Real-world examples of not tailoring the resume for specific jobs (and how to fix them)

Examples of not tailoring the resume for specific jobs in 2024–2025

Let’s start with what hiring teams actually see. These are real-world style examples of not tailoring the resume for specific jobs in tech, based on patterns recruiters and hiring managers complain about constantly.

Example of a software engineer resume that ignores the job description

A mid-level software engineer applies to a Backend Engineer (Python, Django, Postgres) role.

Their resume headline: "Full-Stack Developer – React, Node, MongoDB"

Top skills section:

• React, Redux, JavaScript, HTML/CSS, Tailwind
• Node.js, Express
• MongoDB

Mentions of Python, Django, or SQL? Zero.

This is one of the best examples of not tailoring the resume for specific jobs. The candidate might actually know Python, but the resume reads like it was written for a generic front-end or MERN-stack role. To a recruiter, it looks like:

“This person didn’t even skim the posting. Next.”

How to fix it:

Instead of leading with React, a tailored version would:

• Put Python, Django, PostgreSQL at the top of the skills section.
• Reorder bullet points under experience to highlight backend work, APIs, performance tuning, and database design.
• Add a short line in the summary like: "Focused on building scalable backend services in Python/Django with relational databases (Postgres, MySQL)."

Same person, same history, completely different signal.

Example of a data scientist resume that looks like a generic academic CV

A candidate applies for a Data Scientist – Product Analytics role at a consumer app company.

The job description emphasizes:

• A/B testing
• Experiment design
• SQL and dashboards
• Partnering with product managers

Their resume, however, is three pages of:

• Course projects
• Kaggle competitions
• Graduate research with dense math
• A long list of models (XGBoost, LSTMs, GANs) with no business context

This is one of the clearest examples of examples of not tailoring the resume for specific jobs that focus on product impact. The hiring manager wants to see:

• “Did you run experiments?”
• “Did you move a metric that matters?”
• “Can you talk to PMs and non-technical stakeholders?”

Instead, they see an academic profile.

How to fix it:

For a product analytics role, the candidate should:

• Lead with SQL, experimentation, dashboards (Looker/Tableau/Mode).
• Reframe bullets to show impact: "Designed and analyzed A/B tests improving onboarding activation by 7%."
• Shrink or remove highly theoretical projects that don’t connect to product outcomes.

This is a classic example of not tailoring the resume for specific jobs that prioritize experimentation over cutting-edge models.

Example of a DevOps engineer resume that never mentions the posted tech stack

A company posts a DevOps / Platform Engineer role specifying:

• AWS
• Kubernetes
• Terraform
• CI/CD with GitHub Actions

The applicant’s resume is packed with:

• On-prem VMware
• Bash scripts
• Generic “automation” bullets with no tools
• A single line: "Experience with cloud technologies"

This is one of the best examples of not tailoring the resume for specific jobs that clearly list the stack. Recruiters often use applicant tracking systems (ATS) that search for specific keywords. If your resume doesn’t say AWS, Kubernetes, Terraform, those systems may never surface you.

How to fix it:

If the candidate truly has relevant experience, they should:

• Add a dedicated Cloud & DevOps section: "AWS (EC2, S3, RDS), Kubernetes, Terraform, GitHub Actions".
• Rewrite bullets to match outcomes the role cares about, such as reliability, deployment speed, and cost optimization.
• Use the company’s language where honest and accurate. If the posting says “infrastructure as code (Terraform),” don’t hide that behind a vague “IaC tools.”

This is a textbook example of not tailoring the resume for specific jobs when the tooling is spelled out for you.

Example of a product manager resume that hides metrics

A Product Manager – Growth role emphasizes:

• Activation, retention, revenue
• Funnel analysis
• Experimentation and user research

The candidate’s resume focuses on:

• “Led cross-functional teams”
• “Owned product roadmap”
• “Collaborated with stakeholders”

Not a single metric. No DAU, MAU, conversion rate, or revenue impact.

In 2024–2025, product hiring is brutally competitive. Recruiters expect to see numbers. This is one of the most common examples of not tailoring the resume for specific jobs where business impact is front and center.

How to fix it:

Instead of generic leadership bullets, a tailored PM resume might say:

• “Increased onboarding completion from 62% to 78% through iterative experiments on signup flow.”
• “Improved 90-day retention by 5 percentage points by launching personalized email and in-app nudges.”
• “Drove 12% lift in ARPU by packaging features into a new premium plan.”

The experience might be the same, but the framing is aligned with what the role actually values.

Example of a front-end engineer using the same resume for startup and FAANG-style roles

The candidate applies to:

• A small startup looking for a design-heavy front-end engineer who can own UX/UI, prototyping, and user flows.
• A big tech company hiring a front-end engineer focused on performance, accessibility, and large-scale systems.

They use the same resume for both:

• Emphasis on CSS frameworks and pixel-perfect designs
• No mention of performance optimization, accessibility, or large-scale architecture

For the startup, this might be fine. For the big tech role, this is an example of not tailoring the resume for specific jobs with very different expectations.

How to fix it:

For the big tech role, the candidate should:

• Highlight performance work: bundle size reductions, Core Web Vitals, lazy loading.
• Mention accessibility: WCAG, ARIA, screen reader testing.
• Show experience with design systems and working at scale.

