, this isn't a storytelling spreadsheet for second graders. This is actually a resume of an adult with some solid academic background in computer science and mathematics.

No matter how well it reads to a 7-year-old, there are a few problems that Joseph should've fixed before sending this resume to his potential employers (who might be well above 18 years old).

Convert your LinkedIn profile into a resume.

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• Steer clear of 'My Little Pony' resume design. Opt for a neat resume format with well-defined sections. Avoid chunks of text — use bullet points for clarity, making your resume skimmable at first glance.
• Avoid flashy graphic elements. Joseph should get rid of overly vibrant colors and elements that would divert the hiring manager's attention from his qualifications and skills.
• Don't use personal pronouns (and fairy tale creatures) in your resume. It's understood that a resume represents your own experiences, so there's no need to use "I did this" , let alone to refer to yourself in the third person. And so, instead of "He galloped off to work as a radio DJ …", Joseph could perfectly state on his resume this: "Hosted as a radio DJ, curating playlists and engaging listeners."
• Tailor your resume to a specific job. The fact that Joseph had "his own nuclear reactor to play with" , "worked as a radio dj" , and "dabbled in domestication" makes us wonder what position he's applying for.

Mr. Santangelo apparently knows his craft. But if he's scarier than Joker from Batman, who cares?

Surprisingly, Ricky's self-presentation contains some basic structural elements . There's a mission statement "get ready to get blown away by Ricky" and a succinct profile summary "Ricky's seen it all … knows how to go big" . The third paragraph offers fragments of his work experience and a bold vision for future "now I'm ready for movies."

An indirect reference is not missing, either: "MOVE OVER TOM CRUISE TIME FOR THE NEW F***ING BLOOD."

• Don't use all caps. Using all caps can come across as shouting in written communication. In a resume, maintaining a professional tone is crucial, and all caps can undermine that professionalism.
• Stay polite and don't ever swear. Your resume is a formal career document. 
• Give your resume a bit of structure. Check out our resume format guide . 
• Be specific about your achievements. The fact that you've "seen it all" sounds too vague (and a bit scary, to be honest).

No matter how cute you looked as a baby, putting your baby photo on a resume isn’t appropriate. If it doesn't ruin your chances to land the job you want, it'll surely amuse your future employer (and earn you a nickname).

So, what does Jane Roe’s resume say? The baby's shooting for a managerial position. What's more, the profile summary says the two-year-old already has 4 years of experience in the industry. Pretty impressive for a toddler that's still waiting to celebrate her second birthday!

• If you want to use a photo on your resume , make sure it's an accurate representation of your current appearance .
• Baby photos on a resume are a colossal faux pas , rendering it unprofessional and unrefined.

4. Drug Dealer's Resume

Looking at this resume, we're quite sure that including an employment gap would be a better choice. Especially when your job title was "Nefarious Dude" and your professional experience consisted of illegal activities and serving time in jail. Unless, of course, you're trying to score a drug dealer job.

On the other hand, going from a drug dealer to graphic designer shows some dedication and progress. Yet, a graphic designer should know better when it's wise to use a title case.

• List work experience that's relevant to the job you're applying for.
• Use action verbs and powerful adjectives in bulleted lists. Well-chosen action verbs and adjectives help your resume stand out. They make your achievements and qualifications more memorable, which can be an advantage in a competitive job market.
• Use title case only where it's necessary . Your bullet points in the work experience section certainly don't need them. Sentence case is generally easier to read because it resembles the structure of a typical sentence. It flows more naturally.

Cinnamon, a WordArt enthusiast, surely seems unfazed by bad formatting. Featuring unconventional hobbies like "ferret husbandry" and "spending time with old people at the end of their Golden Years" may seem too bold. But nothing's too bold for Cinnamon — not even questionable language choices, such as references to "vegetable people" and "retarded people ". 

If nothing else, this resume proves that even if you want to "serve the Lord," you still need to get some things right.

• Use a traditional font like Arial, Times New Roman, Helvetica, Georgia or Calibri.
• Include hobbies that are relevant to the job or can showcase skills that are transferable to the desired position.
• Replace bulky paragraphs with bullet points for better readability .
• Avoid unnecessary information. Mentioning that you "Never got in trouble" in school and "passed classes" is the same as if you mentioned that you "never hit a coworker" — admirable but also redundant (and suspicious). It's completely OK if your education section features only your academic achievements and qualifications.
• Use appropriate punctuation. Abusing quotation marks can cause confusion. And so, while you’re boasting about "providing the "delicious" meals to all employees" , your potential boss may think you’re being ironic.

We can only imagine how the hiring manager hit an unexpected landmine, when they got to the placeholder sections of this resume. It certainly wouldn't be a problem if only your hobbies were "placing your text here" and "deleting this text and heading…"

Failing to proofread your resume always comes at a cost. Be it missing characters, misspelled words or placeholder text, a silly mistake can decide your fate and instantly send your resume to the reject pile.

• Always proofread your resume before using it for job searching. To effectively proofread your resume, consider using tools like spelling and grammar checkers, and ask a trusted friend or colleague to review it as well. It's also helpful to take a break between writing and proofreading to look at your resume with fresh eyes.
• If you're in the process of editing and drafting your resume, or starting off with a template, make sure to rename the file in your computer . This way you'll prevent yourself from sending in your unfinished resume and killing your job prospects before you even begin.

This eager job seeker clearly bet everything on oversharing unnecessary information with the hiring manager. 

So, what do we know about her? She's too smart for just any job — she "doesn't need a college" because she's a "self starter" . Plus, she can type "like wicked fast!". She and her ex just broke up because "he was cheating" . And she also used to babysit Aubi, but she just can’t remember where "they [Aubi's parents] lived or what they were called" .

We also learned that everyone except her mom, dad, best friend, and science teacher might have something negative to say about her. (She should've probably kept this to herself.)

And how do we know she's eager? Well, we know it thanks to "HIRE ME'' written over and over again at the bottom of the page. It’s perhaps the very last thing that'll boost this job seeker's prospects.

• Share only what's relevant to the job position. It keeps your resume concise and focused on the skills, qualifications, and experiences that directly match the requirements of the job. This helps hiring managers quickly identify if you're fit for the role.
• Never share overly personal information on your resume. Including private information, such as family details, irrelevant hobbies, or political opinions, will clutter your resume and divert attention from your professional qualifications.
• Use the right formatting. Proper formatting, including clear headings, bullet points, and consistent fonts, makes your resume easy to read. Hiring managers often skim through resumes, so a well-formatted document ensures they can quickly find key information.
• Double-check your spelling. Using "accept" for "except" or "dallers" for "dollars" won't get you far.
• Keep a professional tone. Resumes are formal documents meant to present your qualifications and experience professionally. Exclamation marks can make your resume appear overly casual or enthusiastic in an inappropriate context. And so, it’s better to avoid them (regardless of how excited you are about your graduation in 2005).
• Don’t negotiate money in your resume. Also, having a resume section called "Hopes" is pretty unconventional.

8. Superhuman's Resume

Okay. Now, the hiring managers across the country (perhaps across the globe) know that you "lost your virginity" in 2017, almost got "tricked into marriage" while working for Northern Capital Insurance, and "experimented with softcore drugs" in 2010 (probably related to the company’s bankruptcy).

But it doesn’t really matter because you are "the best in the world" in twelve disciplines (including chivalry). It's really an uneasy fate, as one can surely struggle to find the perfect job fit.

Sure. Confidence is an asset, but when it gets this far, it starts to run counter to one's job-seeking efforts.

• Stay modest, use a lot of common sense — and not too many bullet points. Exaggerations and overly positive language can raise doubts about your credibility. Employers prefer honest and realistic representations of your qualifications and achievements.
• Never share highly personal information. Don't try to pepper your career documents with details from your sexual life or experience with substances of various kinds. Your resume will be much better off without them.
• List your work experience in a reverse chronological order. It immediately presents your most recent and, often, most relevant gigs to potential employers. This helps them quickly assess your current qualifications and career progression.

Yale, Harvard, and Oxford are superb academic institutions. But claiming that that's where you studied without including the details is simply a blatant lie.

