In the changing world of work, your resume is still the first impression that your potential new employer has of you. But worryingly, our latest data reveals that many jobseekers are still falling at that first hurdle.
We take a look at the most common resume mistakes being made, so you can avoid them!
Over 6 in 10 resumes in the U.S. contain at least one spelling mistake
We analyzed over 90,000 U.S. resumes uploaded to ValueMyResume in 2021 to highlight the most common errors being made in job applications.
Only 33,881 of the 92,989 resumes analyzed were spelling error free, meaning almost two-thirds of resumes contained at least one mistake. 13.5% of the resumes analyzed contained five or more errors, while 1.5% were truly error-riddled, containing 20 or more spelling slip ups.
Among the most commonly misspelled words on resumes are “judgment” and “inquiries.” Another frequent fail noticed in the data is that U.S. jobseekers are using British English spellings, such as “organisation,” “behaviour,” and “programme,” in place of American spellings.
Table 1: The most commonly misspelled words in U.S. resumes
| Ranking | Most commonly misspelled words |
|---|---|
| 1 | Training |
| 2 | Modeling |
| 3 | Judgment |
| 4 | Program |
| 5 | Skill Set |
| 6 | Submission |
| 7 | Inquiries |
| 8 | Organization |
| 9 | Behavior |
| 10 | Honors |
Other common errors
Meanwhile, 19% of jobseekers filed their resumes under an inappropriate file name. This means that they included words such as “draft,” “V2,” “untitled” or “document” in the file name, which leaves a thoughtless and unprofessional impression.
An ideal resume should have a filename that includes the applicant’s surname and the word “resume,” for example “John Smith Resume,” so that a recruiter or hiring manager can locate the document quickly and easily. A resume should also be saved as a PDF to ensure that its formatting is maintained and not distorted in any way by resume-reading software that HR teams and recruiters use.
In addition, 13% of jobseekers submitted resumes that were either too brief or too lengthy. The perfect length will vary depending on years of experience. Resumes need to give enough information to give a complete picture of a candidate’s work history but should also be clear and concise.
A surprisingly high proportion of jobseekers (5%) included an invalid email address or no email address at all on their resume, a mistake likely to lead to immediate disqualification from the hiring process.
Check out our guide on how to write a resume to engage the reader.
Table 2: Top 10 most common resume errors in the U.S.
| Ranking | Common resume mistakes |
|---|---|
| 1 | Misspelled words |
| 2 | Lack of personal summary |
| 3 | Gaps in employment history |
| 4 | Inappropriate file name |
| 5 | Missing or invalid postal address |
| 6 | Resume too long or too short |
| 7 | Invalid or omitted phone number |
| 8 | Excessive uppercases |
| 9 | Invalid or omitted email address |
| 10 | British spellings |
Texans have the most errors on their resumes
Finally, we looked at the geographical breakdown of our data to reveal which region is most prone to making resume mistakes.
Our data shows Texans are the most prone to making mistakes on their resume followed by jobseekers in California, New York and Florida. By contrast, jobseekers in Alaska and North Dakota make the fewest mistakes.
Final top tips
Spelling mistakes, inconsistent work histories, and missing information are all red flags for potential employers. This is because they can give the impression that you did not take the application process seriously and aren’t fully committed to learning about the open role. Even amid the Great Resignation, it’s important to put your best foot forward with hiring managers to be competitive and land a lucrative role.
Take the time to outline your professional achievements and career ambitions throughout your resume. A succinct cover letter or personal statement within your resume is a great place to do this. Further, don’t shy from indicating your employment preferences, such as remote or hybrid, in order to set expectations and ensure any next steps are aligned with the career path that you really want.
To perfect your application, we recommend you also make use of our free resume checker tool, ValueMyResume. It automatically looks for common mistakes so you can get your resume battle ready and secure more interviews. Good luck!
Read more: Top 10 cover letter tips