Stop Losing Deals Because of a Bad Resume
Fix the hidden errors that keep hiring managers from seeing your loanâclosing expertise.
Common Mistakes That Kill Your Chances
Each mistake includes why it hurts, how to fix it, and before/after examples
- Fails to differentiate you from other brokers
- Provides no value to the hiring manager
- Often ignored by ATS keyword scanners
- Replace the objective with a concise professional summary
- Highlight your loan volume, specialties, and licensing
- Incorporate 2â3 industryâspecific keywords
Objective: Seeking a challenging position in a reputable company where I can utilize my skills.
Professional Summary: Licensed Mortgage Broker with $120M in closed residential loans over 4 years, specializing in firstâtime homebuyers and VA financing. Proven track record of exceeding sales targets by 30% and maintaining 95% client satisfaction.
- Doesnât demonstrate impact
- Makes you look like a taskâtaker, not a revenue generator
- Hard for ATS to match performance keywords
- Convert each bullet to a resultâoriented statement
- Quantify results (e.g., loan amount, approval rate)
- Use action verbs and metrics
- Processed loan applications - Communicated with clients and lenders
- Closed $45M in residential mortgages in 2023, achieving a 98% approval rate and surpassing sales quota by 25% - Built a referral network of 120 realâestate agents, generating 35% of new business
- Hiring managers may assume youâre unlicensed
- ATS often scans for required credentials
- Nonâcompliance can eliminate you from consideration
- Create a dedicated "Licenses & Certifications" section near the top
- List state license number, NMLS ID, and any designations (e.g., Certified Mortgage Consultant)
- Include expiration dates if applicable
(No section for licenses)
Licenses & Certifications - NMLS ID: 1234567 (Active) - State Mortgage License â California (License #CA-987654) - Certified Mortgage Consultant (CMC), Mortgage Bankers Association, 2022
- Unstructured text prevents keyword extraction
- Fancy fonts or tables can be unreadable by parsers
- Hiring managers may discard a cluttered resume
- Use a clean, singleâcolumn layout with standard headings (Summary, Experience, Education, Licenses)
- Avoid tables, graphics, and text boxes
- Save as .docx or PDF (ATSâcompatible)
[Resume with multiâcolumn table, shaded headings, and embedded logo]
[Plain text resume with bold headings, bullet points, and consistent spacing]
- Leaves hiring managers guessing your impact
- Reduces perceived credibility
- ATS may miss highâvalue keywords like "$X million"
- Add specific figures for loan amounts, approval rates, and client satisfaction scores
- Use percentages and dollar amounts to illustrate growth
- Place metrics in the first line of each experience bullet
- Managed mortgage applications for residential clients
- Managed mortgage applications, closing $78M in residential loans in 2022 and achieving a 96% client satisfaction rating
- Use a targeted professional summary with key metrics
- List NMLS ID and state license at the top
- Quantify every achievement with dollar amounts or percentages
- Replace tables/graphics with plain text formatting
- Include core competencies such as "Loan Origination" and "Credit Analysis"
- Proofread for spelling, grammar, and consistent dates
- Swap generic objective for a resultsâdriven summary
- Convert dutyâbased bullets into quantified achievements
- Add a Licenses & Certifications section with NMLS ID
- Reformat to a singleâcolumn ATSâfriendly layout