And while including general life experience may sound funny, misspelling Pulitzer Prize as "Puletsur Prize" is just too embarrassing.

It's unfortunate that your references "were burned up in a fire" . Hiring managers might have questions (or maybe not).

• Details matter. Specify your experience and academic path and dispel any doubts that you've just made it up.
• If you have no references, don't mention it. Simple as that. Employers typically request references during later stages of the hiring process, after interviews or when they're seriously considering you for the position. So, even if you have them, including them prematurely on your resume might lead to unnecessary inquiries.
• If you're stating your interests, make sure they're relevant and convey your soft skills effectively. Also, "not drinking" isn't an interest.

You surely don't want your resume to lack clarity. So, whatever "good with hands" means, just don’t use this among your skills (or in any other resume section). Likewise, "heaps of trophies from heaps of sports" sounds like nothing but unfounded bragging.

This suggests that the job seeker isn't that good with words as they're with their hands. And another supporting example can be found in misspelling the words like "PlayStation" and "references".

• Stay humble but confident. Let the results speak for you.
• Use clear and formal language. It demonstrates professionalism and respect for the hiring process.
• Select relevant hard and soft skills to showcase your qualifications, making it easy for employers to identify your strengths and expertise quickly.
• Be specific when talking about your achievements. Specific achievements show potential employers the tangible impact you've had in previous roles. They want to know how your work positively influenced your past employers.
• Use numbers wherever possible. Numbers provide concrete evidence of your achievements and contributions in previous roles. They make your accomplishments more convincing and impactful.

These 10 worst resumes have provided us with some epic facepalm moments and a healthy dose of laughter too. While they serve as a reminder of what not to do when crafting your own resume, they also teach us a valuable lesson — in the world of job hunting, a little common sense and a dash of humility can go a long way.

Remember, your resume is a key tool in your job search. So, avoid the pitfalls of "My Little Pony" design, oversharing details from your personal life, or claiming to be the world's greatest viral marketer.

Keep it clear, concise, and relevant, and you'll be well on your way to landing that dream job. Oh, and if you don't want to be listed in our next series of the worst resumes ever, check our resume samples .

Don't be like Ricky.

Create a resume that will get you a job.

Julia is a professional writer, translator and graphic designer. She holds degrees in translation and interpretation, and has international work experience from a number of different countries in Europe as well as China and Panama. Julia formerly taught academic writing and as a graphic designer contributed to outlets such as The Business of Business. She has a passion for lifelong learning and good coffee.

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Resume Disasters: 7 Bad Resume Examples To Avoid

A good resume does more than list your skills and qualifications. It gives hiring managers and recruiters a clear picture of your potential, ambition, and experience. 

In a resume, content is king. But if good content is overshadowed by poor formatting, visual, and grammatical choices (among others…), it may affect your chances of being called for an interview.

Want to create a strong resume that doesn’t land in the rejection pile? Let’s explore excerpts from seven bad resume examples to help you identify and avoid some of the most common resume mistakes.

3 key takeaways 

• 7 common resume mistakes to avoid
• More effective approaches for potential resume blunders
• How Teal’s AI Resume Builder can help you build a better professional resume

1. Spelling and grammar mistakes

Stepping into a job interview wearing mismatched shoes can be a faux pas—kind of like presenting a resume or cover letter full of grammar and spelling errors. It can give off a negative first impression and may lead recruiters or hiring managers to assume that you don’t pay attention to detail.

Your resume and cover letter need to be cohesive and error-free. Even a small grammatical error or typo can overshadow your qualifications. Resume proofreading is important; remember to run it through a spellcheck program and manually review it for errors. It’s also helpful to have a friend, family member, or coworker scan it over to catch any errors you might have missed.

Results-driven Project Manager with 4 years of expereince leading and managing multiple projects simultaneously, developing and maintaining project timelines and budgets, and implementing project management methodologys. Successful track record of increasing project completion rates, acheiving cost savings, an ensuring timely delivery of projects.

WORK EXPERIENCE

Project Manager

3/2022 – Present

Universal Ventures

• Led and managed multiple projects simultaneously, resulting in an 15% increase in project completion rates.
• Developed and maintained project timelines, budgets, resulting in an average project cost savings of 20%.

SKILLS & COMPETENCIES

• Agile/Scrum Methodologys
• Project Planning & Execution
• Project Mangement

Master of Science in Project Management

Boston University

While some of these errors may seem insignificant, they can showcase a lack of attention to detail. Be sure always to double- and triple-check your resume for grammar and spelling errors before submitting it to a hiring manager.

Pro Tip: The Teal AI Resume Builder includes a free spelling and grammar tool to help you get it right—every word, every time. 

2. Showcasing a lack of work experience

The beginning of your career journey is both exciting and nerve-wracking—and an empty work experience section can make the job search even more stressful.

While a lack of work experience might imply that you're a novice without much to offer, that's rarely the truth for young professionals. 

Instead of emphasizing a short or irrelevant work history, choose the best resume format to showcase what you do bring to the table—highlighting achievements, academic projects, and transferable hard and soft skills—instead of your lack of experience.

Work Experience

1. Sales Assistant, Taluka Paper - June 2023 to August 2023

• Assisted customers with product inquiries and selections.
• Handled cash register operations and processed customer transactions.
• Communication
• Computer applications

Imagine this candidate is a recent graduate aiming for a role in SaaS customer success. Although these bullet points may be true to the position’s basic duties, they don’t speak much to the candidate’s value or the role they’re seeking. 

In this example, it would be better to focus on the transferable skills that someone in customer success would use. 

For example, instead of “Assisted customers with product inquiries and selections,” a more effective bullet point may be something like,  

“Increased monthly sales by 15% by assisting customers with product inquiries and selections, leveraging strong interpersonal communication and QuickBooks Point of Sale.”

Instead of “used the cash register,” the bullet point could focus more on the customer service aspect of the job to align with skills needed in customer success, such as,

“Handled cash register operations and processed customer transactions with a 99.5% accuracy rate, leveraging POS system operations and excellent customer relationship building—increasing customer satisfaction rate to 98%.”

3. Using unprofessional or hard-to-read fonts

Even in more casual or creative industries, your resume should look professional, so stick with a basic, readable font. Fancy, intricate fonts can make your resume hard to read, while casual fonts seem unprofessional.

And don’t go overboard with different fonts for headers, bullet points, and summaries. This can make your resume look chaotic and hard to follow.

4. Incorporating all you've ever done

While you want potential employers to get a clear, comprehensive picture of who you are as a professional, your resume is not an exhaustive memoir of your career. The job of your resume is to showcase the top 10% of your experience that’s 100% relevant to the role you’re applying for. It should be clear, concise, and impactful. 

Instead of taking a hiring manager or recruiter through all the twists and turns of your professional history, take a step back and review the job description to see what they’re really looking for in a candidate. Then, tailor your resume , prioritizing experience, accomplishments, and skills that are relevant to the position and cutting information and details that don’t demonstrate why you’re right for the role. 

1. Intern, TechPlace - Anytown, USA August 2011 - May 2012 (worked Mondays, Wednesdays, and every other Friday)

• Assisted in software installations
• Participated in three team meetings
• Watered office plants

2. Junior Administrative Assistant, Office - Smalltown, USA June 2010 

• Photocopied 100+ pages daily, once helped with a 105-page document.
• Answered phones during lunch breaks, precisely between 12:15 PM and 12:45 PM.
• Refilled the coffee machine and restocked sweeteners.

A good guideline is to focus on the experience that is most relevant to the role you’re applying to. While you may have held brief roles like these, it’s best to focus on the experience that best highlights what you’d bring to the table in the potential new job.

5. Including unnecessary graphics or pictures

A picture may be worth a thousand words, but when it comes to resumes, an unwarranted image might cost you your dream job—for a few reasons.

First, applicant tracking systems (ATS) can only parse text. So, for example, if you present your work experience section or skills section as a graph or image, the content won’t be searchable within the ATS. 

Second, hiring managers sort through potentially hundreds of applications. They want to quickly understand your skills, experiences, and unique accomplishments. Visuals can be distracting and make it harder to skim your resume. 

