If you are looking to create a resume that stands out from the applicant pool, you need to know about the words to eliminate from your resume. It can be tricky to navigate creating the perfect resume to land your dream job. These words are incredibly overused and do not show your potential employer that you put tons of thought into your resume. Once you take care of these words to eliminate from your resume, you will have more space to dedicate towards talking about your experiences, accomplishments, and talents that will help you stand out from other applicants.
Of all of the words to eliminate from your resume, “responsible” is the top one that employers despise. This word is usually accompanied by a long list of dull tasks that have no real merit in the working force. Rather than using this word over and over again in your resume, replace it by actually describing your role in your previous experience. Did you manage a team? Did you do research or analytics? Avoid this cliché word and replace it with a more colorful description of your position.
If you are interviewing with a company, they are going to assume you are motivated. If you have a variety of previous experience and positions on your resume, they obviously show that you are motivated to move up in the workforce. Eliminate this word from your resume and prove to them that you are motivated through your actions instead. Ace your interview and follow up with a thank you card. That shows more motivation than a simple word on your resume.
Similar to "motivated," "organized" is another word on your resume that you can show with actions and not with words. When you present your resume and cover letter, if you are not organized, it will show. When you show up to an interview in a rush and don’t have the appropriate materials, it will show that you are unorganized. Organization is very easy to spot in a prospective employee, so if you are truly organized, delete this word from your resume and prove it instead.
"Creative" is a word thrown around resumes without many people actually stopping to think what that actually means. Do you really think outside the box? Or do you just like to doodle? Replace this word with other, more creative words, like visionary or inventive. If you really want to show your creativity, try formatting your resume in an out of the box manner. That will really show off your creativity.
This is one phrase that employers are sick of seeing in a resume. It is way overused and most of the time isn’t even true in applicants. No matter what job you will be working, you are most likely going to have to work as part of a team. Employers assume that you are going to work well in groups. If you have experience in a team setting, use words like "collaborated" instead of mentioning that you are a “team-player.”
This is another word that is thrown around in almost every resume. Employers are tired of seeing it. It shows no creativity and does not separate you from the applicant pool. Not to mention, it does not mention if you have one day of experience or 20 years of experience. Use specific numbers and statistics to show your experience by mentioning the goals you reached, profits you raised, or any other important milestones in your career.
If you are that goal-oriented, talk about how you reached your goals rather than describing yourself. This is similar to “experienced,” in that it can be replaced with actual statistics of the goals you reached. This word is too vague to really be viewed as important in a resume and employers have seen it too often to have it stick with them. They would prefer that you show you are goal-oriented with specific examples.
This is one thing that employers not only don’t want to see, but some of them are offended when they see it. Employers are smart enough to know to contact you if they want your references. It just takes up space. Use the space to talk about talents and accomplishments instead of sounding like every other resume out there.
This is not actually one word, but rather a section of a resume to delete. Most of the time, resumes include a vague objective that does not actually state what your career goals are. It is even worse if you do not tailor it to the specific job you applying for. Objectives just take up valuable space on your resume and leave you looking boring and juvenile. The top of your resume should grab the employer’s attention, not make you look like you are throwing your resume around to anyone who will look at it.
Employers look for applicants who are detailed, think outside of the box, and take initiative to reach their goals. None of these words show those traits on a resume. Take the time to really think about the way your resume will be perceived by an employer and tweak your content accordingly. If you delete these words and replace them with more colorful and specific words, you are bound to be recognized by potential employers. What did you think of these words to eliminate from a resume? Are there other words you think should be cut? Why do you think these words are so overused and why do employers hate them so much?
Sources: huffingtonpost.com, forbes.com