5 Resume Mistakes I See All the Time (And How to Fix Them)

After reviewing hundreds of resumes, I keep seeing the same five mistakes. Here they are—no sugarcoating.

❌ Bullets that belong to everyone.

"Managed cross-functional teams to deliver projects on time and within budget."

Could you copy that bullet and put it on your successor's or predecessor's resume? If so, rewrite it. Your resume should be a menu of your greatest hits, with each bullet point unmistakably, specifically yours.

❌ Not talking about people.

This means both directions. The teams you coordinated, developed, and led, as well as the leaders you influenced, presented to, or partnered with. We don't operate in a vacuum. Show me who was in the room with you.

❌ Skipping the context.

Where did you work? Where did your role sit within the organization? How big was your team, and what were you responsible for? Starting each role with a brief overview—something like "managed a 12-person sales team at a Series B fintech company during a key product launch"—gives any reader the frame they need to understand what comes next.

❌ Fussy formatting.

Two columns. Multiple colors. Skills graphs and social media icons. I understand the appeal of these templates and the desire to stand out. But heavily designed resumes often look less executive, not more. Clean and classic wins every time.

❌ Each job gets equal real estate, even ones that are 15+ years old.

Your most recent, most relevant, and most senior work should dominate the first page of your resume. If every position you've ever held gets the same space, something's off. Either you haven't done the work to trim older content, or you actually think it's more relevant than your current roles. Either way, it's not a good look.

(And for the record, I actually like including roles from 15+ years ago, especially for career changers and broader job searches. Showing your career trajectory can be powerful. Just don't give 2009 the same spotlight as 2025.)

Here's the thing about the first three mistakes: they all come down to the same problem. Most people don't know how to excavate their own experience. They know what they did—they just struggle to articulate why it mattered, at what scale, and to whom.

That's exactly what Paige Careers is built to solve. Once you upload your resume, the "Get Feedback" tool launches a strategic questioning framework specifically designed to pull out the stories you've been underselling and convert them into compelling resume content.

And because Paige handles formatting and automatically right-sizes older experience from the start, the last two issues are addressed immediately upon upload. It even auto-generates a company profile for each employer.

If you'd prefer a more hands-on approach, I also work with clients 1:1. You can learn more about my services at margaretgerety.com/services or reach out directly.

Margaret Gerety is a Certified Professional Resume Writer (CPRW), Certified Digital Career Strategist (CDCS), and founder of Paige Careers. A Harvard graduate and former attorney, she has helped over 350 professionals navigate successful career transitions.