Most rejected CVs aren't rejected because the person wasn't qualified. They're rejected because of small, fixable things — a vague sentence, a formatting choice that confuses an applicant tracking system, a gap left unexplained. These resume mistakes aren't disqualifying on their own, but they add up fast in the six seconds a recruiter actually spends on a first look.
Here are the 13 mistakes that show up most often, and what to do instead. If you'd rather see these flagged automatically on your own CV, [ResumeAce's free CV check](/scanner) does exactly that — no card, no limits.
Content mistakes
1. Describing duties instead of results
"Responsible for managing a team" tells a recruiter what you were assigned, not what happened because of you. Rewrite it as an outcome: "Managed a team of 6, reducing project turnaround by 20%."
Before
Responsible for managing a team
After
Managed a team of 6, reducing project turnaround by 20%
2. Being vague where a number would help
"Increased sales" is a claim. "Increased sales by 18% over two quarters" is proof. If you don't have an exact figure, a reasonable estimate is still stronger than nothing.
Before
Increased sales
After
Increased sales by 18% over two quarters
3. Using the same weak opening verb for every bullet
If every line starts with "worked on" or "helped with," nothing stands out. Vary your verbs: led, built, resolved, launched, coordinated.
4. Leaving an employment gap unexplained
An unexplained gap invites a recruiter to assume the worst. A one-line explanation — studying, a caring responsibility, relocating — closes that gap before it becomes a question mark.
5. Copy-pasting the same CV for every application
Sending an identical CV to every job means it's optimised for none of them. Adjust your skills section and a few bullet points to match each posting's actual language.
6. Including an objective statement when you have relevant experience
"Seeking an opportunity to grow" says nothing a recruiter can use. If you have relevant experience, a short summary of what you offer works harder than a statement of what you want.
Before
Seeking an opportunity to grow
After
Digital marketing specialist with 5 years driving paid acquisition growth
7. Writing "references available upon request"
It's assumed. This line only takes up space that could go toward your actual qualifications.
Formatting mistakes
8. Using a two-column or graphic-heavy layout
Icons, sidebars, and skill-rating bars can look modern, but many applicant tracking systems read left-to-right, line-by-line — content inside a sidebar or graphic can be scrambled or skipped entirely. A single-column layout is the safest structure.
Before
Two-column design with icons and rating bars
After
Clean single-column ATS layout
9. Choosing a decorative font
Unusual fonts can render as garbled text once a system extracts it. Stick to something plain like Arial, Calibri, or a simple serif at 10–12pt.
10. Writing a CV that runs past two pages
Recruiters skim, they don't read cover to cover. One page for most candidates with under 10 years of experience; two pages for deep, genuinely relevant senior experience.
11. Renaming standard sections something "creative"
"My Journey" instead of "Work Experience" can confuse both an ATS parser and a recruiter skimming quickly. Standard headings are safer than clever ones.
Final-check mistakes
12. Sending it with typos or inconsistent tenses
Past roles in past tense, your current role in present tense, consistently — and no leftover typos from editing. You've read your own CV too many times to catch every slip; a second pair of eyes (or an automated rewrite) closes this gap fast.
13. Never checking it against a real applicant tracking system
A CV can be well-written and still get filtered out purely on formatting a system can't parse. Run a free CV check before you send it anywhere — it takes under a minute and has no limit on how many times you can use it.
Reading a list is one thing — spotting these mistakes in your own CV is another. ResumeAce's free CV check flags them for you, and the CV editor already avoids the formatting mistakes above by default, across 8 ATS-safe templates.
Check my CV free →✅ Key Takeaways
- Content mistakes
- Formatting mistakes
- Final-check mistakes
Frequently asked questions
Which of these resume mistakes matters most?+
Unexplained gaps and vague, result-free bullet points are the two that most often turn a "maybe" into a "no" — they're also the two easiest to fix in a single editing pass.
Can a CV be rejected by formatting alone, even if the content is strong?+
Yes. If an applicant tracking system can't parse a section correctly because of a graphic-heavy layout or a table, that content may never reach the recruiter at all, regardless of how well it's written.
How do I know if my CV actually has these mistakes?+
The fastest way is to check it against a real ATS parser rather than guessing — ResumeAce's free CV check flags formatting and content issues in under a minute, with no limit on how many times you use it.
Is it worth rewriting old bullet points, or just fixing new ones going forward?+
Worth rewriting. Recruiters see your whole CV at once — a strong recent role next to a vague older one is still a visible inconsistency.
