RESUME MISTAKES
Stop Resume Mistakes Holding Back Your Public Health Career
Identify and correct the top errors that prevent hiring managers and ATS from seeing your impact.
How This Page Helps
This page helps Public Health Officers recognize frequent resume pitfalls, understand why they damage candidacy, and apply proven fixes to create an ATS‑friendly, compelling document.
Spot hidden ATS blockers
Learn industry‑specific language
See before‑and‑after examples
Apply formatting standards for public health roles
Boost interview callbacks
Common Mistakes That Kill Your Chances
Each mistake includes why it hurts, how to fix it, and before/after examples
Using vague job titlesMEDIUM
Why it hurts
- Hiring managers can’t gauge seniority
- ATS may not match keywords
How to fix
- Replace generic titles with specific public health designations
- Add level indicators (e.g., Senior, Lead)
❌ Before
Program Coordinator
✓ After
Senior Public Health Program Coordinator
ATS Tip
Include exact titles from job postings.
Detection Rules
title contains generic terms like coordinator, assistant without qualifier
Resumly Tip
Match your title to the role you’re applying for, using industry‑standard nomenclature.
Listing duties instead of achievementsHIGH
Why it hurts
- Doesn’t demonstrate impact
- ATS looks for quantifiable results
How to fix
- Convert bullet points to achievement statements
- Add metrics (e.g., % reduction, number of people served)
❌ Before
Managed vaccination clinics.
✓ After
Managed 12 vaccination clinics, increasing coverage by 18% across target neighborhoods.
ATS Tip
Start bullets with action verbs and embed keywords.
Detection Rules
bullets start with verbs like managed, coordinated without outcome
Resumly Tip
Show the result of your work, not just the task.
Omitting public health keywordsHIGH
Why it hurts
- ATS filters out resumes lacking core terms
- Recruiters miss relevance
How to fix
- Review job ads for terms like epidemiology, surveillance, health promotion
- Integrate them naturally into experience and skills sections
❌ Before
Worked on disease monitoring.
✓ After
Conducted epidemiological surveillance of communicable diseases, leading to early outbreak detection.
ATS Tip
Use exact phraseology from postings.
Detection Rules
absence of keywords such as epidemiology, health promotion, disease surveillance
Resumly Tip
Keyword density matters—aim for 2‑3 mentions per relevant section.
Incorrect date or location formattingLOW
Why it hurts
- ATS may misread dates
- Hiring managers can’t assess career timeline
How to fix
- Use MM/YYYY for dates
- List city, state for each role
❌ Before
Jan 2020 – Present, New York
✓ After
01/2020 – Present | New York, NY
ATS Tip
Consistent format improves parsing.
Detection Rules
dates not in MM/YYYY or contain words like 'Jan'
Resumly Tip
Standardize dates and locations for clean ATS parsing.
Overly long resume (more than 2 pages)MEDIUM
Why it hurts
- Hiring managers lose focus
- ATS may truncate content
How to fix
- Prioritize recent 10 years, relevant experience
- Use concise bullet points, remove outdated roles
❌ Before
10-page resume covering 15 years.
✓ After
2-page resume highlighting last 8 years of public health leadership.
ATS Tip
Keep file under 2 pages for most public health positions.
Detection Rules
page count >2
total word count >800
Resumly Tip
Trim to the most relevant achievements; use summary instead of exhaustive list.
Formatting Guidelines
File Types: PDF, DOCX
Sections: Contact Information, Professional Summary, Core Competencies, Professional Experience, Education, Certifications, Publications (if applicable)
Naming: FirstName_LastName_PublicHealthOfficer_Resume
Consistency
Length: 2 pages for mid‑career, 1 page for early‑career
Date Format: MM/YYYY
Location Format: City, State (e.g., Boston, MA)
Resume Quality Checklist
- Use a clear professional title
- Include 5–7 core public health keywords
- Show measurable outcomes
- Maintain consistent date and location format
- Limit resume to 2 pages
- Save as PDF with searchable text
- Proofread for spelling and grammar
ATS Alignment Guide
Common ATS Systems: Taleo, iCIMS, Workday, Greenhouse, Lever
Keyword Strategy: Epidemiology, disease surveillance, health promotion, community outreach, program evaluation, grant management
Heading Format: Use standard headings like Professional Experience, Education, Certifications
Quick Fix Workshop
Paste your current resume text or upload a file
- Standardize headings
- Convert duties to achievement statements
- Insert relevant public health keywords
- Apply correct date/location format
- Trim to 2 pages
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