RESUME MISTAKES
Stop Letting Resume Errors Hold Back Your Genetic Counseling Career
Identify the top mistakes genetic counselors make and apply proven fixes to get noticed by hiring managers and ATS.
How This Page Helps
This page helps genetic counselors recognize and correct the most damaging resume mistakes, ensuring their credentials and experience shine through both human reviewers and applicant tracking systems.
Spot high‑impact errors that cause instant rejections
Learn actionable rewrites tailored to genetic counseling
Optimize for popular ATS used by hospitals and labs
Follow exact formatting rules for clinical resumes
Boost confidence with a ready‑to‑use checklist
Common Mistakes That Kill Your Chances
Each mistake includes why it hurts, how to fix it, and before/after examples
Overly Generic Objective StatementHIGH
Why it hurts
- Fails to convey specialized expertise
- Doesn't capture the counseling focus
- Often ignored by ATS
How to fix
- Replace with a concise professional summary highlighting genetics, counseling, and patient care
- Include specific certifications (e.g., ABGC) and years of experience
- Use keywords like 'genetic risk assessment'
❌ Before
Objective: Seeking a challenging position in healthcare.
✓ After
Professional Summary: Board‑certified Genetic Counselor with 5+ years of experience providing risk assessment, psychosocial support, and education to diverse patient populations. Skilled in variant interpretation, pedigree analysis, and interdisciplinary collaboration.
ATS Tip
Start with a summary; ATS parses keywords better than a generic objective.
Detection Rules
Contains the word 'objective' and fewer than 30 words
Lacks industry‑specific terms
Resumly Tip
Swap the objective for a 3‑sentence summary that showcases your counseling impact.
Listing Every Coursework Instead of Relevant SkillsMEDIUM
Why it hurts
- Clutters the resume
- Dilutes focus on clinical experience
- ATS may penalize for low relevance
How to fix
- Create a 'Core Competencies' section with 8–10 targeted skills
- Highlight lab techniques, counseling methods, and regulatory knowledge
- Remove unrelated courses
❌ Before
Relevant Coursework: Molecular Biology, Biochemistry, Psychology, Statistics, Art History
✓ After
Core Competencies: Genetic risk assessment, Pedigree analysis, Variant interpretation, Patient counseling, Clinical research, ACMG guidelines, Laboratory techniques, Ethical decision‑making
ATS Tip
Use exact skill keywords from job postings.
Detection Rules
Section titled 'Coursework' with more than 3 items
No skill‑focused headings
Resumly Tip
Convert coursework into a skill list that mirrors employer language.
Unclear Employment Dates and LocationsHIGH
Why it hurts
- Hiring managers can’t gauge experience length
- ATS may misread date ranges
- Gaps raise questions
How to fix
- Use consistent month‑year format (MMM YYYY)
- Place city, state after employer name
- Align dates to the right for readability
❌ Before
Genetic Counselor, XYZ Hospital – 2018 to present
✓ After
Genetic Counselor, XYZ Hospital – New York, NY Jan 2018 – Present
ATS Tip
Standardize dates to 'Jan 2020 – Dec 2022' to ensure ATS parsing.
Detection Rules
Date ranges not in month‑year format
Location missing or placed inconsistently
Resumly Tip
Adopt the 'Month Year – Month Year' pattern and always add city/state.
Missing Quantifiable AchievementsHIGH
Why it hurts
- Resume sounds vague
- Hard to measure impact
- ATS often looks for numbers
How to fix
- Add metrics like number of patients counseled, reduction in turnaround time, publications
- Use action verbs and percentages
- Keep bullet length under 2 lines
❌ Before
Provided genetic counseling to patients.
✓ After
Delivered genetic counseling to 250+ patients annually, increasing patient satisfaction scores by 15% and reducing appointment wait times by 20%.
ATS Tip
Include at least one number per bullet for ATS relevance.
Detection Rules
Bullet points without digits
Verbs only, no outcomes
Resumly Tip
Turn duties into results with concrete numbers.
Using Non‑Standard Section HeadingsLOW
Why it hurts
- ATS may not map content correctly
- Recruiters skim for familiar headings
- Reduces overall readability
How to fix
- Stick to conventional headings: Summary, Experience, Education, Certifications, Skills, Publications
- Avoid creative titles like 'My Journey'
❌ Before
My Journey
✓ After
Professional Experience
ATS Tip
Standard headings align with most ATS parsing rules.
Detection Rules
Heading not in list of common resume sections
Resumly Tip
Rename creative headings to industry‑standard terms.
Formatting Guidelines
File Types: PDF, DOCX
Sections: Professional Summary, Experience, Education, Certifications, Core Competencies, Publications, Professional Affiliations
Naming: FirstName_LastName_GenCounselor_Resume
Consistency
Length: 1‑2 pages (max 2 for senior counselors)
Date Format: MMM YYYY
Location Format: City, State (US)
Resume Quality Checklist
- Use a concise professional summary
- List experience with month‑year dates
- Include at least 3 quantifiable achievements per role
- Add a Core Competencies section with relevant keywords
- Provide certifications (e.g., ABGC) and licensure
- Use standard headings
- Save as PDF with file name matching naming convention
- Proofread for spelling and grammar
ATS Alignment Guide
Common ATS Systems: iCIMS, Taleo, Workday, Greenhouse, Oracle Taleo
Keyword Strategy: genetic risk assessment, pedigree analysis, variant interpretation, ACMG guidelines, patient counseling, psychosocial support
Heading Format: Use standard headings like Summary, Experience, Education, Certifications, Skills
Quick Fix Workshop
Paste the bullet you want to improve (e.g., a duty description)
- Add a measurable outcome
- Insert relevant genetic counseling keyword
- Trim to 2 lines
- Convert passive voice to active
Ready to transform your genetic counseling resume? Get our free fix guide now!
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