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Recruiters Unveil 22 Red Flags From Resumes That Can Jeopardize Candidates’ Careers
Interview With Expert
In the TV series Friends, Joey’s resume had way too many red flags, if you think about it. Well, it’s a good laugh as long as it's fiction, but in real life, these can actually tank your career before it even starts!
Recruiters go through so many resumes that they instantly start noticing whenever one has such a red flag. When Reddit user scottlottle asked recruiters to share these, they didn’t hold back from spilling all the tea. Well, we compiled the darkest ones for you, so just scroll down and check them out for yourself!
More info: Reddit
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#1
Side note, the most annoying thing in applying for a job is having to explain any gaps.
ElfVibratorGlitter 3 days ago
Being unemployed also makes it incredibly hard to become employed. After like 6 months, you've got cooties and no one wants to touch you. That was my experience anyway.
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#2
A very unprofessional email is definitely one. You see some insane emails. I knew someone who got an email address that had “big daddy” in it.
For anyone who needs a professional email address, personally I find any combination of your first, middle, last names, initials, and birthdate are all acceptable. In fact any numbers but 420, 69, etc. And 123 is fine.
Panda-sized Potato 3 days ago
I have 4 emails: a professional that's just my name, for business, a private one for friends and family, one for shopping, and one for junk.
#3
Not HR, but recruited many times. Poor grammar and spelling. No relevant experience. Inconsistent fonts and layout. Too long. A well worded resume should convey enough in two pages to elicit an interview.
Pencil 2 days ago
Something to keep in mind is that (should your resume get past the bots and make it to a human) resumes are actually very boring to read. Dozens and dozens of people with very similar information. Most readers are just scanning it and skipping anything long-winded. Like all the people who won't read this comment because it's just too long. Keep it concise so the relevant parts are easier to see at a glance.
When you go through the list, some of these red flags will surely raise your eyebrows, and you will wonder about all the chaos recruiters have to go through. At times, they are disguised well for normal people to spot, but since recruiters have so much experience, they get quite good at it.
To learn more about these red flags and how they disrupt the recruiting process, Bored Panda reached out to Nicole Dias, who has been working in the HR department for over 7 years and has over 4 years of recruiting experience. She mentioned that one of the major parts of recruitment is the candidate's profile screening.
"I would definitely say that at least 80% of weightage is given to red flags while screening profiles. Recruiters need to make sure that the resume with the right experience is routed to the hiring manager for it to be a potential selection. If a recruiter sees a potential red flag in the resume, that candidate is probably an HR reject," Nicole added.
#4
When their job title says “entrepreneur” and their description just screams pyramid scheme.
#5
As a positive, had a woman apply for a job. Her cv listed her as a mother for the previous 10 years. She listed her skills and tasks like any other job. Prior to that she was in the army and in her bio she described herself as a confident, reliable and hardworking individual with expert “weapon handling skills and combat experience.” Which was pretty cool.
Red flag, the guy who described himself as a “third place candidate” in an election 10 years ago for a racist party. Like not only are you a racist, but you’re not even an accomplished racist!
Petra Peitsch 3 days ago (edited)
Successful SAHMs should be encouraged to apply or administrative, organisatory, ' keep-that-shít-together' kind of jobs, what doesn't need a special knowledge in some field.
#6
My father-in-law was once involved in a hiring process and saw a resume he threw out very quickly. Not only was it chronological instead of antichronological (not a red flag per se, but not very practical either). The first (and oldest) achievement the applicant put on it was her "shoelacing diploma". Yes, the thing we get in kindergarten when you have learned to tie your shoes. According to the applicant, it proved that she was a go-getter. To him, it proved that she lacked common sense.
Did I say that out loud? (he/him)cis/het 3 days ago
Seriously? A fűcking certificate for tying your shoelaces?
