4 Terms to Not Use On You Resume
by Jay Markunas, Career Consultant
Last week I was honored to speak to the Austin Project Managers Institute. We spent much of our time on resumes. How to write them, how they are reviewed, and how to make them stand out. The conversation naturally went to what was “in” and “out” on a resume.
One of the questions I asked to the audience is what terms are “out” on the resume? What sounds too cliché?? One term everyone agreed on was “results oriented“. Is there anyone who wants to come across as “results oriented”? According to career advisor, Liz Ryan, these types of terms “come from a military lingo that the American management system copied. The structure for business management is inherited from the military. We adopted some of their business lingo and policies and procedural manuals. The problem is — they don’t fit us very well.”
Another term that is “out” on the resume is “Responsible for” - as it relates to a job or position. “Responsible for a staff of 5″ is not telling the reader how you helped your previous employers. This tells the reader what you had responsibility for. What’s “out” are “responsibility-based resumes”. What’s “in”? “Accomplishments-based resumes”. The hiring manager wants to see how you can help the company. They do this by looking at your previous accomplishments.
“References available upon request” is also no longer needed. Hiring managers know you will provide them references which will give you glowing praise upon their request. Resumes shouldn’t use up valuable space with this useless phrase.
“Team player“, according to MSNBC.com, is one of the most overused clichéd expressions. “This is one of the most over-used clichés, so try to find a way you can show that you are this team player”, says MSNBC. If you’ve collaborated on something with someone, make sure you put that on your resume instead of this overused term.
Your resume must stand out above the other applicants. These terms will not make your resume stand out, it will make your resume blend in. If you have terms like this on your resume, consider rewriting to be less cliché.
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Good points ! Another “in” is TELL A STORY, more importantly tell YOUR story not a generic story that EVERYONE in your profession can also tell.
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