RESUME MISTAKES
Turn Your Founder Story into a Winning Resume
Spot the 7 biggest resume mistakes startup founders make and fix them instantly.
How This Page Helps
Help startup founders craft a compelling, investor‑ready resume that highlights leadership, growth, and innovation while passing ATS filters.
Identify vague impact statements
Eliminate jargon that confuses recruiters
Showcase fundraising and exit achievements
Align with investor‑focused keywords
Optimize layout for quick scanning
Ensure ATS compatibility
Common Mistakes That Kill Your Chances
Each mistake includes why it hurts, how to fix it, and before/after examples
Vague or Generic SummaryMEDIUM
Why it hurts
- Recruiters can’t quickly grasp your unique value
- Misses opportunity to showcase measurable impact
- Reduces relevance for ATS keyword matching
How to fix
- Start with a concise, metric‑driven headline
- Highlight key achievements like funding rounds or growth percentages
- Incorporate industry‑specific keywords
❌ Before
Seasoned entrepreneur with experience in tech startups.
✓ After
Tech founder who raised $5M Series A, grew user base 300% in 12 months, and led acquisition that generated $20M exit.
ATS Tip
Include terms such as "seed funding", "Series A", "growth metrics", and "product‑market fit" in the summary.
Detection Rules
summary length < 50 words
no numeric metrics present
absence of industry keywords
Resumly Tip
Turn vague statements into quantifiable results that speak to investors and recruiters.
Listing Responsibilities Instead of AchievementsHIGH
Why it hurts
- Shows what you did, not the impact you created
- Makes resume look like a job description
- Fails to differentiate you from other founders
How to fix
- Convert each responsibility into a result‑focused bullet
- Add specific numbers (revenue, users, funding)
- Use strong action verbs (scaled, launched, secured)
❌ Before
Managed product development and oversaw marketing campaigns.
✓ After
Scaled product development team to 15 engineers, launching MVP in 4 months and driving $1.2M ARR within 6 months; led marketing campaigns that increased CAC efficiency by 30%.
ATS Tip
Lead with verbs and embed keywords like "scaled", "launched", "secured funding" early in each bullet.
Detection Rules
bullets start with "Managed", "Oversaw", "Responsible for"
no percentages or dollar figures
Resumly Tip
Focus on outcomes—how your actions moved the company forward.
Missing Fundraising & Equity MilestonesHIGH
Why it hurts
- Investors and exec recruiters look for capital‑raising track record
- Leaves out one of the most compelling founder metrics
- Reduces perceived credibility
How to fix
- Create a dedicated "Funding History" or embed milestones in achievements
- State round type, amount, lead investors, and valuation if appropriate
- Highlight post‑fundraise growth metrics
❌ Before
Founded XYZ AI startup.
✓ After
Founded XYZ AI startup; secured $2M seed round (lead: XYZ Ventures) and $8M Series A (lead: ABC Capital), achieving 5x revenue growth and 200% user expansion post‑fundraise.
ATS Tip
Use keywords such as "seed round", "Series A", "venture capital", "valuation".
Detection Rules
no mention of dollars or round names
absence of "funding" or "investment" terms
Resumly Tip
Showcase capital raised as a core achievement—it’s a powerful validation of your vision.
Overloading with Irrelevant Technical JargonMEDIUM
Why it hurts
- Distracts from leadership narrative
- Confuses non‑technical recruiters and investors
- Clutters the resume and hurts readability
How to fix
- Keep technical details to a minimum; focus on business outcomes
- Replace deep code specifics with high‑level tech stack mentions only if relevant
- Prioritize strategic decisions over implementation details
❌ Before
Implemented micro‑service architecture using Docker, Kubernetes, gRPC, and RabbitMQ to improve latency.
✓ After
Redesigned platform architecture, reducing latency by 40% and enabling rapid scaling that supported 3x user growth.
ATS Tip
Include broad tech terms (e.g., "cloud infrastructure", "scalable architecture") but pair them with business results.
Detection Rules
bullets contain >3 specific tech acronyms
no business impact mentioned
Resumly Tip
Balance technical depth with strategic impact to keep the focus on leadership.
Inconsistent Formatting & Date PresentationLOW
Why it hurts
- Makes resume look unprofessional
- ATS may misread dates or sections
- Hiring managers waste time parsing layout
How to fix
- Standardize date format to "MMM YYYY" (e.g., Jan 2020 – Dec 2022)
- Align all headings, fonts, and bullet styles
- Use clear section headings like "Professional Experience"
❌ Before
Co‑Founder – XYZ Labs 2020 – Present - ...
✓ After
Co‑Founder – XYZ Labs Jan 2020 – Present - ...
ATS Tip
Consistent formatting ensures ATS can correctly parse employment dates and section headings.
Detection Rules
dates written as years only
mixed bullet styles
varying heading capitalizations
Resumly Tip
A clean, uniform layout signals attention to detail and passes ATS checks.
Formatting Guidelines
File Types: PDF, DOCX
Sections: Header, Professional Summary, Key Achievements, Experience, Education, Funding & Exit Highlights, Skills, Awards & Publications
Naming: FirstName LastName – Founder Resume
Consistency
Length: 1–2 pages for early‑stage founders; up to 3 pages for serial entrepreneurs
Date Format: MMM YYYY
Location Format: City, State (or Country)
Resume Quality Checklist
- Include measurable impact for each role
- Add fundraising totals and valuation milestones
- Use action verbs and quantifiable results
- Keep formatting consistent across sections
- Tailor keywords to VC and tech recruiter searches
- Proofread for grammar and spelling
ATS Alignment Guide
Common ATS Systems: Lever, Greenhouse, iCIMS, Workday
Keyword Strategy: seed funding, Series A, growth metrics, product‑market fit, exit, IPO, venture capital, ARR, user acquisition
Heading Format: Use standard headings like "Professional Experience", "Key Achievements", "Funding History"
Quick Fix Workshop
Paste your current founder resume text
- Convert bullet points to impact‑focused statements
- Add missing fundraising metrics
- Standardize date and location formats
- Optimize for ATS keywords
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