When we asked Nicole whether there are any red flags that can be overlooked, she smiled and said, "Well, we are all humans in the end, so some minor red flags (or should I say orange flags) can definitely be overlooked or explained away depending on the context and the candidate's ability to address it effectively."
She mentioned employment gaps, frequent job changes, career changes, and past terminations among other things. She strongly believes that if candidates are transparent and self-aware about all the above points, there's often a chance that it can be overlooked.
#7
Dude put "Netflix and chill" under his interests.
Warren Peece 2 days ago
Making he was watching documentaries to learn about your refrigeration industry.
#8
Depending on the job, when they include all their social media accounts and a headshot.
Petra Peitsch 3 days ago
Do you really want that job? Than why are you present on a sdocial media-platform with your real name? "Influencer" and "celebrity" is NOT a job.
#9
We saw a guy apply for a masters degree internship in a scientific lab saying on the last page of his resume that he had invented the seventh law of magnetism or something like that followed by a nonsense description of what it was. The rest of the resume was absolutely fine, and we reminded ourselves that it is always crucial to read a resume to the end before making any decision.
And piece of advice for anyone who applies somewhere and think they have an unrecognized discovery worth a nobel prize: have it recognized before you put it on your resume.
MindNumbinglyBoringJob 3 days ago (edited)
I work with a guy who graduated 1 year ago. Cannot find a job in his field. He told me he added fake experience and then made up a fake web site showing he worked at this fake company. He reeks of body odor which I suspect is the reason he does not get jobs . An older man at work gently spoke to him about it but he denies he has an issue. Educated and well spoken. Looks clean and dresses professionally but smells like cabbage soup left on the stove to long.
While speaking about a major red flag that completely obstructs the recruiting process, our expert stressed about candidates lying on their resumes. Nicole claimed that it can lead to a bad impression on the HR rep as well as the hiring manager and further leads to a rejection.
She mentioned that the candidate may not even be considered for a role in the future for that particular organization. "Even if the lie has not been caught by anyone during the interview, it'll hamper their performance in the job role once a task is assigned to them," Nicole explained.
"We have had such an instance before where the candidate couldn't perform despite boasting about it on the resume. Not only was he fired, but we also had to go through the recruiting process all over again. This caused a lot of inconvenience for us, and I'm sure he suffered as well," she added.
#10
Had to check a few resumes for our vacant position:
My biggest problem is lying:
1. Candidate says they have a lot of experience with a certain technology, but when asked, doesn't know anything.
2. Dates of employment or education don't match up. Had a guy claiming he had 4 jobs at the same time.
3. Experience doesnt add up: don't claim you have 10 years of experience with a framework created 5 years ago.
Fat Harry (Oi / You) 2 days ago
This goes both ways: employers, don't as for 10 years of experience in technology only developed five years ago!
#11
So not a recruiter, but I was helping my then manager go over resumes. We googled one dude, and the first thing that pops up is an article about someone getting tried for manslaughter or homicide for selling bad (hard d***s contaminated with something) d***s at the bar he worked at as a bartender, complete with extensive interviews from coworkers saying they were pretty sure he'd sold contaminated d***s purposely.
And we know it was the same dude, BECAUSE HE LISTED THE BAR ON HIS RESUME.
#12
As seen on a resume I received this week:
"Might or might not come to work".
MindNumbinglyBoringJob 3 days ago
As a supervisor I had a young man in his 20ties tell me he came to work to relax not to have me ( a middle-aged woman) nag and tell him what to do. Took head office far to long to remove him.
Lastly, when we asked Nicole's advice for candidates who are currently seeking jobs and how they could eliminate these red flags from their resumes, she emphasized these points:
- Employment gaps: Briefly explain the reason for the gap, whether it's due to personal reasons (e.g., caregiving, education, health) or career exploration.
- Frequent job changes: Emphasize the diversity of experience, adaptability, and skills gained.
- Career changes: Clearly articulate why you’re transitioning and how your previous experience is relevant to the new role.
