10 common resume mistakes to avoid 2026

You’ve been applying for jobs like crazy, but it seems like every one of them has vanished into the internet’s abyss, and do you wonder why you aren’t getting any interviews? We’re prepared to wager that it’s not because you lack qualifications or are just insufficient, this is most likely due to common resume mistakes to avoid.

If you want to stand out you need to have something instantly appealing on your resume that makes you seize that interview opportunity.

(And remember, the ONLY purpose of a resume is to get you that interview!)

Here are the most important points that we will mention in our article:

• 10 common resume mistakes to avoid.
• Find out how to avoid these mistakes.
• Important tips to get a good resume.
• The most important questions about mistakes resume.

Here are a few things you should consider while preparing your resume.

Objective – An old fashioned start

Every other resume has it and honestly saying it doesn’t do great, obviously you are applying for a job and your objective is to get the role, no need to waste that precious space by writing those cheesy lines.

If something is really unique about you like change of domain or work area, it would be a good idea to add a little brief or a summary.

Use cover letters about your objectives and why you want the job, don’t be confused between the content of resume and cover letter, things like your objective, why you will be a good fit for the organization etc. should be put on a one pager comprehensive cover letter.

Personal details

Most of the time it’s not preferred to include your marital status, religious beliefs or preference, social security or identification numbers , unless it’s required for the role you are applying for or the region you are applying in.

This used to be a standard in the past, but today all this information leads to discrimination, racism and other illegitimate things.

Feel free to register on our site and get lots of resume templates.

Avoid Typos & Grammatical Errors

Your resume is your first point of contact between you and your potential employer, try not to give a bad impression by doing those silly typos and grammatical errors.
For e.g. don’t use present tense for the past job etc.
Only your current job should be written in present tense, proofread your resume many times, let it read by other peers and seniors around you, get it checked by a professional if possible.

Work Experiences

There has been a great debate about writing work experiences on your resume, about what to include, should only relevant experience be included or otherwise? Should I include all my experiences even the earliest ones? Etc.

What i suggest is to take a moderate approach, include all you recent experiences as it shows what you have been doing in last 5 or 10 years, try not to include irrelevant experiences if you have done something that doesn’t relates to your core work area.

Also, if you have more than 15 years of experience under your belt, try to make another section ‘Prior Experience’ and consolidate your early experiences over there, in a couple of lines.

Read more: Writing a Resume without Work Experience

Contact Details

Recruiters look for the best and easiest way to reach to you, they are not interested in your whereabouts and how many email addresses and mobile numbers you have, be professional and precise about your contact details.

Don’t use that fancy immature childish email address.

Be decent in your email addresses, give one reachable contact number instead of your residential mailing address, also try to add a link to your professional profile like LinkedIn.

Be Real, Be Honest, Be Truthful | common resume mistakes to avoid

Don’t pretend to be what you are not, recruiters don’t find it impressive if you are applying for a software engineering role and you can fix a rocket as well, additional qualities are good and will make you distinguish among others.

only if it is relevant to your core profession, don’t tell blatant lies about yourself, don’t write anything that you can’t defend in interview.

If you are learning something new, show yourself as a fast learner not as an expert just to land that job, hiring companies mostly look for the passion to learn and your capability to rapidly adapt with the fast paced changing world.

Read more: 10 Essential Resume Sections

Size Matters

💡 Smart Tip: Skip the formatting headache! Use our AI resume builder and create a professional resume in minutes.

Lengthy resume and prolong texts does not mean that you are a highly talented and skilled professional, most surveys about resume says that lengthy CVs are a biggest NO for recruiters.

Try to be comprehensive while elaborative about your resume, select right words, use the space diligently and try to fit yourself in that one or two page area.

make good use of those white spaces in such a way that a few seconds glance on your resume should define you aptly.

Hobbies, Why ?

Nobody cares about what you do in your free time if it doesn’t concern the job you are applying for, save that white space on the paper and put something reasonable.

Styling, catchy yet understandable

Take proper care while selection of fonts and its size, don’t use too big or too small font, don’t use old fashioned fonts like ‘Times New Roman’, use Raleway instead.

Most people reduce the font size to fit in more in less space, don’t make your recruiter’s eyes suffer by reading such small size text, select a clear font with proper size that makes sense and give a clean and sleek look to your resume.

Bullets are good to attract attention to most important aspects of your resume but don’t overload your resume with bullets. Format your CV properly, make proper size and readable sections, indent it well, be consistent with date formats and stick to it throughout.

Personal Pronouns

Its your resume and obviously it’s about you, so don’t use words like “I,” “me,” “she,” or “my,”.

Technically saying it’s your CV that’s telling about you, not you. By using The FREE Styling CV’s Resume Builder you can create the Resume that opens doors for you.

Lessons Learned: common resume mistakes to avoid

It might be a pain to develop and perfect your resume, which is why Styling CV‘s resume builder is among the simplest tools you can use to come up with a standout resume that attracts employers.

Use our templates to get jobs at well-known companies like Tesla, Spotify, and Amazon to begin with.

You may now land your dream job since you’re self-assured and prepared to stand out.

Making a standout CV is a difficult task. Sometimes all we need is a little prodding, a gentle reminder of what’s crucial to include or exclude.

Create your resume right away using Styling CV.

FAQ about common resume mistakes to avoid

1-What mistakes should be avoided while making your resume?

The Top 8 Resume Mistakes to Avoid.

1. Mistakes in grammar and spelling.
2. Absence of details.
3. using a “one-size-fits-all” strategy.
4. Highlighting Tasks Rather Than Results
5. dragging things out or making them too brief.
6. a poor summary
7. Without action verbs.
8. Not Including Vital Information.

2-What makes a resume Bad?

A poor resume lacks verifiable and unique outcomes. Explain how you used your expertise to produce tangible results for your employer rather than listing the jobs you perform or discussing the accomplishments of your organization.

3-How do I know if my resume is good?

Is My Resume Good?

• It helps you land interviews for jobs.
• include measurements and statistics rather than just text.
• centered on tasks rather than outcomes.
• well-paced and skimmable.
• suited for the task.
• Keyword-optimized.
• Error-free.
• Professional-looking and contemporary.

For more comprehensive information on resume writing and job search in Saudi Arabia:

• Top 10 In-Demand Jobs in Saudi Arabia for 2026
• How to Write a Winning Resume for Saudi Arabia in 2026
• How to Get a Job in Saudi Arabia as a Foreigner