Third, biases are an unfortunate reality, whether they’re subconscious or blatant. While a headshot can help recruiters put a face to the application, it can also make the hiring process less objective.

It comes down to one simple rule: to get your application seen, you want to create an optimized resume for ATS that’s scannable—and this excludes using pictures and graphics.  

Imagine Claudia, a qualified software developer with five years of experience, is applying for a competitive role at a tech firm. Along with her detailed, well-formatted resume, she includes a headshot. 

The hiring manager, David, has an unconscious bias he's unaware of. Claudia looks a lot like someone he knew growing up, and based on her appearance, he makes assumptions about Claudia’s background, age, or even work ethic.

A few days later, another resume lands on David’s desk. This one is from Eldria, who has a similar skill set to Claudia. However, Eldria has not included a headshot. 

David, without any potential biases triggered by a photo, focuses solely on Eldria’s qualifications and experiences. So Eldria gets shortlisted for an interview, while Claudia (despite being equally qualified) does not.

Pro Tip: The free Teal AI Resume Builder offers four resume templates that can be easily parsed by an ATS and read by a human hiring professional. 

6. Poorly formatting your resume

A well-formatted resume isn't just about aesthetics—it’s about making sure that recruiters can easily understand your worth. 

Bullet points, headers, bold text, proper spacing—all of these resume design features help break up information and make your resume skimmable. 

Social Media Manager

Driven and successful Social Media Manager with 4+ years of experience developing and executing campaigns that have driven significant website traffic and generated leads, resulting in a 25% increase in followers and engagement, as well as a 20% increase in conversions across multiple platforms. 

White Mountain Holdings

Implemented a successful social media strategy resulting in a 25% increase in followers and engagement across all platforms

Developed and executed campaigns that drove significant website traffic and generated leads, resulting in a 20% increase in conversions

Collaborated with cross-functional teams to develop and execute social media content that aligned with overall branding and marketing goals

Social Media Strategist

3/2020 – 3/2022

Redshift Technologies

Developed and managed social media calendars, resulting in a 15% increase in engagement and followers

Collaborated with design and content teams to develop visually compelling and engaging social media content

Social Media Specialist

3/2019 – 3/2020

Summit Solutions Group

Assisted senior social media managers in developing and executing social media campaigns and strategies.

Collaborated with cross-functional teams to gather information and create social media content.

Skills and competencies

Social Media Strategy Development

Social Media Campaign Planning & Execution

Social Media Calendar Management

Social Media Content Creation

Social Media Insights & Metrics

As you can see, without using any bold, italics, underlining, or bullet points to separate sections of your resume, it can be tough to tell the difference between your resume title and your “Skills” section. Remember, recruiters see a lot of resumes, so make yours as easy to skim as possible!

7. Including too many buzzwords

"Synergy," "leveraged," "optimized." While these words have their place, overstuffing your resume with buzzwords can make it seem insincere. It's important to be genuine and use terms that truly reflect your experience and skills.

Experience:

Global Strategic Visionary MegaCorp Intl., Big City, USA - 2022 to Present

• Synergized cross-functional teams to elevate stakeholder engagement and maximize ROI.
• Leveraged state-of-the-art techniques to streamline, optimize, and reinvent the wheel of customer interface processes.
• Pioneered paradigm-shifting initiatives that transcended traditional business constraints.

Again, these buzzwords aren’t always bad—they have a time and a place. But in a resume, it’s best to use a balance of power and simplicity in terms of vocabulary. It may not be immediately clear what it means to “synergize a cross-functional team,” but it’s a lot easier to understand what it means to “collaborate with cross-functional teams.”

If vocabulary isn’t your forte, don’t worry—you’re not alone! The good news is that Teal’s AI Resume Builder has made it easy for job seekers like you to create powerful resumes that highlight your experience with all the right words. 

As a Teal member, you get real-time feedback and recommendations for how to adjust your resume’s wording to include optimal keywords and measurable descriptions. With Teal, it’s easy to accentuate your strengths and position you as an ideal candidate for the job.

Create better resumes with Teal

A well-formatted, professional, error-free resume is key for any job seeker—but that’s easier said than done! Fortunately, there’s Teal.

Teal's AI Resume Builder can help you build tailored resumes with optimized formatting, clean resume templates, and correct spelling and grammar for every job you apply for. 

Ready for a resume that shows you off as a professional? Sign up today and get started with Teal!

Frequently Asked Questions

What are some common design mistakes to avoid in a resume, how can i ensure my resume is tailored to the job i'm applying for, is it a bad practice to include personal information on my resume.

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Fixing Bad Resumes: 7 Key Improvements

11 min read

Is your resume failing to land you job interviews? When you try to write a resume from scratch, there are countless pitfalls you will come up against. Even job seekers who use templates can sometimes fail to make the right impression. The good news is that most bad resumes tend to share some similar failings. In the following guide, we will look at how to fix bad resumes and the mistakes you may be missing.

Bad resume example 

Before we get started, let’s take a look at how a bad resume looks. The below example shows exactly what you should not do when it comes to creating your next application: 

What makes a bad resume? 7 key improvements 

Can you spot the common mistakes in the above example? If not, we have the answers that you have been looking for. To help you learn how to fix bad resumes, we will be looking at each of the errors in turn. Here are the seven core things that make the above example poor. 

1. Ditch the ‘objective statement’

Problem: objective statements are old-hat.

In our bad resume example, you’ll notice that the job-seeker included an objective statement. In times past, the objective section was a traditional option in most resumes. Here’s how it looks: 

“Looking to obtain a position as a software engineer and apply my many years of experience and skills.”

The statement succinctly conveys your career goals, and lets any prospective employer or hiring manager know that you’re serious about the job. On the surface, that seems like an important thing to do, but experts now agree that the objective is outdated in the modern era.

Including this blurb on your resume is a quick way to show the hiring manager that you are out of touch. It proves to them that you don’t know what the current hiring expectations are.

Solution: Use a summary instead

So, what should you do instead of using an objective? Use a summary statement to better represent who you are, what you’ve accomplished, and how you can benefit the prospective employer if you’re hired. The difference in presentation can be truly dramatic, since it allows you to focus on your value as an employee rather than on what you want from the company.

In short, it means that you put yourself in the hiring  manager’s shoes and understand what they want from you as a candidate. You can then write a summary that meets their needs. Here is an example of a resume summary instead:

“10+ years of experience as a detail-oriented Software Engineer with a proven track record for gathering requirements then designing and developing applications. Excels at learning new technologies and applying them to develop clean and well-structured code. Excellent collaborative team player and an outstanding communicator.”

The summary enables you to provide a quick and concise overview of your employment history. You can use it to highlight your achievements, define special skills, and demonstrate your value. 

Use the summary to focus on the benefits you can provide for the employer rather than what you hope to gain from the relationship. Check out our post on writing a resume summary here . 

2. Shake up the work experience section

Problem: the work experience section is dull.

If you carefully examine the work experience section of the bad resume template example, you may notice that it’s somewhat underwhelming. Yes, it meticulously lists the candidate’s positions and duties – but it seems to be missing something.

It’s missing any real achievements that can catch a hiring manager’s eye. It reads like a dull recitation of facts, and lacks the type of context that today’s potential employers and hiring managers are seeking. 

There are few, if any, power verbs used in this laundry list of jobs held, and no metrics by which this candidate’s potential value can be assessed.

Solution: Define your achievements and add some detail

One of the major problems with this work experience section in the example is that it reads like a list. You have the unique opportunity to create an engaging section that details your biggest achievements to date. Don’t waste that chance. Make sure that you are specific in this part.

You don’t want to make it sound as though you simply did the basic tasks of your role. That is a foundation requirement. So, for example, you should not write the following: 

“Developed sales plan using new and existing resources.”

This approach doesn't show what impact your work had on the greater business. In essence, it gives the hiring manager no clue about your value.  Instead, use tangible results in your work experience section. Wherever possible, you want to quantify your accomplishments. Let’s take a look at how you can add something extra to the above statement: 

“Created dynamic sales strategy that boosted quarterly sales activity by 17%, increasing division profits by 12.6%.”

The additional specificity showcases the types of results that any new employer can expect if they hire you. If in doubt, you can always use the STAR method when writing these points.

