By Kentin Waits
According to a recent study, recruiters spend an average of 6.2 seconds looking at an individual resume. Working with that kind of attention span and operating with limited space, resume writers need to make every word count. With this in mind, it might be time to a take a critical look at your resume or CV or even your LinkedIn profile and root out terms that aren’t doing you any favors. And you can start with these 12 vague, cliche, inappropriate, or downright meaningless words. (See also: Get Your Resume Past the Resume Filter)
“I”
Your resume is a chance to showcase how your skills, experience, and knowledge have produced quantitative results for previous employers. Avoid overusing “I” and focus instead on what you can bring to company and role you’re interest in. Remember, it’s less about you and more about them. A resume peppered with “I”s and “my”s sends the message that you’re focused in the wrong direction.
“Microsoft Office”
Amber Carucci of PR Daily says that most employers assume that candidates have basic computer skills, so applicants shouldn’t take up valuable resume real estate to point out the obvious. Instead, focus on specific areas of expertise such as HTML coding, SEO/SEM, or project management software programs.
“Love”
Used in business communication of any sort, love (e.g., “Accounting is my first love” or “I’d love to work for your company”) is a word that sticks out like a sore thumb. Let’s reserve this quite powerful descriptor for our families, our pets, and our smartphones. (See also: 5 Best Smartphones)
“Impactful”
Sure, impactful is a word, but it’s not necessarily a good one. It’s clunky, awkward, and prompts the question: Was the impact good or bad? Crack open a thesaurus and pick a better adjective (not a tall order since most are better).
Read More 12 Words You Need to Delete From Your Resume Right Now.
Filed under: News from the Soul Brother
