Introduction

A perfect resume makes it easier to get a desired job according to the abilities and achievements of a person. However, you will face a competitive job market in 2024 if applying in any field. There are numerous talented and experienced professionals waiting for an opportunity and the easiest way to remain ahead of this competition is through an inspiring resume free from common resume mistakes. 

However, most people, either recent graduates or experienced professionals, usually make mistakes while writing a resume. Sometimes, these small mistakes can deprive you of your dream job. Here are the 20 common resume mistakes that you should avoid in 2024.  

Irrelevant Experiences

Many job seekers have experience in various fields during their careers. However, including all these positions in your resume for a particular position is not the right idea. Your resume should only include the experience required for finding a job. For instance, you should not include your experience as a data entry operator or server if your intended job is accounting. Including these experiences will only make it awkward for you. The only exception to this rule is for students or new job seekers who need to add any experience in their resume. 

Resume Builder

Finding a job has become difficult now but there are also some modern solutions available as well. Missing out on these solutions is like an unforced error. You can take advantage of one of many resume builders available in the market. Some of these are of a high class and available free or at a minimal cost. Formatting resumes on your own can take hours and a slight mistake can ruin your entire effort. Resume builders, on the other hand, let you create a resume conveniently without worrying about font size, margins, template, etc. You can have a nice-looking and error-free resume in minutes with a resume builder. 

Adding Common Skills

Adding relevant skills to your resume is a must for getting better prospects for a job. However, that doesn’t mean cluttering the resume with unintended skills with little to no value. These may include common skills present in most people, such as being a team player, being attentive, etc. It is also unwise to include skills present in most people in 2024, such as working on computers, MS Word, etc. 

Including a Photo

Including a photo in your resume is not recommended in most countries, such as the USA, United Kingdom, and Australia. It is due to laws against discrimination based on race or appearance. Most countries in Europe allow the inclusion of a photo in a professional resume. However, it is not mandatory and you can safely avoid it if feeling unsafe. 

Spelling and Grammatical Errors

Spelling typos and grammatical errors are perhaps the most irresponsible common resume mistakes in 2024. It is particularly unforgiving because there are now several software programs available that check and correct such errors without consuming time. You can minimize or avoid such mistakes by using a quality typing assistant (such as Grammarly) and asking your friend to check your resume. 

Employment Gaps

If you have long employment gaps, then it is a good idea to mention these gaps and give a valid reason. If you avoid indicating these gaps, recruiters generally catch these common resume mistakes and consider it alarming. They may think the job seeker is not serious about employment, making it difficult for you to get hired. 

Not Summarizing the Resume

The resume is a summary of your relevant skills and experiences. You should not make it a life story by detailing every professional event. A typical resume should be a single page long, but experienced professionals can expand it to two pages by covering their background. 

Making It Too Short

Recent graduates usually have no experience and their resumes can be too short to consider for a job. However, they need to make their resume a single page long by including important details even with a little relevance to the job. This may include: 

• Online certificates
• University projects
• Voluntary experiences

Error in Contact Info

Your potential employer will contact you after viewing your impressive resume. However, what happens if there is a typo in your phone number or email address? They cannot contact you and may employ someone else. Therefore, it is an unforgivable mistake if you are irresponsible and make errors even in your contact information system. 

Unprofessional or Outdated Email

You should have at least one professional email for reference on your resume. This email can highlight your full name, but it should not include your favorite team or singer. One of several common resume mistakes is using an old email address not in use anymore. This email may give the impression that the job seeker is not a tech-savvy person. 

Optimize for ATS

Many organizations in 2024 filter resumes through ATS (applicant tracking system). This software works like a search engine and tracks specific keywords that match a job. It automatically rejects your resume if it doesn’t contain them. These keywords in a resume may include experience in a particular job and its major features. Therefore, it is necessary to know relevant keywords and include them in your resume. 

Career Change

It is important to mention if you are changing careers. You should also mention the reason for this step and describe your skills and experience (if available) for the new job. Otherwise, the recruiter will likely reject you considering you are applying for various jobs in different organizations. 

Infographic Resume

Infographic resumes are becoming famous on the internet due to their striking appearance compared to the dull traditional resumes. However, these resumes only fit a job like a graphic designer. For other professions, infographic resumes create several problems. Recruiters may find it more confusing and reject it outright. Additionally, the ATS (applicant tracking system) cannot read this resume and it will be rejected in the initial stage before reaching the recruiter. 

Salary Requirements

Mentioning salary requirements impacts negatively on your resume. It is better not to include the salary section in your resume and focus solely on your experience and achievements in the past. 

Review from a Friend

You should get a review of your resume after completion. The review should be from your friend, family member, or a professional resume writer who can make valuable corrections to your resume. 

Personal Info

Recruiters only want to know your professional journey and have no interest in your personal information. Therefore, it is one of the common resume mistakes to write unnecessary personal details, such as your signature, credit information, etc. 

References

Some job seekers consider they can become reliable by including references from professionals in their CVs. However, recruiters may ask for references in the later stages and usually overlook such names while reading a resume. Therefore, it is better to avoid this futile effort in the resume and save it for later stages when it matters. 

Not Using Data as Proof

It is necessary to prove your achievements during your experience through complete data. For example, it is wrong to say that you increased sales substantially in your previous company. Instead, provide the sales you achieved in the last year or six months. 

Social Media Links

Most recruiters in 2024 check your social media profiles in the resume. Therefore, it is important to include them and make them presentable. Delete or conceal any private or inappropriate part of your profile. The most significant social media profile on a resume is LinkedIn, which should be made to look professional. 

Lying or Exaggerating the Truth

You can make your CV stand out by boasting about your achievements, but it can backfire. Recruiters become alarmed after viewing an extraordinary performance and ask intricate questions to reach the truth. Therefore, it is appropriate to give a true picture of your achievements without exaggerating or including wrong information. 

Conclusion

Your resume is the first step in getting your desired job. However, writing a perfect resume according to your job requirements and avoiding common resume writing mistakes is mandatory. Avoiding these errors can make a positive impression on your employers and increase your chances of getting a job.