Resume Mistakes That Kill Your ATS Score

Most resumes don't fail because the candidate is unqualified. They fail because of a small number of fixable mistakes — some that confuse the applicant tracking system, others that lose the recruiter in the first few seconds.

We've grouped the 15 most common mistakes we see into three categories: format, content and keywords. Each comes with a quick fix.

Format mistakes

1. Two-column or multi-column layouts

Many ATS parsers read straight across the page, so a sidebar of skills gets mixed into your work history. Fix: switch to a single-column layout. See the ATS-friendly resume format.

2. Scanned or image-based PDFs

If your resume is a scan, a phone photo, or exported from a design tool as an image, there is no text for the ATS to read. Our checker shows a clear warning for this and caps the score. Fix: recreate the resume in Word or Google Docs and export a text-based PDF.

3. Text boxes, tables and graphics

Text inside text boxes may be skipped. Tables can be read cell by cell in the wrong order. Charts and skill bars mean nothing to a parser. Fix: use normal paragraphs and bullet lists.

4. Contact details in the header or footer

Some parsers ignore document headers and footers, so your phone number and email disappear. Fix: put contact details in the main body at the top.

5. Icons instead of labels

A phone icon next to your number or an envelope next to your email looks neat, but icons often extract as strange symbols. Fix: use plain text, or simple labels like "Phone:".

6. Unusual fonts and symbols

Decorative fonts, emoji and special bullets can turn into question marks. Fix: use a standard font such as Calibri or Arial and simple bullets. More in best resume fonts for ATS.

Content mistakes

7. Creative section headings

"My Journey" and "What I Bring to the Table" aren't recognised as Experience and Skills. Fix: use standard headings — Summary, Experience, Education, Skills, Projects, Certifications.

8. Duties instead of achievements

"Responsible for handling customer queries" describes a job, not a result. Fix: start with an action verb and add a number. See how to write bullet points with numbers.

9. No numbers at all

Bullets without metrics are forgettable. Our checker recommends that at least 30% of your bullets contain a meaningful number (not just a year). Fix: add volume, money, time, percentage or ranking to your best bullets.

10. First-person writing

"I am a hardworking person. I handled my team's reports." Resumes use short phrases without "I", "me" or "my". Fix: "Prepared weekly reports for a 12-member team."

11. Too long or too short

A 120-word resume doesn't give the ATS enough to match; a five-page resume buries your best work. Fix: aim for 400–900 words — one page for freshers, two for most experienced candidates. See how long a resume should be.

12. Personal details that don't belong

Photo, date of birth, religion, caste, marital status, father's name and a "Declaration" add no value and take space. Fix: remove them; keep city and state only.

Keyword mistakes

13. One resume for every job

Each company ranks you against its own job description. Fix: tailor your summary, skills and top bullets for every important application. Here's how to do it in 10 minutes.

14. Different words for the same skill

You wrote "Microsoft spreadsheets"; the job says "Advanced Excel". You wrote "people management"; the job says "team leadership". Fix: mirror the job's exact terminology where it's accurate.

15. Keyword stuffing

Pasting the job description in white text or listing 70 skills makes your resume look fake once a human reads the parsed text. Fix: include only keywords you can discuss confidently, and put the most important ones inside bullet points.

Which mistakes to fix first

If you're short on time, prioritise by impact:

1. Readability first — scanned files, columns, text boxes and header/footer contact details. If the ATS can't read your resume, nothing else counts.
2. Keywords second — match the job description's skills and tools, because they decide whether you appear in recruiter searches.
3. Content third — numbers in bullets, action verbs, a strong summary and the right length, because they decide whether the human reader shortlists you.

Our checker sorts its tips in exactly this way: high-priority problems that block reading or matching come first, polish comes last.

Quick self-check

Before you apply, ask yourself:

• Can I select and copy all the text in my PDF?
• Is the layout one column, top to bottom?
• Are my section headings standard?
• Do at least a third of my bullets have numbers?
• Does my Skills section contain the job's key terms?
• Is it the right length, with no personal details?

Or skip the guesswork: upload your resume to our free ATS resume checker. It flags every mistake above automatically — formatting, sections, keywords, numbers, pronouns and length — and sorts the fixes by priority.

Key takeaways

• Format mistakes stop the ATS from reading your resume at all — fix them first.
• Content mistakes lose the recruiter in the first few seconds.
• Keyword mistakes keep you out of search results.
• Most fixes take minutes; test your resume after each round of changes.