RESUME MISTAKES
Avoid These Resume Pitfalls and Secure Your Next Faculty Role
Tailored fixes for professors to showcase research, teaching, and impact.
How This Page Helps
Help professors identify and correct common resume mistakes to improve academic hiring outcomes.
Spot hidden gaps in research presentation
Eliminate jargon that confuses hiring committees
Align formatting with university ATS
Showcase teaching effectiveness with metrics
Optimize keywords for tenure-track searches
Common Mistakes That Kill Your Chances
Each mistake includes why it hurts, how to fix it, and before/after examples
Chronological format hides interdisciplinary workMEDIUM
Why it hurts
- Hiring committees may miss cross‑disciplinary projects
- Chronological focus can downplay recent publications
How to fix
- Adopt a hybrid format with a research highlights section
- Group projects by theme rather than date
❌ Before
Experience: 2020‑2023 Lecturer, Department of History
✓ After
Research Highlights (2020‑2023): Interdisciplinary project on digital humanities...
ATS Tip
Use standard headings like 'Research Experience' to ensure ATS parses.
Detection Rules
Missing 'Research Highlights' heading
Only date‑based job titles listed
Resumly Tip
Add a 'Research Highlights' block to draw attention to cross‑field work.
Unstandardized publication listHIGH
Why it hurts
- ATS may not recognize publications as achievements
- Committee members struggle to assess impact
How to fix
- Use APA or Chicago style consistently
- Include DOI or URL when available
❌ Before
Publications: 1. Smith J. Teaching methods. 2022
✓ After
Publications: Smith, J. (2022). Teaching methods. *Journal of Education*, 45(3), 123‑135. https://doi.org/10.xxxx
ATS Tip
Start each entry with the author name to aid parsing.
Detection Rules
Bullet points without year or journal
Inconsistent punctuation
Resumly Tip
Resumly auto‑formats your list into APA style.
No evidence of teaching impactMEDIUM
Why it hurts
- Committees look for student success metrics
- Lacks proof of effective pedagogy
How to fix
- Add enrollment numbers, evaluation scores, or awards
- Quantify curriculum development results
❌ Before
Taught Introduction to Sociology
✓ After
Taught Introduction to Sociology (Fall 2022) – 150 students, average evaluation 4.7/5, redesigned syllabus increased retention by 12%
ATS Tip
Include numbers; ATS extracts digits for relevance.
Detection Rules
Teaching entries without percentages or scores
Generic course titles only
Resumly Tip
Use our Teaching Impact widget to insert metrics.
Generic skills dilute expertiseLOW
Why it hurts
- Hiring panels cannot differentiate you from peers
- ATS keyword match drops
How to fix
- Replace broad terms with specific tools (e.g., 'NVivo qualitative analysis')
- Tie skills to research outcomes
❌ Before
Skills: Research, Teaching, Communication
✓ After
Skills: Qualitative analysis (NVivo), Grant writing (NSF), Online pedagogy (Canvas), Data visualization (R, Tableau)
ATS Tip
Match keywords from the job ad exactly.
Detection Rules
Skill section contains only 1‑2 words
No software or methodology mentioned
Resumly Tip
Our skill extractor suggests top academic keywords.
No targeted summaryLOW
Why it hurts
- First impression lacks focus
- ATS may skip summary for relevance scoring
How to fix
- Write a 2‑sentence summary aligning research interests with department needs
- Mention desired rank and field
❌ Before
Objective: Seeking a faculty position.
✓ After
Summary: Early‑career political scientist specializing in comparative electoral systems, seeking a tenure‑track Assistant Professor role to advance research on democratic resilience and mentor undergraduate scholars.
ATS Tip
Place summary under 'Professional Summary' heading.
Detection Rules
Objective section present but generic
No mention of specific field or rank
Resumly Tip
Our summary builder crafts targeted statements.
Formatting Guidelines
File Types: PDF, DOCX
Sections: Contact Information, Professional Summary, Research Interests, Education, Academic Appointments, Research Highlights, Publications, Teaching Experience, Grants & Awards, Professional Service, Skills, References
Naming: FirstName_LastName_Professor.pdf
Consistency
Length: 2‑3 pages for early‑career, up to 5 pages for senior professors
Date Format: Month Year (e.g., September 2023)
Location Format: City, State, Country (if applicable)
Resume Quality Checklist
- Use a clear professional summary
- List publications in a consistent citation style
- Include teaching metrics and student evaluations
- Add a dedicated research highlights section
- Quantify grant amounts and award values
- Tailor keywords to the specific department
- Keep formatting clean with standard headings
- Proofread for spelling and grammar
ATS Alignment Guide
Common ATS Systems: Taleo, Workday, iCIMS, PeopleSoft
Keyword Strategy: Include terms like 'peer‑reviewed', 'grant acquisition', 'curriculum development', 'tenure‑track', 'interdisciplinary'
Heading Format: Use standard headings such as 'Education', 'Research Experience', 'Publications', 'Teaching Experience'
Quick Fix Workshop
Paste your current professor resume text
- Standardize publication citations
- Add research highlights section
- Insert teaching metrics
- Optimize skill keywords
- Generate targeted summary
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