Words that Sabotage Your Resume

Creating a winning resume isn't easy. The strongest first step you can take is to build a strategy and choose the right words. This may seem simple, but one of the most common resume mistakes job seekers make is not paying enough attention to strategy and word selection. Don't let this happen to you! Here are some words and phrases to avoid.

A lot of job seekers feel they need to communicate their soft-skills to the employer to make them appear unique. There is nothing further from the truth. Soft-skills are claimed by nearly all job candidates and are so common that hiring managers pay no attention to them.

Soft-skill phrases to avoid or severely limit

• excellent communication skills
• strong work ethic
• multi-tasker

Don't bore your reader with overused phrases. After all, no one writes that he/she takes long lunches, is lazy, and argues a lot with peers. Rather than just stating you are an "excellent presenter," instead say "Developed and presented 50+ media presentations to prospects resulting in 35 new accounts totaling $300,000 in revenues."

Remember, a resume is a marketing document for your career just as a brochure is a marketing document for a product. These words represent you when you cannot be there to speak for yourself, so they need to showcase you in a powerful way.