4 Huge Resume Mistakes (You're probably making)
Why you're struggling to land the dream job.
I talk to dozens of high-achieving professionals every week.
They’re so talented, but often struggle to find their next role…
It’s honestly heartbreaking.
Because in a ‘perfectly fair’ world, the most talented would get the best roles.
But that’s not how it works.
Especially going into 2024, it’s about ‘playing the game’.
AI runs most of the recruiting these days,
and you need to learn how to build the systems that allow you to stack the cards in your favor:
one of them being the Job Application Process.
Even if you have great experience, you need to position it effectively to be considered for any job.
If you don’t, you’ll likely be auto-rejected by the AI resume scanning software,
before a human even lays an eye on your resume.
4 huge resume mistakes in 2023 & 2024:
1. Lack of customization
The AI software scans for how many similar words exist on your resume and the job posting. Tailoring your resume to include key skills from the job description greatly increases your chances of bypassing the initial screening.
2. Too much information / overcrowding
Overloading a resume will overwhelm the reader. Be concise and include only the most relevant information. This mistake often leads to long paragraphs, excessive jargon, and a resume longer than 1 page. This makes it hard for employers to find the most important details quickly.
Here’s an example of how (not) to do it:
3. Poor formatting / design
Trying to be ‘too fancy’ with design can confuse the AI software, meaning it can’t interpret your resume & will auto-reject you. Use a very simple, clean template. Don’t be like Gurt (sorry Gurt).
4. Not focusing on impact
Companies care most about the impact you can create. Your resume needs to focus on the quantifiable results, not the tasks / things you did while in the role. The following are bad ‘task’ based examples rewritten with a focus on impact:
Ensuring you beat the AI software is the first step to landing your next dream role going into 2024.
The job-hunting world is not easy, and I’ve spent the last year analyzing it deeply.
I went so far as to book 50 interviews in 30 days and land an offer at double my previous salary.
You can get the full free playbook (with screenshots I actually got these results ) at
To life, love & robots,
Delaney McGuire