Hiring Manager Shares the 13 Fastest Ways to Instantly Get Rejected

Whether you're job hunting in hopes of getting ahead financially or you're unemployed and hoping to rejoin the workforce, looking for a job in 2025 can be bleak — to say the least.

It's tough to land an interview these days. Data published by Career Group earlier this year shows that about 20% of job seekers had been searching for a role for 10 to 12 months or longer. And even when you do land one, a small, avoidable blunder could still derail your candidacy.

For potential job seekers, we asked Nick Hamilton, senior manager of talent acquisition at Launch Potato, for some resume and interview red flags. Here are 13 mistakes to avoid if you want the job.

Your resume format doesn't always have to dazzle, but poor formatting that looks clunky or hard to follow could indicate carelessness or lack of effort in your application.

"Poor formatting or carelessness with how your resume looks indicates your work will likely be of similar quality," Hamilton warns.

Some gaps are easily explainable — like time taken off for additional schooling or to start a family. However, long, unexplained gaps can be a red flag, according to Hamilton.

"Typically, over one year indicates risk that this person will take off and leave for some reason," he says.

Low tenure at jobs, or a tendency to hop from company to company, doesn't just indicate a lack of loyalty at work; it also speaks to your success at those companies.

"If they have more than three or more jobs in the last three years, they are likely not hitting their goals/metrics or are salary hopping between roles," Hamilton says.

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A long history of working as a contractor or freelancer can make hiring managers wary, specifically if the role they are hoping to fill has a standard, full-time schedule.

"Why all of the sudden do they want a full-time role? And will we be their priority, or will freelance take over?" Hamilton asks.

If you come from a freelance/contract past, try making your desire for full-time work clear in your cover letter, application, or interview.

Resumes that repeat the same information — like bullet points that are copied and pasted to describe each role in your job history — are often an immediate no, Hamilton says.

"Copy and paste resumes don't show innovation," he warns.

An impressive resume includes data that illustrates how successful you were in past roles. It's a great way to quantify your achievements, and without it, potential employers may question the skills and impact you bring to the table.

"If you don't have measurable impact data, say for a role you've been in for a few years, what were you really doing?" Hamilton proposes.

Hiring managers do not want to see ChatGPT summaries in your resume, Hamilton says, and they really do not want to see an AI prompt left in your resume or cover letter.

"Forgetting to remove your GPT prompt from your AI resume displays the opposite of a strong attention to detail," he notes.

Job seekers filling out dozens of applications a week might roll their eyes at a new batch of questions, but it's an opportunity to show you are interested and qualified for the role.

"If you aren't willing to fill out a few sentences of information, how would you handle our fast-paced environment?" Hamilton asks.

Honesty is the best policy on your resume and in your interview, Hamilton says. That includes being honest about your work history, why you're interested in or looking for a job, and any job duties you're unsure about.

"A hiring manager or recruiter will respect you more if you say you don't know something," he says.

Hamilton warns that job seekers should not, under any circumstances, read from ChatGPT-generated responses while doing an interview. While it may seem harmless, hiring managers can tell, even when you're interviewing virtually.

"We can tell if you are reading, always," Hamilton says. "Gen-AI is not you."

It's common knowledge that you should do some research on the company before your interview. At the very least, you should have a pre-baked response for standard questions like "Why do you want to work here?"

"If you come unprepared, expect to have similar results," Hamilton warns.

If you think you can nab a job with false references, thinking the company won't check, you could be in for a rude awakening. Hamilton refers to it as "name-dropping when those people have no idea who you are."

"Yes, we check every time," he says.

Communication skills are often assessed during the interview, and if it appears you can't be effective cross-functionally, it's a no from Hamilton. Candidates who consistently can't answer interview questions are a similar red flag, he says.

"One question, sure, but if you are repeatedly answering something that I didn't ask about, this ties into poor communication," Hamilton adds.

The key to making your paycheck stretch further often lies in your ability to land a better role, and these days, half the battle is getting to the interview and showing up prepared.

In today's market, hiring managers advise candidates to avoid sending resumes with triggers that might immediately disqualify their applications, and to learn enough about the company and role to facilitate a comfortable and constructive conversation with their potential employer.