12 Resume Mistakes That Get You Rejected (and 2-Minute Fixes)

Recruiters reject most resumes in under 10 seconds. The good news: the same dozen mistakes cause most rejections, and each has a fast fix.

Formatting mistakes

1. Spelling and grammar errors. The #1 instant rejection. Fix: run a spell check made for resumes — GoodProfile checks every line word-by-word and knows tech terms a normal spell checker flags wrongly.
2. Walls of text. Paragraphs get skipped. Fix: bullets, max 2 lines each.
3. 4 pages. Fix: one page under 8 years' experience, two above.
4. Text inside images or fancy graphics. ATS-invisible. Fix: real text everywhere.
5. Unprofessional email. coolboy_rahul2001@ won't get called. Fix: firstname.lastname@gmail.com.

Content mistakes

6. Duties instead of results. "Responsible for social media" says nothing. Fix: "Grew Instagram from 2k to 40k followers in 12 months".
7. No numbers anywhere. Fix: add 3-5 metrics — %, ₹, time saved, volume handled.
8. Missing dates on jobs. Looks like hiding something. Fix: "Mar 2021 — Present" on every entry.
9. Unexplained gaps. Fix: one honest line — study, family care, freelancing — beats silence.
10. The same resume for every job. Fix: 5 minutes of keyword tailoring per application (paste the JD into an ATS checker and add what's honestly missing).

Judgment mistakes

11. Biodata fields — father's name, DOB, marital status, religion. Remove them all; they add bias, not value.
12. Lies. Fake experience and inflated titles surface in background checks and reference calls — and burn the opportunity permanently. Present your real work in its best light instead.