7 common resume mistakes to avoid for a stronger resume.

If you’ve sent off application after application and heard nothing back, you’re not alone, and it rarely means you weren’t good enough for the job. More often, the resume made the recruiter or hiring manager work too hard to see it. Someone screening dozens of applications wants a quick answer to one question: does this person fit? Small resume mistakes have a way of blurring that answer.

That matters more right now. Singapore still had 1.48 job vacancies for every unemployed person in June 2026, yet retrenchments climbed to 4,620 in the second quarter and fewer retrenched residents found work within six months, according to the Ministry of Manpower (MOM). In practice, more experienced people are applying for the same roles.

The good news is that the mistakes we see most often are also the easiest to fix.

7 common resume mistakes and how to avoid them

1. using an objective statement instead of a professional summary

Objective statements tell an employer what you want at the very moment they’re trying to work out what you offer. A professional summary does that job far better. In two or three lines, set out your expertise, the result you’re proudest of and the kind of role you’re aiming for. Since it’s the first thing a recruiter reads, it’s also the part most worth adjusting for each application.

2. listing references on your resume

There’s no need to end with “references available upon request”. Employers assume you have referees and will ask once you’re shortlisted, so that space is better spent on your experience. It does pay to be ready when that moment comes, though. Keep two or three referees lined up, along with any recommendation or testimonial letters from past employers, so you can share them as soon as you’re asked. Think about who suits the role, too. A former manager can vouch for your technical ability, while someone who reported to you can tell a hiring manager far more about how you lead.

3. relying on buzzwords and generic phrases

Certain words turn up on almost every resume we read: “hardworking”, “results-driven”, “strategic”. After a while, the eye simply slides past. Vague verbs such as “worked on” have the same effect because they describe effort rather than what you actually do. Use the vocabulary of your field instead, and borrow terms from the job description where they honestly reflect your experience.

weak example: 

Strategic, results-driven professional with strong communication skills.

stronger example: 

Payroll specialist managing monthly payroll for 1,200 employees across Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia.

4. listing job tasks instead of achievements

When you write about your job, it feels natural to describe what it involved. But a list of duties only tells a recruiter what you were hired to do, not how well you did it, and employers care a great deal about the difference. In our 2026 Workmonitor, 94% of employers in Singapore said they value skills and experience over formal qualifications when hiring. Under each role, pick the three or four results you’re proudest of and make the impact clear.

5. including irrelevant or personal information

It’s tempting to include everything, just in case. The trouble is that every irrelevant line makes the relevant ones harder to find, so early-career roles that no longer support your story, unrelated hobbies and lapsed certifications can usually go.

Personal details deserve a closer look. A photo, your age, race, religion, marital status or full National Registration Identity Card (NRIC) number still turns up on many resumes, yet none of them belong there. The Tripartite Alliance for Fair and Progressive Employment Practices (TAFEP) even advises employers to remove these fields from application forms and to ask for NRIC numbers only at the offer stage. Your name, phone number, email address and LinkedIn profile are all a recruiter needs.

6. underselling your role in your own achievements

Many of the candidates we meet have achieved far more than their resumes let on. Most of us were taught that talking about our successes sounds boastful, so “led the project” quietly becomes “assisted with” and “I” turns into “we”. A recruiter can only assess what’s on the page, though. If you led a team of four to launch a new client portal, say so plainly. It isn’t bragging when it’s true.

7. using the same resume for every job application

A general resume reads as though it was written for no one in particular. Tailoring it doesn’t mean starting from scratch, though, and usually comes down to four adjustments:

• Your professional summary, so it speaks to the role.
• The order of your experience, with the most relevant first.
• Your skills section, using the employer’s terms where they match your experience.
• The achievements you highlight, chosen for what this role needs most.

Try not to rule yourself out too quickly, either. In our 2026 salary guide, 40% of professionals said the skills in job ads seem unrealistic, and many job descriptions do read more like wish lists. If you meet the core requirements, apply and let your resume show how your experience transfers. Our guide to resume essentials has more ideas on how to tailor your resume.

resume tips for formatting and ATS

Good resume formatting has two audiences: the recruiter giving your resume a quick first scan, and the applicant tracking system (ATS) that often reads it before they do.

how to format an ATS-friendly resume

An ATS is software that employers and recruitment agencies use to store, sort and search applications. It files your resume into fields such as job titles, dates and skills. If the layout confuses it, information can go missing, and a recruiter searching for exactly your skills might never find you. A few simple habits keep your ATS resume readable:

• Use standard section headings such as Experience, Education and Skills.
• Stick to a single-column layout and a clean font such as Arial or Calibri.
• Keep key information out of tables, text boxes, images and page headers.
• Save your resume as a Word document or PDF unless the employer asks otherwise.
• Use keywords from the job description where they reflect your experience, without stuffing them in. A person reads your resume next.

using AI without adding new resume mistakes

Used well, AI can help you break down a long job description, spot skills you’ve missed or fix a sentence that isn’t quite working, and our guide to using AI in your job search shows how. The trouble starts when the tool does the writing. The result tends to sound like everyone else’s resume, and recruiters are getting better at spotting it. Treat anything AI produces as a first draft and rework it in your own voice before it goes into your 2026 ATS-friendly resume. If you couldn’t comfortably explain a line in an interview, it shouldn’t be there.

ready to improve your resume?

These resume writing tips are far easier to follow if you keep your resume up to date as you go, adding new results and skills while they’re still fresh in your mind.

And while a strong resume opens doors, it’s usually a conversation that decides who gets hired. In our 2026 Employer Brand Research, at least 70% of professionals in Singapore said in-person contact matters to them when applying for jobs.

If you’d like an honest view of how your resume reads for the roles you’re targeting, get in touch with our consultants. We’re always happy to talk it through. And when your resume is ready, browse our latest jobs to find roles that suit your experience.

frequently asked questions about resume mistakes