Overused Words in Resumes

Are you “team player,” or a “customer-focused” “people person?”

If you find these words in your resume, some bloggers (Elizabeth Lowman, in the Daily Muse) are suggesting giving them the heave-ho and updating the terms you use.

She says most resumes use too many terms and phrases that don’t really carry any impact or meaning anymore. If you find some in your resume, replace them with words and phrases that better describe what you have actually done in previous jobs. This adds substance to your resume and allows you to “leverage your impactful experience in your previous career space.” Oh, sorry, I slipped into corporate bafflegab for a second there. So the idea is to communicate your actual accomplishments and avoid sounding presumptuous.

One of the most obvious examples of meaninglessness usually shows up in a person’s career objective. Phrases such as “I want to work for an growing organization that utilizes my talents in supervision” are a bit trite. And it sounds a little entry-level as well. You need something that is more captivating for such an important location on the prime real estate of your resume.

Tips:

• Don’t just say you are experienced (seasoned, well-versed), which is a little vague, but say something to describe your experience.

• Rather than saying “I am a team player,” say what that means to you. What did you actually do that showed this quality? Led a team? Joined a team? Managed a fantasy football team?

• If you describe yourself as “dynamic, enthusiastic, or passionate” be sure you come across that way in the interview. These are terms that are really the judgment of the interviewer. You can quote someone else as saying this about you. That is one way to avoid sounding too self-promoting.

• Employers know that they can ask for references. You don’t need to tell them anymore that your “references are available upon request.” That is a waste of words and space these days.

We are all probably guilty of all these mistakes, and the best thing to do is to clean them up going forward.