Since
most recruiters and hiring managers receive far more resumes than they
have time to review carefully, they’re forced to find shortcuts that
will allow them to quickly sort resumes into "yes," "maybe"
and "no" piles.
There are lots of ways to get into the "yes" pile -- customizing your resume, using strong verbs, giving concrete examples of past accomplishments and showing your value, for example.
But
there are also many ways to get your resume immediately consigned to
the "no" pile. One way is to use the wrong words or phrases -- often,
empty cliches, annoying jargon or recycled buzzwords. In a recent article, “10 Words and Terms That Ruin a Resume,”
we highlighted some of the worst offenders. That article really got
people talking, so we asked some recruiting experts to share more of
these detestable resume terms:
1. “Job Duties”Heather
Huhman, career expert and founder of content marketing and digital PR
consultancy Come Recommended, says the term “job duties” is not
convincing on a resume.
“List job duties under each position at
your own risk,” she says. “Instead, focus on your accomplishments.
Ideally, you should be able to use the S-A-R method: Situation, Action,
Results. Include up to three bullets per position, and as [few] as one.”
Keep
in mind that your job duties are something that happened to you, not
something you achieved -- and your resume should tell a story of
achievement.
2. "Related Coursework""Unless
you're applying for your very first internship, remove your related
coursework," Huhman says. All your relevant education definitely belongs
on your resume, but a separate section for "related coursework" isn't
necessary. Your resume needs a laser-sharp focus. If you're struggling
to show how a class is relevant to the job you're applying for, consider
removing it.
3. “Proven Ability”HR
manager Jen Strobel views this phrase as just resume filler. “The
ability was proven by whom? How is the ability proven? How does this
ability compare to those which are not proven?” she asks.
So use your resume to prove your ability by giving specific examples of your career achievements.
4. "Married with Children"Delmar
Johnson, an HR professional with 20 years of experience and founder of
HR services firm HR Brain for Hire, says personal information doesn’t
belong on a resume. "That's great you have a family and you're proud [of
it]," she says. "[But] your goal is to reflect a level of
professionalism that demonstrates your knowledge, your skills and
abilities that are applicable to the job to which you are applying."
5. "Transferable Skills" When
executive recruiter and career counselor Bruce Hurwitz sees these
words, he takes them to mean “I'm not qualified, but do me a favor.” He
says the terms “skills” or “skill set” are fine to use, but the word
"transferable" has negative connotations.
And this is a great
example of why it’s important to show, not tell. Don’t tell a recruiter
that you have transferable skills. Show how the skills you have are
relevant to the job.
6. “Results-oriented”
Cousin
to the term “hard worker,” this is something anyone can say about
himself. And as Stacey Hawley, career specialist and founder of career
consultancy Credo, points out, that you’ll work toward results “is
assumed.” There’s no need to use your resume to tell people things they
already know.
7. “Utilized My Skills”“Who else's skills would we be using?” Hawley asks.
Stuffy,
overly formal language on resumes is out. It’s wiser nowadays to use
direct language. Beware of boilerplate phrases that have lost their
meaning and that can be replaced with expressive words that say
something specific about you.
8. “Had _____”Career
and etiquette expert Sandra Lamb is a proponent of using strong
language on resumes. “’Had’ is an anemic and colorless verb that gives
the reader the impression you’re submitting a job description,” says
Lamb, author of
How to Write It. “Don't use this to start a bulleted item on your resume; you’ll be better-served by a strong, active verb.”
For example, you might say “Managed three people” instead of “Had three direct reports.”
9. Wacky Email Addresses (and Twitter Handles!)
Recruiting
and career expert Abby Kohut of AbsolutelyAbby.com says that
inappropriate email addresses like “clubhopper@example.com” or
“hotchick@example.com” can send a resume to the bottom of the pile, if
not the trash. “It’s not so much the email address as it is [the job
seeker’s] judgment that I’m concerned about,” she says.
