2014s Best and Worst Words to put on Your Resume

2014s Best and Worst Words to put on Your Resume Last week, as reported by Forbes in The Best and Worst Words To Use On Your Resume, CareerBuilder came out with a list of both recommended and ill-advised resume words and phrases for 2014. The list was generated through interviews with 2,200 hiring managers and human resources staffers. One surprising result from this survey, says Forbes, is a possible change in the length of time hiring managers spend looking at a resume: 17% said they spend 30 seconds or less, but 68% said they can read for up to two full minutes before moving on! That’s fairly good news for any job seeker – but it means you need to avoid turning off the reader with distasteful words and phrases so that they will be more likely to read further. I believe an even bigger trick would be to leave out these â€Å"worst† words while also including the keywords from the job description your resume is targeting. No problem right? For instance, one of the no-nos on the list is â€Å"self-motivated.† But what if the job description asks for someone who is self-motivated and you know your resume will be going through an ATS (Applicant Tracking System) for screening? What if, by some stroke of misfortune, the job description contains the words â€Å"results-driven,† â€Å"team player† or â€Å"detail-oriented† – phrases I have banished from my resumes since day 1? I think that would be my worst nightmare. My point is: Do avoid these words, but do not do so at all costs. Sometimes exceptions need to be made. By the same token, just because a word is on the â€Å"best resume words† list doesn’t mean you should overuse it. Of course hiring managers want to see words like â€Å"improved† and â€Å"increased/decreased.† But these words can get very old very fast. Repeated usage of the same verbs can put your readers to sleep; so consider varying your language to keep them on their toes! Consider synonyms like â€Å"heightened,† â€Å"boosted,† â€Å"multiplied,† â€Å"accelerated,† â€Å"cut,† â€Å"shrank,† and other power verbs. I for one will use more colorful words until a report comes out with those words on the â€Å"worst† list. For a robust list of power resume verbs, check out my e-books, How to Write a WINNING Resume and How to Write a STELLAR Executive Resume. OK I won’t keep you in suspense any longer. Here’s CareerBuilder’s list of the worst words to use on your resume: Best of breed Go-getter Think outside of the box Synergy Go-to person Thought leadership Value add Results-driven Team player Bottom-line Hard worker Strategic thinker Dynamic Self-motivate Detail-oriented Proactively Track record And the words hiring managers want to see: Achieved Improved Trained/mentored Managed Created Resolved Volunteered Influenced Increased/decreased Ideas Negotiated Launched Revenue/profits Under budget Won The real lesson here is that hiring managers want to see results, not descriptions of your greatest characteristics, nor broad claims of greatness. The more you can convey the facts and numbers of your achievements, the better. Now do this: Check your resume. How many of the â€Å"worst resume words† are on it? Can you transform your resume into one that will keep a hiring manager reading for an entire †¦ two †¦ minutes? If so, you might be able to list â€Å"Won resume game† as one of your most impressive credentials. Category:Resume TipsBy Brenda BernsteinMarch 24, 2014 1 Comment Susan Gainen says: March 25, 2014 at 11:39 am Thank you for sharing this. Log in to Reply