Resume Buzzword Bingo

We've been told there's an art to resume writing: the art of compressing years of experience and achievements into two pages that make hiring officers want to call.

We've been told there's a science to it: that of figuring out which keywords to include when applying for a position in order to outwit the automated scanners.

Well, it turns out it's a game. Literally. I just created it - but I need your help.

The idea started when I heard that LinkedIn, the global professional networking site, had released a list of the ten most overused buzzwords in LinkedIn member profiles in 2010.

The list includes all the usual suspects, from "extensive experience" at the top to "entrepreneurial" at the bottom.

That got me to thinking: What Buzzword Bingo did for corporate drones trapped in stultifying meetings, it could do for overwhelmed HR staffers with eyes glazed over as they sift through mountains of resumes. Not to mention that maybe job-seekers themselves might get a kick out of seeing how their resume rates on the cliché scale.

So I took the top 10 overused LinkedIn profile buzzwords - "extensive experience," "innovative," "motivated," "results-oriented," "dynamic," "proven track record," "team player," "fast-paced," "problem solver" and "entrepreneurial" - and used them to seed a standard 5x5 Bingo board. After the free square, that left me with 14 more resume buzzwords to identify.

Here's where you come in. I've come up with eight more buzzwords beyond the top 10 (italicized on the board). That leave six spaces open. Surely some of you out there have seen enough resumes to pick out six more cliché terms that would fill out the board. Nominations are now being accepted, with bonus points awarded for good reasons why a word deserves a spot on the board. I'll post the final product in a week, assuming I've gotten enough gems. Then you can pass this on to your HR staff or use it to figure out how to make your own resume truly distinctive.

Win at the game of job-hunting - make your move at BusinessWorkForce.com.

By Sandy Smith

Sandy Smith is an award-winning writer and editor who has spent most of his career in public relations and corporate communications. His work has appeared in The Philadelphia Inquirer, the Philadelphia CityPaper, PGN, and a number of Web sites. Philly-area residents may also recognize him as "MarketStEl" of discussion-board fame. He has been a part of the great reserve army of freelance writers since January 2009 and is actively seeking opportunities wherever they may lie.