More Words to Avoid on Your Resume

It takes a lot of time, care and thought to write your resume. You have to use the correct keywords and formatting, and list relevant experiences to catch the attention of the person responsible for hiring. Avoid these four types of words on your resume to make a better impression on HR.

1. Filler

Write your resume without filler words. These types of words either repeat the same basic phrase again, just with different verbiage, or they exaggerate something about your abilities. As an example of repetition, you might say "was responsible for" in one sentence, and then further down the page state "has experience in" or "duties included." All of these phrases say the same basic thing without adding anything to your resume.

Exaggerations may include descriptive words that add emphasis or clarification to something, such as "worked hard to implement a new training program." You can leave out the "worked hard" part because your previous and potential employer cannot speak to your work level. Implementing a new training program is important because it is a concrete example of something you accomplished in your work experience.

2. Embellishments

Never lie on a resume. If you embellish a job title or an accomplishment and a hiring manager tries to verify your claims, he may find out you lied about something. No employer wants to hire a dishonest person. Write your resume with precision and accuracy to make the best impression.

3. Generic Statements

All claims in your resume should have results and numbers to back them up. When you write your resume, avoid generic phrasing such as "Increased sales after finding new business leads." Instead, try something like this: "Increased sales 10 percent each quarter for 12 straight quarters thanks to acquiring 65 new clients." The numbers add credibility to your claims, create a concrete example, and make you stand out from other candidates.

4. Buzzwords

Avoid buzzwords as you write your resume. Use specific examples of past achievements to illustrate your best qualities, while avoiding overused terms such as "results oriented" or "critical thinker." Replace "Team player" with a quantifiable statement, such as "Led team of seven individuals responsible for the development of company-wide communications protocols explaining who to contact over the course of a two-year, $10 million expansion project." This shows you have leadership skills, the ability to keep people on task, and the fortitude to stick with something over the long-term. Plus, the sentence sounds a lot better than "team player."

Think like an HR staffer or a hiring manager when you write your resume. If you were considering hiring yourself, as a complete stranger, what would you want to see and need to know? Start with that and then develop relevant information that lands you the all-important interview.

Photo courtesy of Bill Bradbury at Flickr.com