HR Recruiters Are Sharing The Biggest Red Flags They See On Resumes, And I'm Taking Notes
Before you get your dream job, it all starts with an interview. But to get there, you need just the *right* resume a company is looking for. Reddit user scottlottle asked, "HR recruiters, what is considered a huge red flag on someone's resume?" Tons of people chimed in with thoughts on the perfect length to the glaringly obvious things to omit. Here's what to keep in mind before your next job application goes out:
Note: Some submissions are from this Reddit thread.
1."I once reviewed a CV that began with the words: 'When I first struggled out of my mother's womb.' This is a good example of what not to write."
2."Dude put 'Netflix and chill' under his interests."
3."Still spelling engineer wrong after getting the degree. Seriously, Google that or listen to autocorrect. I know math is your thing, not spelling, but still..."
4."When their job title says 'entrepreneur' and their description screams pyramid scheme."
5."My father-in-law was once involved in a hiring process and saw a resume he threw out very quickly. Not only was it chronological instead of antichronological (not a red flag per se, but not very practical either). The first (and oldest) achievement the applicant put on it was her shoe-tying diploma. Yes, the thing we get in kindergarten when you learn to tie your shoes. According to the applicant, it proved that she was a go-getter. To him, it proved that she lacked common sense."
6."Do not submit a joint application with your spouse."
7."The resume is handwritten in pencil on notebook paper and has a plastic cover like a book report. I'm not a recruiter, but I worked for a company with a problem employee. One day, I saw his resume."
8."A resume that's longer than two pages. Unless you've got 10+ years of experience, one page is fine. A resume should be a knock on the door. You don't kick the door down with your resume."
9."I had to check a few resumes for our vacant position. My biggest problem is lying. The candidate says they have experience with a certain technology but don't know anything when asked. Dates of employment or education don't match up. I had a guy claiming he had four jobs at the same time. Experience doesn't add up. Don't claim you have 10 years of experience with a framework created five years ago."
10."Depending on the job, when they include all their social media accounts and a headshot."
11."Verifiable lying. Don't lie on your resume. If we catch it easily, you look dishonest and stupid. I've seen people put positions on their resume where they falsely claimed to have worked with someone by name. As in, 'Oh, do you know X? She and I worked together on that.' What was the plan there? Hope we won't notice?"
12."Extracurricular activities include 'enjoying hookahs and listening to Bob Marley.'"
13."It doesn't bother me as long as it's grammatically correct and not unnecessarily wordy. So don't type out long-winded full paragraphs with tons of weird vocabulary to try to sound professional. Just keep it to the point and error-free."
14."New to the human resources thing, but after reviewing 100+ resumes in the last week, I can say one thing — just use black font. Not green, not blue, not pink, just black."
15."Fluent in European. Really."
16."A very unprofessional email is one. You see some wild emails. I knew someone with an email address that had 'big daddy' in it. If you need a professional email address, any combination of your first, middle, and last name, initials, or birthdate is acceptable. Any numbers but 420, 69, and 123 are fine."
17."Obvious overselling. You were a barista at Starbucks. You took orders and made coffee. Don't tell me you were 'in charge of creating an uplifting ordering experience.' If you oversell silly things, I'm going to assume you're overselling the more significant things, too."
18."Not HR, but recruited many times. Poor grammar and spelling. No relevant experience. Inconsistent fonts and layout. Too long. A well-worded resume should convey enough in two pages to elicit an interview."
19.And finally, "Quantify your accomplishments. Having vague things on your resume like, 'Contributed to the team to accomplish a task on time' means nothing to me. Something like, 'Created process bringing close day from Day 15 to Day 7 and saved $10K in cost reductions.' Now that speaks a LOT more."
What's your biggest resume red flag? Share it in the comments!
Note: Some responses have been edited for length and/or clarity.
