RESUME MISTAKES
Stop Resume Mistakes Holding You Back
Targeted fixes for Home Health Aides to get noticed by employers and ATS.
How This Page Helps
This page identifies the most frequent resume mistakes made by Home Health Aides and provides actionable fixes, ATS alignment tips, and a mini‑workshop to transform your resume into a hiring‑ready document.
Identify the top resume errors specific to home health care roles
Learn step‑by‑step fixes that impress hiring managers
Optimize your resume for popular applicant tracking systems
Access a quick workshop to apply changes instantly
Common Mistakes That Kill Your Chances
Each mistake includes why it hurts, how to fix it, and before/after examples
Vague Objective StatementMEDIUM
Why it hurts
- Doesn't show specific value to employers
- ATS may skip generic language
How to fix
- Replace with a concise summary highlighting experience, certifications, and patient care specialties
- Include keywords from the job posting
❌ Before
Objective: Seeking a position as a Home Health Aide.
✓ After
Summary: Compassionate Home Health Aide with 3+ years providing skilled personal care to elderly patients, certified in CPR and dementia care, seeking to improve quality of life for clients in XYZ region.
ATS Tip
Use exact phrases like 'personal care', 'CPR certified', and 'elderly patients'.
Detection Rules
Contains the word 'Objective' and less than 30 characters
Lacks industry keywords
Resumly Tip
Swap the objective for a results‑focused summary that showcases your core competencies.
Missing CertificationsHIGH
Why it hurts
- Employers filter for required certifications
- ATS keywords missing
How to fix
- Create a dedicated 'Certifications' section
- List each certification with issuing body and date
❌ Before
Skills: patient care, housekeeping
✓ After
Certifications: Certified Home Health Aide (CHHA) – State Board, 2022; CPR & First Aid – American Red Cross, 2023
ATS Tip
Include certification names exactly as they appear in job ads.
Detection Rules
No section titled 'Certifications' or 'Licenses'
Keywords like 'CPR' missing
Resumly Tip
Add a Certifications section to pass both human and ATS screening.
Unclear Employment DatesLOW
Why it hurts
- Hiring managers can’t gauge experience length
- ATS may misinterpret date strings
How to fix
- Use consistent month/year format (MM/YYYY)
- List dates on the right side of each role
❌ Before
Home Health Aide, ABC Agency – 2019 to present
✓ After
Home Health Aide, ABC Agency — 06/2019 – Present
ATS Tip
Standardize dates to MM/YYYY for ATS parsing.
Detection Rules
Date strings not in MM/YYYY format
Uses words like 'since' or 'currently'
Resumly Tip
Format dates uniformly to improve readability and ATS extraction.
Bullet Points Lack Action & MetricsHIGH
Why it hurts
- Fails to demonstrate impact
- ATS looks for action verbs
How to fix
- Start each bullet with a strong verb
- Add numbers or percentages to quantify results
❌ Before
Provided care to patients.
✓ After
Delivered daily personal care to 5+ elderly patients, improving mobility scores by 15% over 3 months.
ATS Tip
Begin bullets with verbs like 'Delivered', 'Managed', 'Coordinated'.
Detection Rules
Bullets start with generic verbs like 'Did' or no verb
No numbers present
Resumly Tip
Quantify your contributions to make your resume stand out.
Spelling and Grammar ErrorsMEDIUM
Why it hurts
- Creates unprofessional impression
- ATS may misread misspelled keywords
How to fix
- Proofread carefully
- Use tools like Resumly's grammar checker
❌ Before
Responsable for patient’s medecine administration.
✓ After
Responsible for patients' medication administration.
ATS Tip
Correct spelling of key terms like 'medication' and 'patient'.
Detection Rules
Contains common misspellings of healthcare terms
Resumly Tip
Run your resume through a spell‑check to avoid ATS keyword loss.
Formatting Guidelines
File Types: PDF, DOCX
Sections: Contact Information, Professional Summary, Certifications, Work Experience, Skills, Education
Naming: FirstName_LastName_HomeHealthAide_Resume
Consistency
Length: 1‑2 pages, focusing on the most recent 5 years of experience
Date Format: MM/YYYY
Location Format: City, State
Resume Quality Checklist
- Include a professional summary tailored to home health care
- List all relevant certifications with dates
- Use MM/YYYY format for all employment dates
- Start each work bullet with a strong action verb
- Quantify achievements wherever possible
- Proofread for spelling, grammar, and punctuation
- Save the file as PDF with a clear naming convention
- Ensure keywords from the job posting appear naturally
ATS Alignment Guide
Common ATS Systems: iCIMS, Taleo, Workday, Greenhouse
Keyword Strategy: Use terms like 'personal care', 'CPR certified', 'elderly', 'dementia care', 'medication administration'
Heading Format: Use standard headings such as 'Professional Summary', 'Certifications', 'Work Experience', 'Skills'
Quick Fix Workshop
Paste your current Home Health Aide resume text
- Replace objective with summary
- Add certifications section
- Standardize dates
- Quantify bullet points
- Correct spelling and grammar
Ready to transform your resume? Get the free fix guide now!
Download My Fix Guide
