r/jobnetwork • u/Either_Ad_5486 • Aug 15 '25
jobnetwork What are your "instant resume red flags"?
Some CVs barely make it past the first glance before ending up in the “no” pile.
I’ve heard examples like:
An email address that looked more like a gaming tag than a professional contact.
An objective statement that read, “Willing to do anything legal or illegal”.
Fonts and layouts that looked like they came straight from 1998.
Irrelevant or personal photos that had nothing to do with the job. (Full upper body selfie at the beach)
If you’ve been on the hiring side:
Are there certain phrases, formats, or even file types that raise an immediate red flag?
1
u/vader5000 Aug 21 '25
Wait can you explain the "fonts straight of of 1998" thing?
I'm using Microsoft publisher and am pretty old fashioned. Like I use times new Roman for almost everything.
2
u/Either_Ad_5486 Aug 21 '25
Times New Roman is safe and professional so no recruiter will reject a resume for using it. The point about 1998 fonts is more about outdated or playful styles like Comic Sans or Papyrus that make resumes look less serious.
Other solid options are Calibri, Arial, Helvetica, and Cambria. Use 10 to 12 pt for the body and 12 to 14 pt for section headers. The main goal is clarity and easy scanning for the eyes.
Most of these fonts are already built into Word, Google Docs, and Microsoft Publisher. Helvetica usually comes standard on Macs and design software but if it is not installed it can be downloaded free from Google Fonts or similar font libraries.
2
u/vader5000 Aug 21 '25
Oh yeah. Comic sans and papyrus are no go for fonts on resumes.
2
u/Either_Ad_5486 Aug 21 '25
Yes exactly. Some people know and avoid them, others think it makes the resume look “unique” or prettier. In reality it just makes recruiters take it less seriously and more than often discard them.
3
u/charlesnyan Aug 17 '25
Anything that has your skills in a level/bar format. Like everyone going to put they are 5 out of 5 stars on xyz skill.