Well-crafted resumes are the Gateway to Jobs
In a world where getting a job is no longer a guarantee, what should you do when you are seriously trying to land a job? Your resume is the gateway to employment. It is the first opportunity we get to present ourselves to any recruiter or hiring manager.
It is widely known that recruiters or hiring managers spend less than 10 seconds scanning through resumes. If nothing seems interesting in the first few seconds, you are out of the race.
So, what can we do to improve our resume and capture the hiring manager’s attention for more than 10 seconds during the hiring process?
Continue reading if this is for you.
Let’s make it count in the first 10 seconds.
I have divided this post into three (3) parts. Each part will consist of at least five (5) major mistakes to avoid when designing and crafting your resume. As such, we will cover five (5) points in Part 1. Read part 2 and 3 to gain a comprehensive understanding of this crucial concern for graduating students and professionals.
Jobs are only available to the most ready person
How to make your resume/CV count beyond 10 seconds.
I continue to receive numerous messages on LinkedIn from well-intentioned individuals who are desperately seeking employment. I appreciate people reaching out, and I share their worries and concerns deeply. I have been there before, and I wish I could help everyone.
However, what I have noticed in the past three (3) years, I have been helping students and early-career professionals, is that most of us make grave mistakes in our resumes. We need to correct those errors before positioning ourselves to attract opportunities.
Below are the first five common mistakes you should avoid at all costs.
Using One Generic Resume for all Jobs
Why does it matter?
Do you have the job description? You must recognize that not all jobs have the exact requirements.
As such, every employer can tell on the spot when they’re reading a copy-paste resume. A generic CV or resume doesn’t demonstrate genuine interest in the role.
Applying for jobs with the same resume can make it appear as though you are simply clicking the apply button everywhere without considering the specific needs of each position.
According to a Jobscan report (2023), candidates who tailor their CVs to the job description are three times more likely to get an interview call.
Recruiters want to feel that you have taken the time to understand what their company values and not just that you are desperate for any role.
How to avoid this mistake
Now, how do you avoid this kind of mistake? The key is to tailor your skills and experience towards the role. Before applying, review the job description and underline the keywords (skills, software, certifications, or qualities) that are repeatedly mentioned.
For example, if a role emphasizes “project management in renewable energy,” your CV should highlight projects where you have led exciting initiatives, rather than simply stating “project management.”
This makes your application feel like a response to the employer’s problem.
How should you correct it
Some of my mentees mentioned to me how challenging it is for them to write multiple copies of their resumes, considering they are applying to over one hundred (100+) jobs. And I perfectly agree and understand the difficulty here.
Now, the solution is to create a master resume that has all your relevant skills and experiences.
The next step is to make a copy of the master resume. For instance, I use this renaming format for easy reference among the many copies: “resume_your name_company name_year.”
Then, proceed to customize it to match the job requirements. You do not need to meet all the job’s requirements; however, you should consider aligning your skills and experience with at least 50% of the role’s demands.
Think of it as editing a movie trailer; you don’t show every scene, only the highlights that make sense for the audience (in this case, the employer).
Over time, this tailoring becomes quicker and more natural. You may consider using some online tools like Jobscan and Resumatch can even compare your CV against the job description to show where you’re aligned or missing.
Including Irrelevant Work Experience
Why does it matter?
Studies indicate that hiring managers typically scan a resume or CV for 6–8 seconds before deciding whether to keep reading (Ladders, Inc. Eye-Tracking Study, 2018).
I never believed this was true until I assisted some hiring managers in hiring electrical engineers in 2025. I received several resumes when I announced the role on LinkedIn, and I was doing the same thing without even noticing it.
If it’s boring from the beginning, no one will proceed to read further. You have lost another opportunity just like that.
That is, if your CV includes irrelevant experience, such as providing too much detail about a retail job when applying for an engineering role, you risk diluting the impact of your most relevant skills.
It’s not that irrelevant jobs are “bad,” but they don’t move the needle for the recruiter. You are unlikely to pass from the recruiter level to the hiring manager.
How to avoid this mistake
You must avoid this kind of mistake by first thinking of role prioritization. Not every job you’ve ever done in the past or continue to do needs to be front and center of your prospective job application.
If you need to include a role outside your target field (for timeline completeness), please keep it short and emphasize transferable skills.
For instance, if you worked as a cashier but are applying for an engineering role, don’t list “handled cash transactions.” Instead, focus on something like “built strong customer service and problem-solving skills” and mention those.
This is because customer service and problem-solving are unique and transferable skills that will be crucial for engineering work. This keeps even unrelated roles meaningful.
How should you correct it
Have you considered doing a self-review first? Take some time to review your CV with the lens of “Does this help me get the job I want?” If the answer is no, trim it down.
Consider highlighting only relevant roles in detail (with bullet points) and summarizing or omitting unrelated ones. For example, instead of a complete entry, you can use one-liners like “Earlier experience in retail and service roles (2015–2018).” Focus on what matters to the position’s needs.
That way, you maintain a complete timeline without crowding out your key engineering or professional experience.
Spelling and Grammar Errors
Why does it matter?
