The keywords you use in your resume may be the fine line between being hired or rejected. You don’t want your resume looking like a replica of the others, making the hiring process tedious for the recruiter. Let’s focus on the variety of cliché lines that can make a job applicant’s resume cringe-worthy:
“I am a team player.”
Employers are looking for collaborative members that can work well alone and with others. However, the cliché has been overused for years. The statement seems vague and should comprehensively detail how, where and when you collaborated with someone or a department to meet the intended objectives. The phrase fails to grab the attention of the reader. According to Jeff Hayes, Human Resources Director at SolidEssay, the recruiter wants to see a time where there was a success when teamwork was applied and how you intend to complete tasks of the job you are applying for.
“I have a proven track record.”
This is hard to prove unless evidence is given. Most recruiting managers have argued this phrase loses meaning over time, especially since it is integrated into every resume. A CV needs specificity. To overcome this platitude, Kevin Spencer, HR Coordinator at ConfidentWriters suggests giving results and instances where you made a significant impact in the company, such as increasing sales or exceeding a goal.
“I don’t have much experience in…”
Negative statements might not be the best way to win with recruiters. More often than not, the statement is followed by words like “I feel,” “I think” or ”I believe” which further weakens the statement making it seem like the words are being softened to convince the company you would be a great fit. As noted by Andrew Goldman, HR Recruiter at SwiftPapers, apologizing for skills that you do not have is unnecessary and already proves to the recruiter that there is a dearth of confidence and ability in completing a task.
“I am great at multitasking.”
This statement is relatively empty and is not a profound attribute since anyone can say this. “Applicants should go above and beyond to highlight the value of their multitasking skills to the company,” says Ashley Comme, Director of Human Resources at DedicatedWriters. Alternatively, you can submit instances where you accomplished multiple priorities with the same deadlines and the problem-solving skills you applied to complete the tasks successfully. This shows the recruiter that you are not only a multitasker but can also handle deadlines well and therefore can work well in a crisis.
We have outlined some of the words that job applicants use in their resumes that end up irritating recruiters. Check over your current C.V. and remove the redundant and common words and phrases to have the edge over other applicants.
By Paul Bates
Paul Bates works as a resume writer for a number of professional online platforms such as EssayTask, Paper-Research and BeeStudent. He also consults a few companies on the selection process of the candidates.