Reviewed 17 resumes in a day, recruiter spots common mistakes: 6 CV fixes that could help you land that job

In a job market where recruiters often scan dozens of applications in a single sitting, small mistakes on a resume can quietly push candidates out of the race. A recruiter recently shared observations after reviewing 17 resumes in one day, pointing out that many applicants were repeating the same errors. The post, shared on Reddit, offered six practical suggestions that job seekers can consider if they want their CV to stand a better chance.

The recruiter wrote, “Reviewed 17 resumes today and everybody keeps making the same mistake, try to avoid these things.” He added that he receives daily requests to review resumes and simply sharing what he kept seeing again and again.

Below are the six changes highlighted in the post.

1. Keep Personal Details Basic and Visible

One of the most common issues, according to the recruiter, is improper placement of personal information. He advised candidates to clearly mention their name, phone number, email address, role and location at the very top of the resume.

He clearly stated, “don't write your date of birth on your resume please and don't add more than this at the top.”

The message was simple — keep it clean and limited to essentials.

2. Add a Professional Summary — But Make It Count

The recruiter said the professional summary is usually the first thing that gets read. Yet many resumes either skip it or turn it into vague statements without context.

He explained that a proper summary should briefly cover who you are, what you’ve worked on, measurable results, and what you aim to bring to the role. Importantly, he pointed out that most people leave out numbers and impact.

In the comments, one user asked whether the summary should match the job description. The recruiter responded, “Yes you are right it should be matched, the reason is when they search for top candidates , they search for keywords related to the job and for yours to get picked out , it needs to match the name of the role, the professional summary and your work experience.”

At the same time, not everyone agreed. Some commenters said recent advice suggests removing summaries altogether, calling them redundant.

3. Rework the Experience Section

The recruiter stressed that work experience needs sharper focus. Instead of listing tasks, candidates should explain what they worked on, how they helped the business and the impact of their role.

He recommended limiting each job to five bullet points. When asked why, the recruiter replied, “Softwares can help you with most of this , the reason for 5 bullet points is , most recruiters don’t really have time to review your resumes, you have only 5 seconds to make it count, try and make it count because they still have thousands to review.”

Some users questioned whether important details might get lost with fewer bullets. Others said customization for each job application matters more than strict limits.

4. List Relevant Skills — Not Random Ones

The post also highlighted the skills section. Candidates were advised to include skills directly connected to the role they are applying for. If unsure, the recruiter suggested looking up common skills required for that position and aligning them with actual experience.

The idea was not to copy blindly but to ensure the resume reflects abilities that match the job.

5. Include Projects, Certifications and Awards

While not mandatory, adding certifications, projects or awards can strengthen a resume. The recruiter said these elements provide an added advantage and can differentiate one candidate from another, especially in competitive roles.

6. Avoid Heavy Design Tools

The strongest warning in the post was against using graphic-heavy resume builders.

The recruiter wrote, “FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, don't use a design tool to design your resume. Design tools like Canva can't be read by ATS, you're most likely filtered out before you even get to the human end.”

When someone asked if exporting as a standard PDF from Canva makes it readable, the recruiter replied, “it’s because it doesn’t render as HTML unlike the way resume softwares do.”

Other commenters partially disagreed, saying a simple one-column layout may still work. One user shared that he switched back to Word or Docs after realizing formatting might affect applicant tracking systems.