CEO Reveals The 5 Red Flags That Make Her Throw Out A Resume After Reviewing It For Less Than A Minute
If you’re looking for a job, consider re-working your resume with these tips in mind.
Inside Creative House | Shutterstock.com As the CEO of a telemedicine company, TikTok creator @youngmamaceo shared the "red flags" she’s noticed on candidate resumes that essentially ruin their chances of landing an interview — in as little as 30 seconds into the process.
"We are currently looking for a director of marketing," she said in a recent video. "I put the job up on Indeed, and we got about 500 applicants in a week… I'm going through all these applications myself as the CEO. I take about a minute, on average, to review each."
To streamline the process and find the perfect candidate, she said she’s been forced to “throw out” resumes at a moment’s notice — all because of a few specific “red flags” that most job seekers don’t know about.
Here are the 5 red flags that will get your resume thrown out in under a minute, according to a CEO:
1. Using the word ‘spearheaded’ in job descriptions
While it seems to be a personal vendetta against the word, the CEO said the word “spearheaded” is an immediate turn-off for her when reviewing potential candidates. Especially when reviewing upwards of 500 resumes at a time, it’s the small and simple choices job seekers make on their resumes that can make all the difference.
“Does anyone actually use the word ‘spearheaded’ in their typical vernacular? No,” she said, condemning the usage of “fancy” words in job descriptions. While it might not be the only reason she trashes a resume, it’s usually a clue-in to the usage of AI technology or ChatGPT on a candidate’s resume.
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While these AI services can be extremely useful for candidates trying to apply to multiple jobs in a short period of time, they should not be utilized to write your entire resume or cover letter. Consider using them as inspiration for weaving job description keywords into your original writing or brainstorming unique ways to stand out in the application process.
2. People who’ve ‘job hopped’ consistently
Another “red flag” this CEO pointed out is candidates who’ve clearly “job hopped” several times in the past few years. “If you have hopped jobs four times in the past 6 years… it’s just not consistent enough,” she explained. “I’m really looking for stability and someone who’s committed to the job.”
Considering the pandemic-related struggles and massive lay-off campaigns in corporate and creative industries across the board, many commenters felt compelled to argue in about this “red flag.”
Switching jobs frequently isn’t always a sign of an uncommitted worker — rather one that prioritizes their work life balance, a healthy culture, and finding “the perfect fit.”
“You should be more mindful of contractors who didn’t have the option for stability,” one wrote. “A lot of jobs can also bring a lot of perspectives.”
Clarifying in the comments, she suggested candidates provide a “reason for leaving” in their resumes — not only to help explain “job hopping tendencies,” but to give insights into their job roles (like freelancer, versus full-time employee). “Budget cuts wouldn’t be an applicant’s fault,” she said. “I’m okay with it if there’s a reason.”
3. Niche or unrelated job titles
“If I’m looking for a director of marketing and someone applies with a job title of ‘social media strategist,’ I’m throwing you out,” she said. “That’s not what I’m looking for. You have to change the job titles… If I’m looking for someone that can do a lot of things in marketing, but you tell me you’re good at one thing — that’s not good.”
While it sounds shady to change job titles on a resume, there are ways to do it. You’re not completely changing your title role to seem more experienced or pretend to be more senior at the company — you’re just tailoring it to include the experience you want to convey.
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For example, consider including only the name of the team you worked on or tailoring your job title to be more representative of the progress you’ve made. Whether it aligns with your previous job’s true title or not, you’ll have a chance to clarify in the interview.
“You can always edit for clarity and communication so long as you're not misleading or misrepresenting your background or experience,” career coach Bruce Eckfeldt told Forbes. “Focus on the responsibilities and accomplishments and de-emphasize the titles.”
4. Limited availability for a job interview
She explained, “If you’re not available for an interview for a month or want to take six weeks off between your previous role and this one, — just no!”
Considering the shadiness of many companies, and their tendencies to “waste” applicants' time throughout the process, it’s not surprising that commenters were upset by this “red flag.” Not only is it completely reasonable to “casually” do a job search — especially if you’re stuck in a toxic work environment — but it’s “insane” to some that she’d expect every candidate to be ready to meet her demands.
“This is narrow-minded,” one argued. “The perfect candidate won’t fall into your lap… sometimes you have to remember that they’re human, with human needs and asks.”
5. Chat GPT clearly wrote the resume
“Tell me about your experience in your own words,” she said. “I don’t want to see a bot explaining it.”
Lastly, this CEO’s red flag is one that many job coaches, experts, and executives have warned candidates about following Chat GPT’s massive growth in popularity — write your resume in your own words and with vocabulary that makes sense to you.
Authenticity can easily be stolen from an application or resume by Chat GPT, and believe it or not, recruiters, HR staff, and executives can quickly spot the opening introduction sentence that’s been used hundreds of times in your resume or cover letter. Use it as a starting point to brainstorm, and then add your own personality before submitting.
Zayda Slabbekoorn is a News & Entertainment Writer at YourTango who focuses on health & wellness, social policy, and human interest stories.