3. It fails to showcase any skills

Problem: there is no skills or core competencies section.

The bad resume example doesn’t have a skills section or, indeed, a core competencies section. This is a standard part of modern-day applications. The fact that this one is lacking will make it stand out like a sore thumb. When laying out your resume, you need to make sure that you include all of the sections that the hiring manager expects from you. 

Additionally, the core competencies section showcases what you bring to the table. At a glance, the hiring manager will be able to see whether the skills that you have match the job criteria. 

Add some keywords! 

This resume also lacks the proper keywords needed to get past an Applicant Tracking System , or ATS. Most companies use an ATS to automatically screen your resume and one of the major things it looks for are keywords that relate to the position/industry. 

An average of 75% of resumes are automatically rejected by an ATS so you want to ensure you have the right keywords to let the software know that you're a match for the position.

Solution: Add a balanced skills section

A resume should have a list of relevant core competencies or skills. Not only does this allow you to easily insert relevant keywords and tailor them to each position you apply to, but it tells the hiring manager what they need to know about you as a candidate. 

Go back to the original job advert if you are looking for some inspiration. More often than not, the hiring manager will list the core competencies in the job requirements. Select any that match your existing skill set and include them as bullet points. When we talk about how to fix bad resumes, a quick hack is to also include a healthy range of soft skills . 

4. The language is unimaginative 

Problem: the work experience section is boring .

We already touched on this a bit, but it’s worth repeating: word choice matters. Your verbs should be active and powerful, and your adjectives should help to reinforce the importance of your prior job roles. 

Don’t just describe yourself as being “responsible for” some activity; choose words that are more active and productive. Here are some bad examples of what you should not be writing:

“Responsible for meeting the January 2020 sales goal.”

“Led sales team in achieving January 2020 sales goal, increasing sales by 23%.”

“Represented the company at trade shows increasing the new customer base.”

The goal is to insert value wherever possible. You want that hiring manager to read your resume and think, “This candidate is a real go-getter. If they can provide our company with these kinds of benefits, it would be a mistake to pass on the opportunity!”

You’ll also notice that there are areas within that work experience section where the candidate does promote value. That’s commendable, but even those areas could use some tightening to make them more dynamic. 

While benefits like increased accuracy and reduced overtime are impressive, those achievements would be even more impressive if they were backed up by statements defining the bottom line benefits they created for the employer.

Solution: Improve your writing style

When it comes to how to fix bad resumes, changing up your writing is the biggest improvement you can make. Your resume is a marketing material. As such, the language and tone that you use has to be persuasive and engaging. Let’s take a look at some good examples below: 

“Took the lead as company trade show ambassador, enhancing new client acquisition by 15% over previous trade show outreach.”

“Spearheaded a new sales strategy and boosted ROI by 23% in Q4.”

5. There are avoidable mistakes in the resume

Problem: there are spelling and grammar errors.

The bad resume example above has a spelling error, and even a single error is enough to get you disqualified. When the hiring manager reads a resume like this one, the mistake will jump off the page to them. It shows a lack of attention to detail. The hiring manager will instantly have a negative impression of you as a candidate and likely won’t want to interview you for the job.

Solution: Proofread, proofread, proofread

Always read your resume over and give it over to someone else to spell check and proofread as well. These seemingly small mistakes can make a major difference when you’re applying for jobs. You can also use a third-party spellchecker, such as Grammarly or the Hemingway App . 

6. The resume is not attractive

Problem: the resume design is poor .

Looks matter when it comes to good vs. bad resumes. The aesthetics in the example aren't really pleasing. Sure, the content is the most important part, but you want the hiring manager to read it in the first place. If your resume is unattractive, they might not bother to even do that.

Solution: Spend more time on the design

Hiring managers only spend a few seconds looking at your resume so you want to ensure your resume is neatly organized. Here are some of the ways you can fix bad resume designs: 

Choose a clean and simple layout 

Only use one (or, maybe, two) font types

Use plenty of white space around sections 

Avoid fancy colors or charts on your resume 

Create clear headers for different sections

Remember, your resume should not look like an art project. Instead, you need to make sure that it is easy for the hiring manager and ATS to read. Prioritize readability over everything else. 

7. It’s a one-size-fits-all resume 

Problem: the resume is not tailored.

When we look at this bad resume example, one thing stands out. It’s a one-size-fits-all approach. There is nothing about this resume that suggests it has been tailored to meet the criteria of the job at hand. That means that it won’t impress the hiring manager at all. 

Solution: Always tailor your resume

The fact is that you need to tailor your resume to have any real chance against other applicants. 

This approach ensures that you are properly addressing a given company’s job requirements. This is also the best way to demonstrate that you’re the right person for the open position. 

Do you need multiple versions of your resume? No – you can easily tailor your resume if it’s formatted properly. Take a look at this good resume example:

The takeaway 

Learning how to fix bad resumes can be challenging. Chances are, you are not an expert resume writer and hitting the mark is tricky. In this guide, we have outlined some of the simple ways you can improve your next application. Take a look at your existing resume and see whether you have made any of the above mistakes. Dealing with them before you apply for any jobs is a simple way to increase your overall chances of success. 

Want to gain the competitive edge? Let ZipJob’s professional resume writers take the lead. We can help you create an interview-winning resume in no time at all. 

Recommended reading: 

How to Get Your Resume Past the ATS Scans (2024 Updated)

9 Reasons for Automated Rejection Email After Application

Best and Worst Words To Use On A Resume

Charlotte Grainger, Editor & Content Writer, Charlotte Grainger, Editor & Content Writer

Charlotte Grainger is a freelance writer living and working in Sheffield, UK. She has a passion for career development and loves sharing tips and advice. Follow her on Twitter

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10 Bad Resume Examples & Mistakes To Avoid

Bad resume examples: 10 mistakes to avoid.

Writing your own resume is always a challenge. Even if you have browsed plenty of resume advice, there is still a chance that you are making one of the resume mistakes that cost you interviews. And, to avoid making these mistakes, it helps to know how bad resumes look like.

Our team has come across some really bad resume examples. The worst resumes feature poor formatting, unprofessional fonts, cliches, irrelevant work history, and spelling and grammar mistakes. If your resume has any of these issues, correct them to avoid missing professional opportunities.

In this article, you will find:

• four examples of bad resumes that show exactly what NOT to do
• 10 biggest mistakes to fix in your resume, and
• expert tips to create a standout document.

Need an effective resume that will help you stand out? Try our affordable resume writing services. We will match you with a dedicated resume writer who knows your industry. The writer will transform your career story into a compelling narrative that emphasizes your strengths and speaks to the needs of the hiring managers. Chat with us to discuss how we can help!

Bad resume example #1: Formatting issues

This resume has all the needed resume sections and details about the candidate's education, experience, and achievements. Yet, poor formatting ruins everything. Text aligned to the center is very difficult to read. Plus, the section headings use the same font that the sections do. Thus, it is difficult to tell where one section ends and the other begins. Formatting is one of the common problems in bad resume examples.

The solution? Align the text to the left and use a different font for headings. Removing the objective that doesn't contribute much will also go a long way.

Bad resume example #2: The king of buzzwords

At first glance, it appears to be a good resume. But once you give it a closer look, you'll see that the summary section is full of cliches like go-getter, self-starter, and maximizing synergy. Not a single word about what the candidate achieved in their career, how many years of experience they have, or what exactly they specialize in. The fancy design can be a problem, too. Such formatting can not open correctly with applicant tracking systems, and the human hiring manager will not be able to read it.

The solution? Use a clean, neat resume design with no photos, columns, or graphic elements. Instead of buzzwords and loud claims, include real achievements and experiences in the resume summary. The Work Experience section lacks tangible results as well. It would help to include some.

Bad resume example #3: Surprising work experience

This example of a bad resume depicts the job duties of a drug dealer accurately (as well as the consequences of such life choices). However, it is both illegal and irrelevant to his further career as a graphic designer. Irrelevant jobs make your resume less focused and make the hiring manager guess what position you're really after. At this point, it is a terrible resume that isn't likely to land interviews.

