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Words To Avoid On Your Resume, Visualized

This article is more than 7 years old.

Image: Shutterstock. Design: Nick DeSantis, Forbes staff

 

With employers required to sift through a digital deluge of resumes for new hires, it is crucial that your resume's first impression be succinct and spot-on. In fact, a recent study by theladders.com states that employers give resumes all of 6.25 seconds of consideration before they're discarded.  With such a miniscule window of opportunity to make an impact, being meticulous about your language choices is not only important, but essential.

 

 

Culled from a recent survey of hiring managers by jobs website CareerBuilder, we visualized FORBES staffer Susan Adams' list of the worst words to use on a resume and offered some solutions for avoiding the assorted cliches, buzzwords, and empty phrases that can land your resume in the trash. Please use these offbeat graphics as fun visual reminders, as they highlight words that are deemed the worst offenders by knowledgeable experts.

 

 

"Best Of Breed"

Image: Shutterstock. Design: Nick DeSantis, Forbes staff

You're not a canine, so leave "best of breed" in the doghouse.

 

 

"Go-Getter"

Image: Shutterstock. Design: Nick DeSantis, Forbes staff

Calling yourself a "go-getter" can be perceived as vague and overly colloquial at best and a bit self-aggrandizing at worst. Communicate that you're a motivated employee by listing specific examples from your work history. 

 

 

"Think Outside The Box "

Image: Shutterstock. Design: Nick DeSantis, Forbes staff

Using the phrase "Think Outside The Box," one of the most overused business cliches of all time, does not convey your creativity to an employer. Providing clear examples of innovative solutions throughout your career will make you look far more inventive.

 

 

"Synergy"

Image: Shutterstock. Design: Nick DeSantis, Forbes staff

Business buzzwords like "synergy" can come across as a bit too forced and jargony for a good first impression. Using less abstract words to convey a similar sentiment would be a better option.

 

 

"Go-To Person"

Image: Shutterstock. Design: Nick DeSantis, Forbes staff

 Ultimately, what does the empty phrase "go-to person" really say about your ability to perform whatever task you were the "go-to person" for? Abandoning the cliche term and describing how successful you were with your responsibilities will communicate much more on a resume.

 

 

"Thought Leadership"

Image: Shutterstock. Design: Nick DeSantis, Forbes staff

Claiming "thought leadership" can sound like you're claiming to have been the smartest person in the room. If your ideas helped forge a path forward in the workplace, it's probably better to provide examples.

 

 

"Value Add"

Image: Shutterstock. Design: Nick DeSantis, Forbes staff

It doesn't get much more vague than invoking the hollow term "value add." What sort of value? How did your efforts support a team or project? Answering those questions descriptively with the potential job in mind is key in communicating what value you can add to a position or group.

 

 

 "Results Driven"

Image: Shutterstock. Design: Nick DeSantis, Forbes staff

A work buzzphrase like "results driven," which it itself doesn't communicate much beyond "the outcomes of my actions are motivating," can be perceived as meaningless filler. Rephrase your thought, or just jettison the phrase entirely.

 

 

 "Team Player"

Image: Shutterstock. Design: Nick DeSantis, Forbes staff

The sports-derived business cliche "team player" illustrates very little beyond the fact that you've served on a team of some sort at least once. If your intention is to communicate how well you work with others, giving examples of your roles within collaborative projects will be far more impressionable on a resume.

 

 

"Bottom-Line"

Image: Shutterstock. Design: Nick DeSantis, Forbes staff

Results matter, but "bottom-line" sounds like boilerplate. Instead, be specific about the results you achieved in a given role.

 

 

"Hard Worker"

Image: Shutterstock. Design: Nick DeSantis, Forbes staff

Communicate your rigorous work ethic on your resume by detailing your responsibilities and successes. Once that's accomplished, literally declaring yourself a "hard worker" will seem redundant and unnecessary to an employer.

 

 

"Strategic Thinker"

Image: Shutterstock. Design: Nick DeSantis, Forbes staff

Those who label themselves a "Strategic Thinker" on their resume should brainstorm another means of conveying their abilities. You may have had a great idea, but how did you execute it? A better tactic might be to cite specific examples from your work history where you planned a course of action and followed through on it, or anticipated a problem and took steps to avoid it.

 

 

"Dynamic"

Image: Shutterstock. Design: Nick DeSantis, Forbes staff

Actions speak louder than words, especially for an empty word like "dynamic." Show your prospective employer that you're smart enough to know when to take action, confident enough to speak up, and disciplined enough to see your plan through to fruition. Highlighting these kinds of accomplishments will lend you far more credibility than a throwaway word like "dynamic.

 

 

"Self-Motivate"

Image: Shutterstock. Design: Nick DeSantis, Forbes staff

"Self-motivated," as opposed to by whom - or what? Does your boss have to tell you to do your job? Do you only perform under coercion? Of course not! Finding motivation at work should ideally be about more than the fact that you're being paid for your efforts, but at the very least show that you understand what it is to have a job. Skip this phrase and show examples of your initiative.

 

 

"Detail-Oriented"

Image: Shutterstock. Design: Nick DeSantis, Forbes staff

Simply stating that you're "detail-oriented," rather than illustrating precise examples of your meticulous nature, communicates the exact opposite of your intention.

 

 

"Proactively"

Image: Shutterstock. Design: Nick DeSantis, Forbes staff

Adding "proactively" to your sentence simply states "no one told me to get started on this," which sets a low bar for the impression you're making on an employer. Avoid the word and focus on examples of your gumption if you'd like to show that you take initiative at work.

 

 

"Track Record"

Image: Shutterstock. Design: Nick DeSantis, Forbes staff

It's not the 400-meter dash. Avoid this cliche.