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Words recruiters hate
By Erin
Greenawald, March 17, 2014 - themuse.com
We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again: With so little space and so
much awesome information about your career to share, it’s critical that you get
picky with the words you use on your resume.
Unfortunately, when trying to make a resume that stands out, people often
get a little too, shall we say, creative with their word choices, opting for
corporate-sounding buzzwords that they think hiring managers want to hear,
rather than simply describing their accomplishments.
Well, we’ve got news for you: It’s time to cut the jargon.
Last week, CareerBuilder released the results of a survey asking more than
2,000 hiring managers and human resource professionals about their biggest
resume word turn-offs (and turn-ons). The results are enlightening: Turns out,
no one really wants to see those oft-used business buzzwords and clichés—think
“results-driven,” “team player,” and, surprisingly, “hard worker.” Instead of
vaguely describing your achievements, it seems hiring managers prefer you show
exactly what results you achieved or what makes you such a “team player,” using
strong and simple action verbs (“achieved,” “improved,” and “trained” or
“mentored” stood out among the favorites).
You can check out a sampling of the best and worst words below (and the
full list at CareerBuilder),
but the bigger takeaway is this: When it comes to the words you choose on your
resume, keep it simple. Clearly and accurately describe what you’ve done in the
past, and it will become obvious to hiring managers why you’re the “best of
breed.”
The Worst
Resume Terms
- 1. Best of breed
- 2. Go-getter
- 3. Think outside of the box
- 4. Synergy
- 5. Go-to person
- 6. Results-driven
- 7. Team player
- 8. Hard worker
- 9. Strategic thinker
- 10. Detail-oriented
- The Best Resume Terms
- 1. Achieved
- 2. Improved
- 3. Trained/Mentored
- 4. Managed
- 5. Created
- 6. Influenced
- 7. Increased/Decreased
- 8. Negotiated
- 9. Launched
- 10. Under budget
In addition to this blog, I have authored the premiere book on Netiquette, "Netiquette IQ - A Comprehensive Guide to Improve, Enhance and Add Power to Your Email". You can view my profile, reviews of the book and content excerpts at:
www.amazon.com/author/paulbabicki
If you would like to listen to experts in all aspects of Netiquette and communication, try my radio show on BlogtalkRadio and an online newsletter via paper.li.I have established Netiquette discussion groups with Linkedin and Yahoo. I am also a member of the International Business Etiquette and Protocol Group and Minding Manners among others. I regularly consult for the Gerson Lehrman Group, a worldwide network of subject matter experts and I have been contributing to the blogs Everything Email and emailmonday . My work has appeared in numerous publications and I have presented to groups such as The Breakfast Club of NJ Rider University and PSG of Mercer County New Jersey.
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