Last updated: 11th Feb 2026
Have you applied for a few jobs and received lukewarm (or nonexistent) responses? It could be your job search strategy (are you applying for the right roles?). But it’s more likely to be your resume.
The best resumes don’t list endless facts about your career.
They are marketing documents that humanise you beyond lists of jobs, duties and responsibilities. They tell the story of your career – and convey your unique value.
If you find that your resume commits any of the three crimes below, enlist the help of a professional resume writer or invest a few weekends into improving it yourself.
1. Lack Of Focus.
Recruiters don’t read resumes. They make decisions.
Quickly.
Your resume is competing with dozens – potentially hundreds – other resumes. But the reality is far worse.
It’s also competing with deadlines, cognitive load, distractions and political allegiances.
If it takes effort to understand what you do, you’ve already lost.
- Does your resume make it unequivocally clear what value you deliver? What problem I can count on you to solve?
- Or does it overwhelm me with skills, buzzwords, responsibilities and … noise?
Your potential future boss only cares about one thing – can this person solve my commercial problem?
A focused resume answers this question immediately. A vague resume, meanwhile, tells them nothing about where you fit.
Or why you matter.
Take a look at the abomination of a profile summary in the screenshot above.
I see fruit salads like it all the time – even in resumes “crafted” by professional resume writers.
Important!
Hyperbole is the #1 sign of a weak resume. It means the author didn’t have the commercial acumen to explain your value, and instead propped up the resume with drama.
And here, you see “visionary”, “pioneering”, “notable” and “unparalleled”. Quite the buzzword bingo.
Moreover, a profile like this is just a glorified job description. Instead of selling you, it describes what every single Executive GM in the energy sector is expected to do:
- Lead resource extraction.
- Expand market reach.
- Transform the business.
- Champion innovative tech.
- Improve culture and employee engagement.
- Drive profitability.
- Oversee environmental responsibility.
There’s no focus. No story. No differentiators. No value proposition. Just a generic introduction that dumbs down your experience and guarantees you get overlooked.
2. Your Resume Is Written For The Wrong Person.
The hardest part about writing your own resume is remaining objective.
Unfortunately, most candidates write resumes for their own ego.
Unfortunately, more detail doesn’t translate to more clarity. Your job isn’t to document your career – it’s to position it.
Expert Tip.
This is particularly important if you have a non-linear career, or one that’s hard to explain.
If you’ve had a career pivot, the last thing you should do is present your background at face value.
You must reposition each of your previous roles through the lens of your next career step.
3. Your Resume Focuses On Responsibilities.
This mistake has become less common in recent years. However, at least once a week, I still see a resume that is almost entirely responsibility-driven.
It’s OK to mention responsibilities – as long as you also explain what you achieved.
Don’t just say:
or
Instead, say:
Or
Why does this matter?
Hiring managers are looking for standout, high-performing candidates.
And high performers don’t just keep their seat warm – they beat expectations, overcome unexpected challenges and have a tangible impact on the business.
How To Ensure Your Resume Gets The Attention Of Recruiters.
An excellent resume is a strategic career document that sells your worth to recruiters. It’s not just a generic, comprehensive history of your roles. In summary:
- Cut the fluff.
- Kill the hyperbole.
- Focus on your commercial impact – not your responsibilities
Irene
