Photo credit gettyYour resume remains one of the most important career marketing tools you have for advancing your career. But not all resumes are equally effective. With the number of candidates applying for every role, most companies approach hiring with the mindset, "Can I eliminate this candidate?" rather than, "Should this candidate move forward?" That means your resume needs to be exceptional if you want the opportunity to make your case and earn an interview. New data by Kickresume finds that the majority of modern resumes contain flaws that will prevent them from moving forward. This analysis is based on 1,780,829 English-language resumes created in 2025. The Mindset For Writing An Impactful ResumeWriting a resume these days is hard. You have to write it for multiple audiences. It has to impress both AI screening systems and human recruiters before you ever reach the interview stage. First, it needs to get past automated screening. It must include the right words and match the job description requirements for your resume to move on to a human. For that human to move it from the first-pass pile to the ‘let’s take the next step with this person’ pile, it needs to communicate relevance and fit for the role and the organization. It must express your differentiation. Otherwise, it becomes a me-too resume, and that goes into the pile of sameness. Peter Duris, CEO and Co-Founder of Kickresume, said, “Our analysis shows that candidates are following approaches that are familiar and safe—nobody wants to feel like they’re bragging. However, showcasing your skills and experience with confidence and backing it up with numbers will make your resume much more convincing. It’s not about arrogance, but clearly and directly showing what you’re capable of.” As you write your resume, avoid these common mistakes:Creating a Me-Too ResumeKickresume found that a full 80% of resumes included cliché buzzwords like “dynamic” and “track record”. These words are used so often that they’re unlikely to have much meaning for hiring managers. “Dynamic” appeared in 14% of resumes; “innovative” in 13%; “track record” in 10%; “responsible for” and “proactive” in 7%. Unless they’re followed by concrete action, they become vague and empty phrases. Putting Too Many Passive Verbs In Your ResumeYou want to show that you're someone who makes things happen. Passive verbs don’t express that. Kickresume found the five most common weak action verbs used in resumes:MORE FOR YOUUsed - 39% of all resumesHelped - 39%Contributed to - 32%Met - 20%Brought - 19%Instead, choose stronger alternatives. Kickresume found that 40% of resumes contain at least one strong action verb. Here are the top five:Developed - 54% Implemented - 43%Led - 38%Improved - 35%Managed - 34%Filling Your Resume With Filler WordsTo make your resume potent, avoid filler words. The data revealed that many resumes contain modifiers and hedging words that don’t add much, and raise more questions than they answer. Examples of these words include: successfully, which appeared on 26% of resumes, and actively which appeared on 6%. Without something backing up these words, they undermine the resume. For example, “actively managed a project by…” After you have crafted your resume, ask yourself this question: Does every word have a purpose? Some words help your resume get through automated screening. Others demonstrate your expertise. Others help you stand out.Remove any unnecessary words or replace them with words that have impact. Kickresume found many spoken-language filler words like really, actually, and basically in resumes. There were 4,784 instances of "really", 2,125 of "actually", and 1,878 of "basically." Use These Resume Success StrategiesIn addition to the resume mistakes identified in the Kickresume study, there are other considerations when crafting your resume to ensure it does its job.Build Your Resume As Part Of Your Job Search StrategyYour resume needs to be part of an integrated career communications strategy where all the elements work together to build a uniquely qualified candidate. Often, job seekers look at different career marketing tools in isolation rather than as an integrated set. That means your resume, accompanying email, LinkedIn profile/Google search results, thank you emails, etc. all need to work together.Your resume gets you from machine to human and has to convince the human that they should learn more about you.Your LinkedIn profile must support what you say in your resume and provide more information about you as a person. They’re asking “Is this someone we’d want to work with?”Your cover email and thank-you emails or handwritten notes need to be professional and not feel like they were just copied from a boilerplate. Make them specific to the job, the people you meet, and the organization.Use AI Strategically In Writing Your ResumeWhen AI writes your resume, you risk sounding like everyone else who relied on AI to write theirs. That makes you a qualified but undifferentiated candidate. If you focus only on getting through AI, you’re limiting what happens next. When a human looks at it, they want to know what makes you stand out from the pack. Write your resume yourself, then use AI to polish it, perfect the grammar and syntax, and make sure it gets past the machine review.Highlight Your AI ExperienceA resume that doesn’t mention AI at all could prevent you from moving forward. Today, AI touches almost every job. Hiring managers are looking for someone who is already engaged in AI, not someone sitting back, waiting to see what happens. Even if it’s not mentioned in the position description, include it. Companies increasingly want people who are already learning how to use AI effectively.Focus on Impact One way to show impact and stand out from others is by using quantification. Rather than say “Reduced marketing material costs,” say “Reduced marketing material costs by 10%, saving $80K, while reducing the time to launch by 2 weeks.” Results are more impactful than activities. Make sure you answer this question fully: What happens when you do what you do best?Brand Your ResumeThere’s only one you. Don’t try to fit in. If your resume is not so different from the others under consideration, your chances of snagging an interview are low. Once it gets past automated screening, your resume has to answer this question for the hiring manager: "Why should I interview this person instead of everyone else?" Differentiation is key. Get clear on your personal brand differentiation and make sure your resume exudes it.Showcase Your Communication SkillsIn the age of AI, communications skills are more important than ever. AI can create content and analyze data, and that’s valuable. But you turn information into inspiration through your communication skills. Showcase the ways you express yourself to influence others, especially your public speaking skills.Your Resume Gets You The Interview. Build One That’s ExceptionalYou’re going to wow the hiring manager with your brilliance and storytelling. But you’ll never get that opportunity if your resume doesn’t make it past the screening. It’s the critical first step in landing a new gig. Don’t rush the process and avoid these common mistakes so your resume gets noticed and lands you the interview.William Arruda is a keynote speaker, personal branding pioneer, and Senior Contributor to Forbes. Join his complimentary Maven Lightning Lesson, Public Speaking Myths: What Great Presenters Really Do.