The solution? Remove irrelevant jobs from your resume, as well as questionable activity. If removing that irrelevant job leaves a huge gap, you can keep it. But be sure to list skills and achievements related to your target career.

Bad resume example #4: The font enthusiast

The biggest problem with this resume is formatting. Papyrus, Comic Sans, and likewise are the worst resume fonts. They make the document look unprofessional, plus might not open correctly on the hiring manager's computer. Next, the font is the same everywhere - job titles, degrees, and even section headings are not capitalized or highlighted in any other way. This makes the document look clumsy and cluttered.

The solution? Using an unprofessional font and design is one of the most common resume mistakes. But they're easy to fix. Change the font to Arial, Calibri, or Helvetica and boldface the company names and job titles. Focusing the Qualifications section on a specific position will also help improve this resume.

Now that you know how your resume shouldn't look, let's review popular resume mistakes closely.

10 resume mistakes that will turn off the hiring manager

Many job-seekers make the same mistakes that prevent them from getting interviews for their dream job. Here are the common issues to fix in your resume right now:

Weak job descriptions

To succeed in today's competitive job market, you need to speak through accomplishments and results. Hiring managers look for them in the first place. A list of your daily duties will turn off the recruiter or make them assume that you had poor performance.

Here's an example of a bad job description:

XYZ Company, March 2021 - June 2023

Customer service representative

• Answered phones.
• Processed requests from clients.
• Helped customers choose products and gave advice.

In this example, the job-seeker says nothing about what they achieved in this position. How many customers did they assist? Did they increase sales or customer satisfaction? What other functions did they have apart from customer interaction?

Be specific in your job descriptions, add figures and percentages, and add context to your duties. This step alone will help you stand out.

Multi-page resume

Let's face it: your resume is not an autobiography. Including job descriptions that take half of the page or listing all jobs and projects you had since 1995 will make your resume longer than necessary.

According to hiring managers, the optimal resume length is up to 2 pages. If you have a multi-page resume, consider removing jobs you had over 10 years ago, irrelevant projects and hobbies, and community activities. Look through your education and list of skills and maybe cut off some outdated details as well.

Remember to list your jobs in reverse chronological order. If you start with your oldest job, the employer might assume that this was your last employment, and will not look further.

Many short-term jobs

Today, hiring managers are not as suspicious about job-hopping as they were 15 years ago. Still, having a sequence of jobs each of which lasts a few months does raise concerns. The employer might wonder: are your professional qualifications not enough and did you underperform? Did you fail to get along well with others? Do you have commitment issues?

All of these questions can prevent you from getting interviews. Here are the possible solutions:

• If the job position only lasted 1-3 months, consider removing it. A short gap between jobs is better than a suspiciously short-term employment.
• If you have a few short-term jobs, explain why you left so early. If the company went through mergers and acquisitions or there were massive layoffs, you can specify that as a reason. Thus, the employer will see that resignation has nothing to do with your performance.
• If you left jobs because of personal reasons or a toxic environment, keep the most relevant ones and remove the rest.

Employment gaps

All bad resume examples above don't feature employment gaps. However, they are still seen as a negative thing. Employers can think that you lose your skills and competencies during unemployment, or that you struggled to land jobs in the past.

It is hardly possible to hide gaps in employment (some experts recommend indicating years of employment only, but that can be tricky). Your goal is not to let these gaps make a poor impression during your job search. For that, all gaps need explanation.

If you were unemployed from 2021 to 2023, explain what you were busy with. Chances are that you volunteered, did community work, took workshops or professional training, or else. Make sure that your resume or cover letter reflects it.

If you took care of your children, consider adding babysitting as your full-time job. Here's how it can look like:

Stay at Home Parent May 2021 - Present

• Engaged children with games and activities and promoted good behavior
• Helped elementary students with coursework, improving their academic results
• Successfully organized elementary school events and fundraisers

Irrelevant information

Your resume is a marketing document for a specific position. Thus, it needs to be focused on qualifications and achievements that make you a fit for this position. If your work history features jobs in accounting, customer service, and as a yoga instructor, employers might wonder what you are really interested in.

Say, you have the position of an accountant in mind. For that, you need to keep jobs related to accounting and finance only. If you have little relevant experience, keep customer service jobs, too. Go through your Skills section and remove generic skills such as time management, organization, teamwork, and adaptability. Keep the hard skills related to accounting software, principles, and regulations. Such a focused document will help you go further in the hiring process.

Spelling and grammar mistakes

Sometimes, the main difference between a good vs bad resume is typos and poor grammar. According to the stats, 59% of recruiters reject resumes with misspelled words and grammar mistakes. The logic is simple. If the candidate doesn't bother to proofread their own resume, they will hardly be motivated to deliver good results in the workplace.

Here's what resume mistakes really tell the recruiter.

So, where do you start? First, run your resume through the online spell checker to spot the most common resume mistakes and grammar errors. Tools like Grammarly and GrammarCheck will help you review and approve the corrections. Next, read your resume line by line and consult a dictionary if not sure. Have a trusted friend or coworker proofread your resume. Chances are, they will spot mistakes you have overlooked.

Want to take your resume to the next level? Use our Resume Editing service. At a very affordable fee, our expert will correct your resume content, improve formatting, and strengthen your writing style. We will fix all potential "red flags", ensuring that your resume makes the right impression on recruiters. Try today !

Unprofessional formatting

At ResumePerk, we have seen many bad resume examples with poor formatting. A resume with three different fonts including Comic Sans. A resume with bullet points in one job and paragraphs in the next one below. Resumes with uneven bulleted lists, hard-to-read fonts, and crazy colors like they were drawn by a 5-year-old. Such resumes will give a recruiter a good laugh, but won't help you secure an interview.

Here are some quick strategies to fix formatting:

• Use a popular resume font (as suggested above), 10-12 pts.
• Use a different font for your name and section headings for readability
• Left-align the resume text
• Write in bullet points, not paragraphs
• Remove any images, distracting graphics, tables, charts and else as they might be ATS-unfriendly.

No keywords

Nearly 99% of Fortune 500 companies use applicant tracking systems (ATS) to screen candidates. You might not have a bad resume, but if it doesn't have the needed keywords, it might get tossed before the hiring manager sees it.

Review the job posting and underline the skills names, qualifications, and requirements that appear frequently. Include them naturally when describing your skills and experience. Use the same words and phrases that the employer does in the job listing. 

Be careful with resume templates - many of them have complex formatting which ATS fails to read properly. Thus, your resume will get tossed even if you are qualified. 

In 2024, tailoring your resume for a target job and including keywords are the must-haves. It is time-consuming, yet a non-optimized resume will not land you an interview. 

Graphics and pictures

Many job-seekers add graphics, images, charts, and fancy formatting to draw the attention of hiring managers. However, the effect might be just the opposite. If you don't have graphic design skills, your resume might end up looking unprofessional and turn off employers. Plus, graphic elements are usually ATS-unfriendly. The system will either toss your resume or distort the content, making it unreadable for a human hiring manager. 

The best bet is to use clean, neat, plain formatting. Restrain yourself from using columns, graphics, charts, or else. Want to show off a beautifully designed resume? Publish it on your personal website or add it to your LinkedIn profile. But when it comes to job applications, use a plain text resume in MS Word or PDF. 

The overuse of buzzwords

Resumes with cliches make a poor impression on today's recruiters. A good resume in 2024 must be specific and boast the results of your work. If your summary section sounds like this: 

Proactive go-getter who works well in a team and has great customer service skills. 

Then, your resume needs a serious update. 

Remove the buzzwords and replace them with facts. Think about where and how you demonstrated your hard and soft skills in the workplace. Give specific examples. Here is how you can do it: 

Team player: Participated in weekly team meetings to share best practices, leading to a 30% increase in customer satisfaction. 

Attention to detail: Conducted audits of financial transactions, identifying discrepancies to achieve 100% accuracy in financial records. 

By fixing these issues in your document, you can transform a bad resume into a competitive one. First impressions matter, so it is important to convey your value as a professional proactively. As you correct resume mistakes, you'll focus more on what you can contribute and increase your employability. 

Need help with preparing a winning resume? 

