RESUME MISTAKES
Stop Losing Epidemiology Jobs to Resume Errors
Identify and correct the most common resume mistakes that keep hiring managers from seeing your expertise.
How This Page Helps
Help epidemiologists craft a data‑driven, impact‑focused resume that passes ATS and impresses hiring committees.
Spot hidden ATS blockers
Showcase research impact with metrics
Align with public health job descriptions
Polish formatting for scientific roles
Learn quick fixes you can apply today
Common Mistakes That Kill Your Chances
Each mistake includes why it hurts, how to fix it, and before/after examples
Vague Objective StatementsHIGH
Why it hurts
- Fails to convey specialization
- Doesn't capture research focus
- Reduces keyword relevance
How to fix
- Replace with a concise professional summary
- Highlight years of experience and key epidemiologic methods
- Include measurable achievements
❌ Before
Objective: Seeking a position in public health.
✓ After
Professional Summary: Epidemiologist with 5+ years experience designing cohort studies on infectious disease transmission, leading data analysis that reduced outbreak investigation time by 30%.
ATS Tip
Use keywords like 'cohort study', 'data analysis', 'outbreak investigation'.
Detection Rules
Contains the word 'objective' and less than 15 words
Lacks specific epidemiology terms
Resumly Tip
Swap the objective for a summary that quantifies impact.
Listing Every Publication Without ContextMEDIUM
Why it hurts
- Overwhelms recruiter
- Obscures most relevant work
- Reduces readability
How to fix
- Create a 'Selected Publications' section
- Show only top 3–5 most relevant papers
- Add a brief impact statement for each
❌ Before
Publications: Smith J., Doe A., ... (20 items)
✓ After
Selected Publications: • Smith J., Doe A. (2022). 'Transmission dynamics of Zika virus', *Epidemiology Journal* – Cited 45 times; demonstrated novel modeling approach.
ATS Tip
Include publication titles with keywords like 'modeling', 'surveillance'.
Detection Rules
Section titled 'Publications' with more than 8 entries
No bullet points with impact metrics
Resumly Tip
Trim to the most relevant works and add impact metrics.
Missing Quantifiable ImpactHIGH
Why it hurts
- Hard to gauge contributions
- ATS may miss performance verbs
- Hiring managers prefer numbers
How to fix
- Add percentages, sample sizes, cost savings
- Use action verbs followed by results
- Tie outcomes to public health improvements
❌ Before
Conducted data analysis for disease surveillance.
✓ After
Led analysis of national influenza surveillance data (n=1.2M), identifying early-season spikes and informing vaccine allocation, reducing morbidity by 12%.
ATS Tip
Start bullet points with verbs like 'Led', 'Analyzed', 'Improved' and include metrics.
Detection Rules
Bullet points lacking numbers or percentages
Verbs not followed by results
Resumly Tip
Quantify every achievement with concrete numbers.
Improper Date FormattingLOW
Why it hurts
- ATS may not parse dates
- Creates visual inconsistency
- Confuses hiring timeline
How to fix
- Use month-year format (MMM YYYY)
- Align dates to the right
- Be consistent across all entries
❌ Before
Jan 2020 – Present
✓ After
Jan 2020 – Present
ATS Tip
Use ISO month abbreviation (Jan, Feb) and four‑digit year.
Detection Rules
Dates written as MM/DD/YYYY or just year
Inconsistent spacing
Resumly Tip
Standardize dates to 'MMM YYYY – MMM YYYY' or 'Present'.
Formatting Guidelines
File Types: PDF, DOCX
Sections: Contact Information, Professional Summary, Core Competencies, Professional Experience, Selected Publications, Education, Certifications, Technical Skills
Naming: FirstName_LastName_Epidemiologist_Resume
Consistency
Length: 1–2 pages for early‑career, up to 3 pages for senior epidemiologists
Date Format: MMM YYYY
Location Format: City, State (or Country)
Resume Quality Checklist
- Use a professional summary with metrics
- Include a Core Competencies bullet list with ATS keywords
- Showcase 3–5 selected publications with impact statements
- Quantify achievements in every experience bullet
- Format dates as 'MMM YYYY – MMM YYYY'
- Save as PDF with searchable text
ATS Alignment Guide
Common ATS Systems: iCIMS, Greenhouse, Workday, Taleo
Keyword Strategy: Epidemiologic methods, cohort study, case‑control, surveillance, biostatistics, data modeling, public health, outbreak investigation
Heading Format: Use standard headings like 'Professional Experience' and 'Education' to match ATS parsing.
Quick Fix Workshop
Paste your current epidemiology resume text
- Convert objective to summary
- Trim publications to top 5
- Add percentages to impact statements
- Standardize date format
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