RESUME MISTAKES
Polish Your Gastroenterology Resume
Avoid costly mistakes and showcase your clinical expertise to hiring committees.
How This Page Helps
Help gastroenterologists create error‑free, ATS‑optimized resumes that highlight clinical, research, and leadership achievements.
Identify the most frequent formatting slip‑ups
Learn why vague procedure descriptions hurt your candidacy
Get actionable rewrite examples
Align your resume with major hospital ATS platforms
Boost your chances for fellowship, academic, or private practice roles
Common Mistakes That Kill Your Chances
Each mistake includes why it hurts, how to fix it, and before/after examples
Using a generic objective statementMEDIUM
Why it hurts
- Provides no insight into your subspecialty
- Lacks keywords that ATS scans for
- Makes you blend in with hundreds of applicants
How to fix
- Replace objective with a concise professional summary
- Include board certification, years of experience, and key procedures
- Insert at least three relevant keywords
❌ Before
Objective: Seeking a position as a physician.
✓ After
Professional Summary: Board‑certified gastroenterologist with 5 years of advanced endoscopic experience seeking a faculty role at a tertiary academic center.
ATS Tip
Swap objective for a 3‑sentence summary that contains keywords like "endoscopy," "colonoscopy," and "board certified."
Detection Rules
Contains the word "objective"
Length under 30 words
Resumly Tip
Replace the objective line with a targeted summary highlighting subspecialty, years of practice, and signature procedures.
Listing procedures without quantifying impactHIGH
Why it hurts
- Fails to demonstrate your contribution to patient outcomes
- ATS may overlook procedural keywords without context
- Hiring managers cannot gauge your proficiency level
How to fix
- Add numbers or percentages to each procedure
- Mention volume of cases per year
- Highlight outcomes such as reduced complication rates
❌ Before
Performed colonoscopies and ERCPs.
✓ After
Performed 350 colonoscopies and 45 ERCPs annually, achieving a 98 % cecal intubation rate and a 1.2 % complication rate.
ATS Tip
Include both the procedure name and a quantifier (e.g., "performed 300+ colonoscopies") to trigger keyword matches.
Detection Rules
Procedure list without digits
No mention of outcomes
Resumly Tip
Add volume and outcome metrics to each listed procedure to make your experience measurable.
Omitting board certification and fellowship detailsHIGH
Why it hurts
- These credentials are mandatory screening criteria
- ATS filters often require "Board Certified" as a keyword
- Recruiters may discard resumes lacking clear certification
How to fix
- Create a dedicated "Board Certification & Licensure" section
- List certification year, certifying board, and fellowship program
- Include state license numbers if applicable
❌ Before
Gastroenterology, 2018‑Present
✓ After
Board Certification: American Board of Internal Medicine – Gastroenterology (2020) Fellowship: Advanced Endoscopy Fellowship, Mayo Clinic (2019‑2020) Medical License: California (License #123456)
ATS Tip
Use exact phrasing "Board Certified" and the full board name to match ATS keyword dictionaries.
Detection Rules
No "Board Certification" phrase
Missing fellowship dates
Resumly Tip
Add a clear certification block with board name, year, and fellowship to satisfy ATS filters.
Using inconsistent date formatsMEDIUM
Why it hurts
- ATS parsers may misread dates and misplace experience chronology
- Hiring managers can’t quickly assess career progression
- Inconsistent formatting looks unprofessional
How to fix
- Standardize all dates to MM/YYYY
- Place dates on the right‑hand side for readability
- Ensure start dates precede end dates
❌ Before
July 2015 – March 2020 2018‑2022
✓ After
07/2015 – 03/2020 08/2018 – 07/2022
ATS Tip
Uniform MM/YYYY format ensures the ATS correctly extracts employment periods.
Detection Rules
Mixed month name and numeric formats
Date ranges without slashes
Resumly Tip
Run the date‑normalizer to convert all dates to MM/YYYY and align them consistently.
Failing to showcase research publications and grantsMEDIUM
Why it hurts
- Academic institutions prioritize scholarly output
- ATS may search for keywords like "clinical trial" or "peer‑reviewed"
- Omitting this info undervalues your expertise
How to fix
- Add a "Research & Publications" section
- List peer‑reviewed articles with proper citation format
- Include grant titles, funding agencies, and amounts
❌ Before
Research: Involved in various studies.
✓ After
Research & Publications: - Smith J, Patel R. "Novel Biomarkers in IBD," Gastroenterology, 2023. (PubMed ID: 12345678) - Principal Investigator, NIH R01 Grant "Microbiome Therapeutics," $1.2 M, 2021‑2024
ATS Tip
Insert keywords such as "clinical trial," "peer‑reviewed," and specific disease names to improve ATS relevance.
Detection Rules
Section titled "Research" without bullet details
No publication citations
Resumly Tip
Structure each publication with authors, title, journal, year, and PMID to satisfy both ATS and reviewers.
Formatting Guidelines
File Types: PDF, DOCX
Sections: Contact Information, Professional Summary, Board Certification & Licensure, Clinical Experience, Procedural Experience, Research & Publications, Education, Professional Affiliations, Awards & Honors
Naming: FirstName_LastName_Gastroenterology_Resume
Consistency
Length: 1–2 pages for early‑career gastroenterologists; up to 3 pages for senior faculty
Date Format: MM/YYYY
Location Format: City, State
Resume Quality Checklist
- Use a professional summary instead of an objective
- Quantify every clinical and procedural activity
- List board certification, fellowship, and state license clearly
- Standardize all dates to MM/YYYY
- Add a dedicated research/publications section with citations
- Save as PDF with a keyword‑rich file name
ATS Alignment Guide
Common ATS Systems: iCIMS, Taleo, Workday, Greenhouse, Cerner Recruiting
Keyword Strategy: Endoscopy, Colonoscopy, ERCP, Hepatology, Clinical Trials, Board Certified, Fellowship, Research, Publications
Heading Format: Use standard headings like "Clinical Experience" and "Procedural Experience" to match ATS parsers
Quick Fix Workshop
Paste your current resume text into the box below
- Standardize headings
- Add quantifiable metrics
- Insert relevant keywords
- Normalize date format
- Optimize file name
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