For the startup role, they can:

• Emphasize collaboration with designers, prototyping speed, and UI polish.
• Show before/after screenshots in a portfolio (linked from the resume) and describe UX outcomes.

Same person, two different tailored resumes.

Example of a career switcher using a generic “everything I’ve ever done” resume

A systems administrator is transitioning to cybersecurity and applies to entry-level security analyst roles.

Their resume is a long list of:

• General IT support tasks
• Ticket volume handled
• Printer troubleshooting
• Basic network setup

There’s a small security-related line buried near the bottom: "Assisted with security patching and vulnerability remediation".

This is one of the best examples of examples of not tailoring the resume for specific jobs when you’re pivoting careers. The candidate may have relevant experience, but it’s hidden.

How to fix it:

For security roles, the candidate should:

• Pull every security-related task to the top of each role: patching, access control, incident response, log monitoring.
• Add a Security Projects / Training section with labs, certifications (like CompTIA Security+), or CTFs.
• Use language that matches security job descriptions from reputable sources like the National Initiative for Cybersecurity Careers and Studies (NICCS) (a U.S. government resource).

The experience doesn’t need to be perfect; it just needs to be clearly relevant.

Example of a generic objective statement that works against you

Many older resume templates still include an “Objective” like:

“Seeking a challenging position in a dynamic company where I can use my skills and grow my career.”

In 2024–2025, this is a wasted block of prime real estate. It’s also another subtle example of not tailoring the resume for specific jobs. You’re telling the company what you want, instead of showing how you match what they need.

How to fix it:

Replace the objective with a short, tailored summary that mirrors the role:

“Backend engineer with 5+ years building Python/Django services on AWS, focusing on performance, reliability, and clean APIs. Recently reduced average response times by 30% on a high-traffic payments service.”

This one paragraph can instantly change how a recruiter perceives your fit.

Why tailoring matters more in 2024–2025

Three trends make these examples of not tailoring the resume for specific jobs especially damaging right now:

1. Widespread use of ATS and keyword screening
Most mid-size and large employers use applicant tracking systems. While the exact algorithms vary, resumes are often scanned for specific skills and phrases pulled directly from the job posting. The U.S. Office of Personnel Management notes that federal resumes are evaluated against job-specific requirements and keywords, and missing them can disqualify otherwise qualified candidates (OPM.gov). Tech companies behave similarly, even if their systems are private.

2. Higher competition in tech hiring
After the 2022–2023 wave of tech layoffs, many roles now attract hundreds of applicants. Recruiters don’t have time to interpret vague bullets. If your resume doesn’t clearly show fit, it’s easy to skip.

3. Employers expect customization
Career centers at top universities like MIT and Harvard explicitly tell students to tailor resumes for each role. Hiring managers know this advice is out there. When you ignore it, it signals low effort.

How to quickly tailor your tech resume without rewriting from scratch

You don’t need a brand-new document for every application. The best examples of not tailoring the resume for specific jobs usually come from people who never built a flexible base resume.

A practical approach:

Build a “master” resume
Create a longer master document with every project, tool, and metric you might use. This is just for you; it can be 3–5 pages.

For each application, adjust three things:

• Headline / summary
  Swap in a role-specific summary. If the posting says “Machine Learning Engineer – Recommender Systems,” don’t lead with “Data Engineer” if that’s not what they’re hiring.

• Skills section
  Reorder skills so the ones in the job description appear first. Don’t lie, but don’t bury relevant tools behind unrelated ones.

• Bullet point selection and order
  From your master resume, pick the bullets that best match this job and move them to the top of each role. If a job emphasizes APIs, your API work should be the first thing they see.

These small edits take 10–20 minutes but dramatically reduce the risk of your resume becoming yet another example of not tailoring the resume for specific jobs that could have been a match.

FAQ: Common questions about tailoring tech resumes

What are some clear examples of not tailoring the resume for specific jobs?

Some clear examples include applying to a Python backend role with a resume that only highlights React, sending a product analytics resume with no metrics or experimentation, or using a security analyst resume that reads like generic IT support. Any time your resume could plausibly be for a different role than the one you’re applying to, you’re looking at an example of poor tailoring.

Can I use one resume for multiple roles if they’re similar?

You can use a base resume, but you should still customize it. Even between two “similar” roles, one might emphasize APIs and scalability while another focuses on data pipelines and analytics. If you never adjust your summary, skills order, or bullet emphasis, you’re drifting toward the same pattern seen in many examples of not tailoring the resume for specific jobs.

How many versions of my tech resume should I keep?

Most people do well with 2–4 core versions: for example, one each for backend engineering, full-stack, data engineering, and data science. Within each version, you still tweak a few lines per application so you don’t create your own personal library of bad examples of not tailoring the resume for specific jobs.

Is tailoring just about adding keywords from the job description?

No. Keywords matter, especially for ATS, but tailoring is about relevance. You prioritize the projects, metrics, and tools that match the job. If you just paste in keywords without changing your bullets or story, recruiters can tell—and you risk looking like AI-generated spam.

How do I know if I’ve tailored my resume enough?

Read the job description once more and then read your resume out loud. If a stranger could guess the role you’re applying for based solely on your resume, you’ve done enough. If they’d guess something totally different, you’re probably adding to the long list of real examples of not tailoring the resume for specific jobs.