At ResumePerk, we create competitive resumes for 70+ industries. Our experts can enhance your current resume, fixing major shortcomings and spelling mistakes. Or, we can create a brand-new resume for your target job. 

Unlike most resume services, we use a focused approach. We match you with an expert and they work on your resume until you are satisfied with it. Make the first step towards your dream career - order a pro resume! 

Our experienced writers can create a powerful resume suitable for each position. However, you may also request a specific resume depending on the job you are applying for, thus it will be tailored individually for your profession:

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15 Bad Resume Examples & Ways To Fix Them

A resume is a document that contains details about your academic and professional achievements. It also gives personal information including your name, address, contacts, hobbies, and skills.

Resumes offer people a glimpse of what to expect from you. In fact, when applying for a new job , you will almost always have to produce a resume.

That is because it gives your potential employer a preview of the kind of candidate you are. It is with this in mind that you must always ensure your resume conforms to the highest standards of quality.

Having a look at some bad resume examples and ways to fix them can be key to crafting an exceptional document for yourself.

Also Read : How To Respond To An Interview Request ?

Bad Resume Examples & Ways To Fix Them

Here are some of the most common mistakes individuals make when crafting their resumes and how you can correct them.

1. The spelling and grammar disaster

Whether you are writing your resume for the first time or just editing to add new details, you must always pay close attention to spelling.

If your resume contains a significant number of spelling mistakes , potential employers will view you as a careless candidate who does not pay attention to details. Documents with too many spelling mistakes are unpleasant to read through.

Keep in mind that spelling mistakes or typos occur even if you are the most skillful person when it comes to the use of computer keyboards. To avert this disaster, it is a good idea to proofread your work once or twice.

You can even go ahead and ask a friend or relative to proofread your work. This will bring to light any mistakes that you may have missed.

You must also form sentences that are short and grammatically correct. This will make it easy for anyone to read through your resume and understand each point clearly.

Take note that there are certain apps and programs designed to pick up spelling and grammatical errors . These apps can then offer suggestions on how to correct any spelling or grammatical mistakes you may have made.

By using such apps, you can quickly correct mistakes and have a resume that is pleasant to read through.

2. Fonts are not a joke

When crafting your resume, you need to be extremely careful when choosing fonts. If you go for options that do not appear professional, potential recruiters will immediately push it away.

Even if you have some of the most outstanding achievements with regard to academics and skills, the truth is that bad fonts will discourage employers from proceeding with your application.

Some examples of bad fonts include Comic Sans, Papyrus, Pacifico, Mistral, and Impact. These fonts may be extremely beautiful or attractive when used to showcase art and other entertainment-related information but can be annoying when used in a professional resume.

To ensure you make a positive impact, choose fonts that are considered professional. Some examples of the best fonts to use when creating a resume include Times New Roman, Cambria, Calibri, Helvetica, Georgia, and Arial.

3. Vague accomplishments

Your resume gives you a chance to let people know of some of your most outstanding achievements. That is why you need to be specific when giving details of each of your achievements.

However, a lot of people are vague when it comes to what they have achieved. For instance, saying that you were responsible for an increase in sales or profits may be true but it is not detailed enough.

Potential employers are interested in knowing how you actually managed to increase sales or profits. That is why you should point out some of the specific things you did to ensure increased sales.

An example of something you might have done to increase sales is coming up with a social media page where you posted information regarding the products or services your organization was offering.

Coming up with an app that streamlined communications within the organization can be another specific strategy you might have implemented to ensure higher sales and productivity.

The key is to point out things that led to an actual increase in sales and profitability rather than just saying the organization achieved greater profitability because of you.

Explore : Best Job That Hire At 15 & Even 14

4. The bad graphic designer

Sometimes people try to make their resume stand out so much that they lose the point of crafting one. Including flashy graphics in your resume may make it stand out but for all the wrong reasons.

The goal of crafting a resume is to communicate certain things in a simple and straightforward manner. Including graphics, emojis, and other animations in your resume may only end up causing unnecessary distractions.

While some people find it cool to put their photos on their resumes, the practice is considered unprofessional in certain parts of the world. In fact, certain employers will shy away from resumes with photos because of fear of a lawsuit related to discrimination.

It is worth pointing out that some companies use applicant tracking systems or software to process resumes. Graphics may hinder such software programs from processing your resume and you’ll therefore be disqualified before getting to the critical stages.

The key is to avoid propping up your resume with photos, graphics, and emojis. Instead, keep it simple and to the point. That way, an employer can skim through your resume quickly and decide if you are fit to move to the next stage.

Also Read : Best Apps Like Instawork

5. Irrelevant skills

When applying for a particular job , the recruiter wants to know if you have the skills and experience to handle the tasks that are relevant to the position you are applying for.

For instance, if you are applying for a job as a laboratory technician, your skills and experiences should match. However, a number of people simply put down skills and experiences to stand out.

As a lab technician, you’ll have nothing to do with playing basketball or operating an ambulance. Instead, the skills and experiences you list should be relevant to the tasks that are done within the laboratory setting.

Good time management, exceptional communication, adherence to safety standards, and teamwork are some of the skills you might want to claim. Such are the things that are necessary to keep the laboratory operational.

6. The sequencing nightmare

Coming up with an orderly sequence for your resume is another way to ensure you grab the attention of a potential employer. With the right sequence of events, your employer can easily skim through the document and find every detail they need.

However, many people simply overlook the importance of such details in their resumes. The first thing you need to do is ensure that you have your personal details at the top of the resume.

Some of these details should include your name, contact details, and address. These details let the employer know who they are dealing with.

You should then proceed to write about your academic journey and then move to work experience. Some people prefer detailing their work experience from the most recent period and then moving backward in time.

As long as your journey is captured properly, it does not matter whether you start by stating your academic journey or work experience.

Mark your journey by quoting the years you achieved milestones. For example, capture your year of graduation from university. You can also state the year you started work and the year you stopped working at a specific organization.

Do not mix up years when sequencing your resume. Either move from the most recent year backward or the earliest to the most recent.

Also Read : Best Apps Like Wonolo

7. The formatting joker

Formatting your resume is key to getting into good books with potential employers. The last thing you want is to have a resume with blocks of text that read like a novel.

Even worse is having a resume that does not have any distinction when it comes to headings and the main body of the paragraph. The key is to ensure that you include formatting to make your resume easy on the eyes.

Some of the things you need to avoid include inconsistent spacing, misaligned icons, and randomized fonts. Regardless of the substance of your resume, if you fail in formatting, potential employers will view you as a lazy or careless individual.

But to get it right, the first thing to do is use a heading at the top of the resume. You should also include subheadings to help potential employers skim through the resume easily.

Additionally, you can bold specific texts to show a distinction. Bullet points and numbers can also help make your resume easy to read through.

Make sure that your resume has different sections for academics, work experience, and hobbies.

Formatting can be compared to your physical appearance. If you attend an interview dressed unprofessionally , you’ll be struck out of the list of potential recruits.

On the other hand, good formatting is like dressing professionally to show just how serious you are about the position you are applying for.

8. Resume vs cover letter

Many people fail to understand the difference between a cover letter and a resume. For that reason, some end up applying with a resume without a cover letter or vice versa.

The truth is that these two documents contain different types of information. They are also quite essential in expressing your desires and showing your potential.

First, you need to realize that your resume contains an elaborate list of your personal details, skills, academic qualifications, and work experience.

A cover letter on the other hand is an expression of interest in a specific position at an organization. Your cover letter contains your name, a direct salutation to the recipient, and compelling details of why you should be hired for the vacant position.

If your document is a mix-up of these two things, the potential employer may not know whether you submitted a resume or a cover letter.

9. It is not an autobiography

When looking for a new job that holds the promise of better pay, you’ll probably be tempted to showcase everything you have ever done.

You do that in a bid to stand out from other candidates seeking the same position. But that can end up working against your interest rather than promoting them.

For example, if you have worked for under 10 years in seven different organizations, you might want to let your potential employer know about such experiences.

However, chances are that you’ll end up writing a resume that exceeds two or three pages. When your resume is too long, employers may end up overlooking your most important achievements and skills.

