Words and Phrases to Avoid on Your Resume
A 2018 eye-tracking study found that recruiters, on average, spent only about 7 seconds reviewing a resume. So, how can you stand out from the competition in such a short time?
One way is to avoid common words and phrases that hiring managers hate. When US employment website CareerBuilder surveyed more than 2,000 hiring managers back in 2014, some of their least favorite terms included common resume phrases like "team player," "hard worker" and "self-motivated."
These expressions take up space, but don't do much to show how you would add value to the company you're applying to. They're also qualities most employers expect from you anyway.
The words that CareerBuilder found hiring managers most liked were things like "achieved," "trained," "managed" or "created" — action words that can be used to give clear examples of things you've done.
They also liked terms such as "increased" or "decreased," as well as "revenue" and "under budget" — more words that help practically illustrate your achievements.
So, in other words, instead of just claiming you have certain qualities, it's better to show them in action.
For example, instead of writing that you're a "team player" and "excellent communicator" who "delivers results," you might say:
- Managed a sales team of 12 to increase revenue by 130% over four years
- Communicated with three departments to create a company-wide payment system four months early and 10% under budget
It's also good to avoid terms that sound too much like self-promotion, such as "rock star," "exceptional" or even "expert" — these claims can be made by anyone.
But also don't be too basic — just saying you were "responsible for" something sounds like the bare minimum. The same goes for having "experience working in" something.
So while you shouldn't say you're "a sales rock star with exceptional people skills," you also shouldn't just say you have "experience working in sales" and were "responsible for three departments."
Instead, use those action words to give practical examples of all the people you've trained or managed, and the great things you've created and achieved!
