Your resume is absolutely essential if you want to land a tech position. With intense competition for every tech position, and lots of great candidates, it can be difficult to truly stand out, and you want to make sure your resume and cover letter (along with your other application materials) are absolutely perfect. What resume mistakes do you need to avoid?

While seemingly minor errors can knock your resume out of contention, don’t let that worry you too much. With enough preparation and knowledge, you can easily avoid common resume pitfalls and ensure your application shines just as brightly as your previous accomplishments.

With all of that in mind, here are mistakes to avoid:

Technical Jargon Overload

While many tech pros love acronyms and technical jargon, you might lose recruiters who haven’t necessarily mastered the intricacies of tech. Peppering your resume with "APIs," "NGINXs," and "ML" without explanation is a surefire way to confuse hiring folks and potentially take up too much resume space. (There are other things you should avoid including on your resume, as well.)

How to avoid it:

• Define acronyms on first use: Spell out the full term followed by the acronym in parentheses.
• Explain your technical skills in layman's terms, highlighting the impact of your work.
• Use keywords strategically: Include relevant technical keywords from the job description, but try to keep things streamlined.

Not Highlighting Your Soft Skills

Tech jobs require not only technical skills but also soft skills like communication, empathy, and problem-solving. In that vein, don’t just highlight your technical accomplishments; showcase your soft skills with concrete examples and quantifiable results.

How to avoid it:

• Quantify your “soft skills” achievements: Use numbers and data to demonstrate the impact of your work.
• Highlight soft skills in your Skills section.
• Include non-technical projects: Volunteering, leadership roles, or personal projects can showcase your soft skills in action.

Forgetting to Proofread

Typos and grammatical errors will sink your application immediately. To a recruiter or hiring manager, these kinds of mistakes show you’re not a stickler for detail. Proofread meticulously and consider getting a second pair of eyes (or a grammar checker) to catch any lingering errors.

How to avoid it:

• Proofread multiple times: Read your resume aloud to catch errors that might slip past your eyes.
• Utilize grammar checkers: Use online tools like Grammarly, but remember, they're not foolproof.
• Get feedback: Ask a trusted friend or colleague to review your resume for errors.

Neglecting to Customize Your Resume

Recruiters and hiring managers know instantly when they’re looking at a generic resume. For example, the Skills and Experience sections might not feature information that aligns with the offered position. Every time you apply for a new job, you should customize your skills and experiences to the position.  

How to avoid it:

• Identify key skills and requirements mentioned in the job posting.
• Tailor your skills and experiences to match the job requirements. For example, if you’re applying for a job as a mobile developer, make sure your experience section discusses your mobile-development successes.
• Incorporate relevant keywords from the job description throughout your resume.

Overdesigning Your Resume

Your resume should be visually appealing and easy to read; don’t insert graphics or any other “trickiness” that could distract from the information. Instead, opt for a clean, professional format with consistent fonts, margins, and spacing.

How to avoid it:

• Choose a professional font (Arial, Times New Roman, Calibri, etc.).
• Use the same font size, style, and formatting throughout your resume.
• Don't cram too much information onto one page.

Not Double-Checking

Take care of these little details before sending any resume off:

• Your contact information: Make sure your email address and phone number are accurate and professional.
• Social media: If relevant, include links to your professional social media profiles, but keep them clean and appropriate.
• Job titles: Use accurate and consistent job titles that reflect your actual responsibilities.
• Words to avoid: Avoid overused words (“ninja,” “superstar”) as well as any cliches.
• Resume and cover letter align: Double-check that the details in your resume match those in your cover letter.

By avoiding these common resume mistakes and following these simple tips, you can create a compelling application that showcases your skills and experience… and helps you land a fantastic job.