Remember, there are probably hundreds of resumes being sent to any given organization at the same time. Recruiters, therefore, don’t have the time to read through resumes with three or four pages of content.

They prefer going for shorter resumes that are straightforward and to the point. Instead of including all the work experiences you have, choose those that seem most relevant to the job you are applying for.

This will ensure that your message is in a one-page document that is easy to read through. As a general rule of thumb, if you have less than 10 years of work experience, keep your resume under one page.

If you have work experience that exceeds 10 years, it may be fine to submit a two or three-page document.

10. The buzzword-enthusiast

While crafting your resume, you are obviously thinking of what you can include to ensure that it stands out from the others. In many cases, the use of buzzwords or keywords tends to come up.

Some examples of these phrases include:

• Cutting edge
• Self-starter
• Thought leader

These words may sound powerful and can create an impression that you are really good at what you do. But that impression only exists in your mind.

Experienced employers know everything about buzzwords. As a matter of fact, almost half of the resumes they receive contain buzzwords and you’ll therefore not fool them with such.

Instead, focus on writing a simple resume. No need to include catchphrases or words that are rarely used by everyday people.

Also Read : Best Apps Like Upshift

11. Don’t mention weaknesses

When crafting a resume, you want to showcase your strengths and achievements, not weaknesses . That is why you should be careful when considering the type of information to include in the education section.

There is no need to point out that you got a less than average mark on your final college exams. If you scored a low GPA, simply ignore the issue altogether.

Keep in mind that there is no requirement for you to include your GPA in a resume. In fact, most employers do not even consider it when vetting candidates.

The only time you might want to include your GPA in a resume is if you scored highly. You should also include it if the employer requests it.

12. Exaggerations can hurt

While your resume should showcase strengths, it must never be turned into something to peddle falsehoods about your qualifications and skills.

In an attempt to stand out from other candidates, some people end up exaggerating what they can do. The problem is that exaggerations may get you an interview but what will follow is disappointment.

For instance, if you claim to be an expert in operating a machine and then during the interview you fail to demonstrate your expertise, the end result is that you’ll be rejected.

By exaggerating things on your resume, you only create a false impression that will not last for long. In fact, you’ll end up wasting your own time and resources.

13. Lack of career progression

Another common mistake people make is to mention their work experience without showing their career progression. This is especially true for individuals that have worked for one organization over a long period.

For instance, an individual may point out that they have worked with a particular organization for 10 years. But that’s all they note on the resume without giving any other details.

Instead of only pointing out the duration you stayed with an organization, go ahead and detail your career progression with that organization.

Under your work experience with the organization, include bullet points that show what position you held in the first year. Include other bullet points that show how you were promoted over the 10 years you were working with the company.

Failure to showcase your career progression may create a bad impression. Some potential employers may view you as an individual with no ambitions while others will not understand the value you bring to their organization.

Your career progression shows potential employers your ability to perform at different levels and the reasons you got promoted.

Also Read : Killer Interview Questions To Ask Employers

14. Bad references

Putting down a list of references in your resume is good practice. However, don’t be tempted to list references you had a falling out with.

If you had a disagreement with your employer because you constantly reported late to work or argued with customers all the time, ignore such references.

That is because when your resume moves to a critical stage, a potential employer may want to get an independent opinion of who you are and how you work.

When such an employer calls your references and all they hear is how you were caught in various scandals, then your chances of securing a job go down the drain.

It is important that you only include references that you had cordial relations with. Simply consider people who can speak positively about you whether you resigned or the contract came to an end.

Also Read : Good Reasons To Call Out Of Work

15. The wrong kind of personal information

While your resume should contain personal information, you should not throw in every little detail about yourself. For instance, there is no need to point out your age, nationality, religion, and race.

This information does not affect your ability to execute tasks, which is why it should not be included in the resume. When you include such information, it forces your potential employer to start thinking in a certain way.

For example, your employer will start thinking of how your age will affect company dynamics. They may also start looking at your ability to stay with them over the long term because of age.

Mentioning your nationality will leave the employer wondering if you are able to communicate fluently in a specific language. Your religion is another piece of information you might want to leave out.

Your potential employer may start wondering if your religion will constrain you from carrying out certain duties or if you’ll be forced to take frequent breaks to attend to religious customs.

If your resume contains this wrong type of personal information, the best way to fix it is just to delete it.

Explore : Best Apps Like Shiftgig

Having looked at the 15 bad resume examples and ways to fix them, it is clear that a resume should be simple and to the point.

Ensure proper formatting, proofread your texts, and focus on the skills and experiences necessary for the position you are applying to.

Tom loves to write on technology, e-commerce & internet marketing. I started my first e-commerce company in college, designing and selling t-shirts for my campus bar crawl using print-on-demand. Having successfully established multiple 6 & 7-figure e-commerce businesses (in women’s fashion and hiking gear), I think I can share a tip or 2 to help you succeed.

4 Bad Resume Examples

Here are several BAD resume examples—don’t do this! These are some common mistakes I often see people make on their resumes. Refrain from making these common errors and you will set yourself apart from the hungry pack of job hunters.

Bad Resume Example 1

• Don’t center everything! This makes it very difficult to read. Especially with bullet points.
• Don’t use too much white space, or too little. Balance your text with the white space around it.
• Don’t use the same typeface weight or size. It is difficult to see where categories begin and end.
• The margins are too small on this bad resume. It looks like you’ve crammed everything into a little space—too crowded. Margins and white space let your words and design “breathe.”
• Don’t italicize your headlines. It makes them look like a logo for a hockey team, or like they are running a race.
• Don’t use a font larger than 11 points for body copy. It looks too bulky and unprofessional.
• Too much color looks like an American “theme” gone wrong. It also looks a little like a cheap advertisement… “Step right up folks, here’s your chance…”
• The variation of color disconnects the categories and decreased unity. Nothing looks like it goes together.
• Margins on this one look pretty good though. Nice “breathing” room.
• Don’t use Papyrus! Unless you’re designing the poster for Avatar VIII.
• Don’t use overly decorative typefaces. They are too hard to read when used for body copy.
• Don’t combine decorative typefaces

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Bad Resume Examples: The 6 Mistakes You Definitely Should Avoid In 2024

Michael Samuel

As seen in:

Employers or recruiting managers come in contact with hundreds or thousands of resumes on a daily basis.

Some of which are bypassed or downsized while some are paid keen and rapt attention.

The question we are faced with is why would a resume be downsized and another given rapt attention?

Our selection of bad resume examples gives a perfect answer to this question.

In this article, I will show you what a bad resume is, several bad resume examples, good resumes vs bad resumes, and a whole lot more.

Let’s dive in!

Good Resume Vs Bad Resume Examples

There’re a range of resume errors or mistakes that can have an immediate ruin on your chances of landing a job interview.

Tailoring a winning resume that’s going to grab the attention of a potential recruiter is more of a fine art where even the tiniest of details can make the biggest of differences.

We have honed in on those little details that differentiates a bad resume from a good one.

What is it that makes a bad resume bad and a good resume good?

Let’s find out.

Good Resume Example

A good resume is one that is:

• Simple and precise
• Reader-friendly
• Impresses and gets the hiring manager attention
• Bypasses over 270+ applicant tracking systems
• Lands you an interview
• Gets you the job

Want to save time and have your interview-ready resume in just 2-5 days?

Let our CEOMichaelHR certified resume writers take the guesswork out of resume writing by summing up and professionally showing off your industry skills and experience.

Good Resume Example Template

Our resume samples are written by certified resume writers and this is an excellent representation of what recruiters are looking for in a good resume.

One of our customers, Ashphu , had this to say:

My resume writer Rolyns, did a great job with the format, as well as the content. He wonderfully conveyed my skills in a concise and direct manner. I started getting phone calls from potential employers almost immediately after the resume rewrite. See more success stories

A good resume as seen above can most definitely shoot your career to the next level.

According to a 2018 Study by The Ladders , they added that;

A good resume is characterized by a simple, reader-friendly layout, with a resume summary or resume objective statement up top.

How about a bad resume then?

It definitely won’t cut it to land you an interview.

Lets see why?

