13 Words Not to Use in Your Resume
Posted January 6, 2014 & filed under Job Search, Resume, Uncategorized
January for many people is job search season. As you get yourself back in shape for the job market, you need to give some serious thought to the words you use. Some hang around your resume like extra poundage, weighing you down as you try to outrace your competition. Other words utterly fail to make any real impression with hiring managers. Whatever the reason for your resume missing the mark, you may need to shed certain words to give it greater appeal.
LinkedIn compiled a list of 10 words that job seekers overused in their resumes and profiles during 2013. The words they suggest you not use in your resume include:
1.) Responsible
2.) Strategic
3.) Creative
4.) Effective
5.) Patient
6.) Expert
7.) Organizational
8.) Driven
9.) Innovative
10.) Analytical
The problem with these words is that they don’t really tell employers anything concrete about you. Words like “creative” or “effective” are ambiguous and don’t give context in your professional life. You have to provide hiring managers with evocative examples from the start or you risk not showing yourself in the right light as someone who can get things done.
At Omni One, there are three additional words we believe you should eliminate from your resume:
11.) Cutting-edge
12.) Dynamic
13.) Try
The first two words aren’t different from the LinkedIn list: they don’t convey the way you have taken action in your current and previous jobs. The third and final creates a sense of uncertainty. Even if you say, “I always try to go above and beyond with each project,” your word choice still holds a modicum of doubt. To say that you’re trying suggests your work will be filled with mishaps and missteps along the way which, though it may be unavoidable, doesn’t need to be explicitly said.
Ultimately, if you find yourself struggling with the words in your resume, you can always turn to any of our Omni One recruiters for proper guidance. They can coach you through revisions to your resume and help you find out what to highlight to employers. Contact them today.
by James Walsh