This is a critical mistake that can end your chances of getting hired. A single typo (may seem like a lie because words have meanings) can sink your chances. Surveys consistently show that over 77% of hiring managers will immediately reject a CV with typos or bad grammar (ERE, 2020).
Errors suggest carelessness and a lack of attention to detail, two traits no employer wants. Especially in technical fields like engineering, accuracy matters.
If you can make simple mistakes in your CV, then you are most likely to cause serious errors in your reports, models, or calculations.
How to avoid this mistake
Never trust yourself alone to catch every error. Proofread your CV multiple times. Also consider leveraging tools like Grammarly and ProWritingAid to catch visible mistakes.
Another strategy will be to print your CV and read it aloud. Mistakes often “hide” on a glowing screen but pop out when you read on paper or say it aloud.
Better yet, ask a trusted colleague or mentor to review it; fresh eyes spot what you may have missed.
How should you correct it
Make things easier for yourself. Use appropriate tools or resources, such as online dictionaries, to check spellings. For words like company names or related terms in the industry, confirm those spellings by checking the organization’s website.
If you misspell the company’s name, you may inadvertently disqualify yourself.
Once cleaned, save your CV in PDF format to prevent formatting shifts that might introduce new issues when opened on different devices. A clean, error-free CV signals professionalism before you even step in the door.
Using Informal Language or Jargons
Why does it matter?
I used to make similar mistakes of using “fancy” or “big terms” on my resume until I realized it never served me well. As such, do not be tempted by fancy terms.
Overloading your CV with technical jargon might seem like a way to showcase expertise, but it can backfire. Most recruiters, especially HR staff, who are often the first screeners, may not fully understand deeply technical terms.
You need the first person looking at your resume to understand your skills and experience that can bring on board. Therefore, give yourself the chance to be understood.
If your CV is unreadable to them, they’ll likely move on to another candidate. According to a LinkedIn hiring trends survey (2022), recruiters prefer clear, results-focused language over an “alphabet soup” of acronyms.
How to avoid this mistake
You need to strike a balance of words or terms. Firstly, it is essential to know the job description (JD) and some key terms within it.
Use industry-standard terms, but always provide context. Instead of just writing “implemented SCADA integration for DERs,” you can say “integrated SCADA systems with distributed energy resources, which improved system monitoring efficiency by 98.9%.”
That way, even a non-technical reader grasps the impact of your work.
How should you correct it
Now, let’s consider how we can correct this mistake. Start by reviewing your CV and highlighting all acronyms or technical jargon. Imagine you are an engineer and your cousin is a nurse, ask yourself: Would my cousin in a different field understand this?
If not, simplify without losing credibility of your experience. You can keep acronyms if they’re standard (e.g., CAD, MATLAB), but define niche ones at least once. Clarity makes your CV accessible to both HR and the technical manager.
Unnecessary Long Paragraphs
Why does it matter?
As I mentioned earlier on the second point above, recruiters or hiring managers spend less than 10 seconds checking dozens of resumes. You do not want to be left out all the time.
Recruiters scan, they don’t read novels. Dense paragraphs bury your accomplishments. According to an article by “HR DIVE, Eye-tracking research (TheLadders, 2018) showed recruiters spend only 7.4 seconds making an initial decision.
Long walls of text almost guarantee your highlights get skipped by the hiring process.
How to avoid this mistake
This is an avoidable mistake, and you shouldn’t worry much. For every role or experience, break the descriptions into 3–5 crisp bullet points.
Start with a strong action verb (“led,” “designed,” “achieved”). Consider formatting, like bolding key skills or outcomes, to guide the reader’s eye.
Think of your resume or CV as a menu, not a textbook: recruiters should be able to instantly identify what matters to the role you are applying for.
How should you correct it
Rewrite any paragraph into scannable bullets. Example: instead of “I was responsible for overseeing team schedules, project management, and client communications while ensuring compliance…” → write:
- Led project scheduling for 10+ cross-functional teams
- Coordinated client communications, reducing response time by 30%
Using bullet points enhances readability and streamlines the hiring process for the team.
Summary
Taking your career seriously has never been scarier than it is now, in our time, when AI assistants and automation may take away some roles.
We all need to strive for more than the bare minimum. It starts with you and the career goals you have set to achieve.
In this post, five common mistakes have been discussed. However, that is not all.
There will be a follow-up post to cover parts 2 and 3 of the painful mistakes you should avoid to land opportunities.
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Which of the mistakes would you correct today? Let talk about that in the comments.
12 Responses
Thank you very much sir
It really helpful for me because I can’t count how many applications compared to interview call.
It’s a great pleasure. Glad it’s helpful to you.
Best wishes
Very helpful indeed
Thank you. It’s a pleasure
This is very helpful.
Thank you very much Sir.
It’s a great pleasure, Ismael. Best regards
Thank you so much, very insightful
It’s a great pleasure and well appreciated. Glad it helps.
Thank you for sharing. I learnt a lot
Thank you, Charles. It’s a pleasure!
Very insightful piece of information here, Mr Shaibu Ibrahim.Anticipating for follow up posts on this topic.Thank you.
thank you, Oliver. Well appreciated!