- Past terminations: Acknowledge the situation honestly without assigning blame and focus on what you’ve learned.
#13
Not really a red flag but a resume that’s longer than 2 pages. And unless you’ve got 10+ years of experience, 1 page is fine.
A resume should be a knock on the door. You don’t kick the door down with your resume.
Petra Peitsch 3 days ago
Yaps, that's true. Nobody wants to read a novel for a CV. Especially, if 70% of it, isn't relevant for the actual job.
#14
Still spelling engineer wrong after getting the degree. Seriously - google that or listen to the autocorrect. I know math is your thing - not spelling, but still...
Sir Richard Fiddler The LXIXth 3 days ago
Are you sure you want to be an enjinearer, or you want to be a doctuh, or a techuh, maybe being a fumula wun raser.
#15
Saw this once work experience- dog walking
Reason for leaving - the dog died.
ElfVibratorGlitter 3 days ago
I think they just meant their services weren't needed anymore...
Well, our expert's insights definitely sound like wonderful advice all candidates can heed and implement in their resumes. Most importantly, they should definitely steer clear from lying and further jeopardizing their career, don't you think?
Also, we would love to hear about the other red flags that you have come across and we may have missed in this list. Feel free to jot them down in the comments below!
#16
Someone put on their special skills that they were involved in Movember.
Nathaniel He/Him Cis-Het 3 days ago
I have them beat. I do Manuary, Mebruary, March, Mapril, May, Mune, Muly, Mugust, Meptember, McTober?, Mecember as well as Movember.
#17
Was recruiting a while back for a couple of positions in my company. Got one cv that was 18 pages long detailing in minute detail everything this guy had done at previous jobs.
Another included a 75 page portfolio.
Suffice to say neither got an interview.
One of the guys that got the job brought a short portfolio of a few pages with plenty of pictures to the interview. Far more appropriate.
#18
As someone who went through the ringers in the architecture field and now part of the hiring process . My advice is to keep resumes to one page . We really don't have time to go through two pages of awards and merits . And portfolios that are above 10 pages really are not necessary.
We have gotten 30-40 page portfolios that are incomplete and look ugly . I rather see 5-10 good pages and a solid one page resumes .
It automatically signals fluff to us , especially when the portfolio lacks substance .
Through my career I have always done 1 page resume , 2 page portfolios, and letters of recommendation . Then on my resume or in emails I give a link to my full portfolio , and full website about my merits .
Also as of lately this whole " google architect" is real. For example , we have seen a latest trend in work not being original . Almost blatant copies .
#19
When my partner was a manager he once received a resume with a watermark tiger as the background. How he didn't hire them on the spot, I'll never know.
#20
The resume saying something like "keen atttention to detail" is one that always makes me roll my eyes.
#21
Finally this is my time to shine.
The first thing any recruiter looks at first is the dates on your resume, because the #1 thing we care about is if you can hold a job. If you go from job to job only lasting a few months, you’ll be rejected before we even speak with you.
#22
A blood stain.
What do you think ?
Guess Undheit 2 days ago
This all sounds nice but we all know the biggest "red flags" that won't get you hired: being a woman, not being white, and not willing to work free overtime while being underpaid for your paid hours.
William Teach 2 days ago
Adding pronouns in the resume. If they are using a computer to scan them first they will be discarded. Most HR will can the resume if they see it. Hilariously, I know one who works for a massive company and she said some will have their OnlyFans link in the resume.
Guess Undheit 2 days ago
This all sounds nice but we all know the biggest "red flags" that won't get you hired: being a woman, not being white, and not willing to work free overtime while being underpaid for your paid hours.
William Teach 2 days ago
Adding pronouns in the resume. If they are using a computer to scan them first they will be discarded. Most HR will can the resume if they see it. Hilariously, I know one who works for a massive company and she said some will have their OnlyFans link in the resume.
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