Bad Resume Example

According to a recent study by CEOMichaelHR , we gathered that making any of these resume mistakes below would be an immediate turn off to potential recruiters:

A bad resume is one that has:

Grammatical errors and typos (89%) Unprofessional email address (42%) Tasks based duties without metrics (40%) No use of bullet points (35%) Generic resume not tailored to the job (27%) Resumes with length up to 3 pages (22%) No attached cover letter (12%)

Graph showing the % of recruiters that would reject the resumes with the above errors

Bad resumes are common and a lot of people don’t know that the reason why they keep getting rejected is because of the resume they carry.

A bad resume won’t attract the hiring manager’s attention, rather it would be laughed at and won’t land you the job.

A bad resume sometimes:

• Takes the form of a cover letter as information is represented paragraphs instead of bullet points
• Exceeds the two-page limit unnecessarily
• Do not tailor skills and qualifications to the job the applicant is applying for
• Has a shallow work experience that is not tangible or metric-driven
• Has lots of bad grammar and typographical error
• Contains an invalid email address

Bad Resume Example Template

Find out : Is Canva Good for Resumes?

So, without wasting much time, below are some of the worst resumes we found.

Bad Resume Example 1

Poor layout

• A good resume should not look anywhere like a short story, and avoid the use of long blocks of text
• Your information should be split into designated sections and represented using bullet points
• Your work experiences and educational qualification should follow recommended formats of resume writing (chronological, functional or combined) depending on your unique situation
• Instead of adding paragraph and a lot of content in your resume – make it short and engaging. You can use a free online tool to help you summarize text, make it more engaging or unique.

Check out the bad resume below:

Bad Resume Example 2

Including too much information on your resume

• The professional experience section of your resume should contain experience, achievement, or accomplishments tailored to the job description
• Don’t go overboard providing unnecessary details about the duties you carried out in your past jobs
• Stick to experiences that are tailored to the job you are applying for and avoid providing too many details
• If your resume looks like the bad resume sample below, I guarantee that the recruitment manager won’t bother reading or skimming through your resume

You might also like: The Predictive Index Test (All You Need to Know)

Bad Resume Example 3

Not using the right format

While drafting your resume, avoid the use of random capitalization, special characters, unnecessary spacing, large font, and inappropriate punctuation.

This makes your resume incomprehensible for the recruitment manager.

The bad resume example below is so terrible that if it were to be used in any eye-tracking study, the recruiter would be left cross-eyed.

Bad Resume Example 4

Irrelevant skills.

Highlighting skills on your resume matters a lot because this is part of the criteria used by employers to determine whether or not you are suitable for a specific job role.

Providing skills that are irrelevant to the job or that are not properly highlighted is what I would call a total waste of time. However good your resume looks; your skills have a lot to say about you.

Find out : 15 Key Skills to Put On a Resume Right Away (+ Bonus Infographic)

Bad Resume Example 5

Spelling errors

This is another feature of a bad resume example.

Spelling errors are one of the worst things that should not be found on your resume.

A single spelling error can disqualify you immediately.

To avoid these spelling errors, ensure you go over your resume at least 3 times over.

We advise you give your finished resume to someone else precisely an editor to help you proofread.

This will help avert unnecessary spelling errors from your resume.

Not including action verbs

Each bullet point in your work experience section should begin with an action verb.

Adopt the use of strong action verbs in your work experience to help measure the level of role and responsibilities you carried out in your past jobs.

Recruitment managers come in contact with a lot of these bad resumes on a daily basis.

To be on a competitive edge, it’ll be great you take note and make necessary adjustments ASAP.

Bad Resume Example 6

You may avoid the use of a passport photograph

Except it is one of the criteria in your job listing, adding a photo to your resume may not be a very good idea especially when you are not good with graphics designing.

Your whole resume can end up looking shabby because of the passport photograph you have incorporated wrongly.

Bad Resume Example 7

Funny resume typo

Did you know that previous stats revealed 82% of recruiters would reject a resume that has typos or bad grammar?

Well, now the new stats reveal 100% of recruiters upon receiving a resume with typos and bad grammar would not only reject it but burst out laughing.

You’ll do yourself a lot of good to always embrace the power of spell-check.

Should I Use A Resume Template?

Using a resume template for a professional job isn’t a good idea.

The reason being that you won’t stand out as a lot of job seekers like yourself are probably using the same resume template.

We always advise you go for a custom resume template as this will greatly improve your chances of getting hired.

Tired of not landing interviews? Get our free 3-step guide to writing better resume bullet points, featuring 70+metric ideas you can use!

Find out : 32 Best Paying Jobs in Finance Consumer Services

Diligently follow these steps below to avoid tailoring a bad resume:

• Make a killer resume summary
• Include your contact information
• Include a professional email address 
• Tailor your resume in sections
• Use reader-friendly headings in labelling each section
• Choose the right resume format
• Tailor your resume to specific job postings
• Proofread thoroughly to avoid typos
• Choose legible resume fonts
• Cut down unnecessary information
• Tailor a metric-driven resume
• Attach a job-winning cover letter

Would you love to contribute, ask questions or share more tips on bad resumes? We’d love to hear from you!

Need help writing your resume? Our certified resume writers can help you tailor a metric-driven resume that land interviews 3x faster. Your CV can also have a professional overhaul at very affordable rates with our experts.

Further Reading

How to Find a Job in Dallas, TX- All You Need to Know

Marginal Analysis Skills Can Make You a Better Manager

Combination Resume Guide- With Templates & Examples

Table of Content

Unlock expert resume tips, start landing multiple interviews!

*The names and logos of the companies referred to in this page are all trademarks of their respective holders. Unless specifically stated otherwise, such references are not intended to imply any affiliation or association with CEOMichaelHR.

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Hiring managers are bored of seeing these résumé clichés. Here's how you can avoid them.

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• Job applicants can undersell themselves with tired tropes in their résumé.
• It's better to view it as a marketing tool, said career coach Jenny Foss.
• She said the mistakes she sees include using jargon and listing every job they've had.

Your résumé and cover letter are a hiring manager's first impression of whether your skills and experience match the job you want.

Jenny Foss, a career consultant and author of " What to Do (and NOT Do) in 75+ Difficult Workplace Situations ," said too many candidates fall into cliché that bore recruiters and undersell applicants.

She listed three mistakes to avoid.

1) Listing only your duties and responsibilities

Foss finds the majority of her clients undersell themselves to potential employers because they focus on writing the duties and responsibilities they've held in a role without highlighting the impact they've had or the outcome they've delivered.

"A lot of people tend to assume or fear that, if they don't have obvious quantitative results, then they can't share it because there are no numbers to highlight," Foss said, adding that qualitative results count just as much.

For example, you could highlight how you've transformed a team as a leader, she said.

To highlight your impact, Foss recommended going through each bullet point of your résumé and asking: "So what? Why am I sharing this?"

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If you've said that you manage Fortune 500 companies, for example, she said, ask yourself: "What's the significance of that? What's the outcome?"

You should show the business significance of what you have done in a role and why it matters to the job you're applying for, she said.

2) Jargon and buzzwords

There are certain cliches you see over and over again in résumé, Foss said.

She said candidates should avoid using the terms "detail-oriented," "track record of," and "responsible for" without qualifying them.

"If you're detail-oriented, show me an example in your experience section where your meticulous organizational skills came into play and worked out well," Foss said.

It's best to avoid company-specific jargon and acronyms, too, she said.

3) Including every job you've ever had

Foss said that just because you've done something doesn't mean you need to include it.

You don't have to include a bad job you left after a few months, she said. Or if you're worried that a hiring manager will think you're old if your career goes back too far, you can leave your first job out.

"This is not your autobiography. It is a marketing tool," she said, adding the aim is to give the hiring manager enough information to invite you for an interview .

It's also fine to include a career break in your résumé, whether it was for a sabbatical, childcare, or travel, Foss said. People tend to over-explain them or become apologetic, but there's nothing wrong with stating "career break" or "professionally active career break," she said.

Be unapologetic about it, she said, and move on to focus on your qualifications for the role.

Watch: Marketing leaders from Amazon, LinkedIn, Lego Group and more tell Insider what pandemic-fueled business changes are likely to stick around

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