7 Phrases You Should Never Have on Your Resume
June 26, 2008 (10:38AM) by Rick Saia, CPRW
When I was a teenager, the comedy of George Carlin, who died this week, was a godsend that could brighten the worst of days. At a time in your life when you could be content one minute, depressed the next, and confused less than a minute later, listening to George wax humorous about the contradictions, hypocrisy, and the usually public taboos of the time helped me put it all in perspective.
To honor the comic genius's quintessential sketch 7 Words You Can Never Say on TV, here's a list of seven words and phrases you shouldn't include on your resume. Chances are this list won't serve as the basis for a Supreme Court case, as George's did.
1. "Effective Communicator"
This phrase doesn't distinguish you from other job applicants, but that's exactly what you need to do today to be called in for an interview. Hiring managers assume you can communicate well, so, if you don't know how — either by e-mail or with your voice — you have about as much chance of getting hired as a tree.
2. "Detail-Oriented"
Every job requires a certain level of attention to detail. So, again, this won't help your resume — or your chance at landing an interview. The best thing to do here — if you know the job you're applying for calls for this trait in particular — is to be ready to explain in an interview how your high level of attention to detail resulted in a key accomplishment in your current or previous job.
3. "Highly Skilled"
This is a nothing phrase. You have skills, and you can use some or all of those skills in some kind of job that calls for them. The only way you don't have skills is if you've been doing — here it comes — nothing. Do you believe you have more skills than the average applicant? Show, don't tell.
4. "Reliable"
You'd better be if you get the job. Again, this is a trait that can go without saying. It just doesn't distinguish you from the others who may want the same job.
5. "References Available Upon Request"
This was regular practice in the world of resumes that has become passé. Always assume that an employer will want to check references, or at least conduct a Web search on you and what you've accomplished. So, don't state this on your resume, but do make sure you have the names and contact information of pre-screened potential references if you're called in to interview. And keep those people in the know on your possible job change so they won't be surprised should the hiring manager call them.
6. "Energetic Team Player'"
As opposed to what? A "Lethargic Loner"? Just about every organization wants someone who has the energy to do a job and can work effectively with others, and if they don't get that vibe from you, those empty words on a resume won't convince them.
7. "Able to Meet Deadlines"
Here's a question to ask yourself: If you were to meet just one of every 10 deadlines, how long would you last in your job? Once again, this is an obvious trait that merely says you can do the bare minimum.
There are other words and phrases that could have made this list, but, hey, I limited myself to seven in honor of the late, great George Carlin. Got any others? Please share them with us in the Comments section. (But make sure they're appropriate enough to pass the censors — wink wink!)
I didn't understand your "George wax humorous" comment but I sure do understand these 7 don'ts. There are so many more. Of course we recruiters want to hire someone who is "conscientious", " "able to work independently"... We need to continue to remind candidates to inform the resume reader of what they are going to do for the firm and what successes for prior employers they are going to deliver again. "Defined new market niche which yielded $250,000 in gross profit in first year" shows me the person can work independently and really gets me excited about the candidate who can work "independently". Show me and prove it, don't tell me.
George was great!
Hi Caroline!
Thanks very much - and I wholeheartedly agree with your observations, especially "Show me ... don't tell me," which is a personal mantra, especially when I teach writing. You also offered a great example of an accomplishment. That's the stuff that can make the difference between "must interview" pile and circular file.
BTW: "Wax" when used as a verb, sometimes means "to assume a (specified) characteristic, quality, or state," such as in "wax poetic."
Rest in peace, George.
~ Rick
"Willing to learn new things." "Highly skilled."
These are two more items that are common on resumes.
Thanks for the great post!
I'll add one that always bugs me... the phrase "participated in". "Participated in a project to divert an asteroid from destroying the Earth." Great, does that mean you designed the spacecraft that blew it up, or made copies for the guy who did? That's a phrase you see all the time and it means LESS than nothing...
Steve
The References line is one I tell people all the time.
Here's my article in the almost-opposite sense:
60 Resume Achievement Writing Ideas and Expressions - http://jobmob.co.il/blog/resume-achievement-writing-ideas-expressions/
Hi Miranda, Steve and Jacob!
Thanks very much for dropping in. I'm sure we've seen them all. I wonder, though, whether most people have a hard time promoting themselves and, thus, what "edge" they might be able to provide a would-be employer.
Open to anyone: Are most people modest when they write their resumes and cover letters? Or do they just lack the personal "sales skills" - for want of a better term - that are sometimes required during the job search?
~ Rick
After a few difficult years of truck driving and owner/operator of a big rig; my husband started doing retail and has made several (5-6) job changes. We recently moved and he is having difficulty finding a job and has heard that he appears to job hop. Just one of the job he left was because they closed the doors of the place and a few others were part time and he wanted full time. What are we going to do? He is very stressed about this. How do we handle this. He put together a cover letter to go with a resume and explains the job situation but still nothing seems to help. He has even went to a temp agency and they even said something. HELP
I loved George Carlin (still do of course - thanks for the link) and I love your post. In fact, you have me looking at my own resume. Phew! It passes muster - at least for the seven deadly phrases.
Always wondered about "references available upon request". Oh yes...I used it when I was young. But even then I thought if I didn't write that, would they forget to ask and just hire me anyway? Or would I be able to say "no, trust me I'm great" if they asked?
Still smiling at the Carlin quotes. Thanks!
Ronnie Ann
Good post. I'm a recruiter and hate seeing some of these on resumes. Same goes for most of what is in someone's objective. Objectives should be left off resumes unless you are not flexible in what you want in your next job. "Self Starter" could be number 8. As if someone would list, "must be told what to do". :)
@ Monica - I'm sorry for all the stress you and your husband are facing. I think the first thing he needs to do is decide what kind of job he's looking for, assuming he hasn't by this point. Then, he may still need to explain the gaps in his work history, how one place closed, how he wanted full-time work but nothing was available, etc.
Now that you have moved, you may be able to use this to your advantage by saying that you are committed to staying in the area long term. That might even be able to win over the folks at the temp agency.
Hope this helps. ~ Rick
I currently work for a lawyer who is very anal and extremely picky. He notices if I miss a space or put in a space where there shouldn't be one! He writes down in detail every time I make a "mistake" and tracks it with the date beside it. This has made me very nervous and unable to concentrate. I am very anxious now because of this and making more mistakes because of it. I want to do a good job for him and am really trying to improve in my attention to detail, however, I feel this man is impossible to please and no matter what I do, nothing will be right or good enough for him. How do I deal with this? How do I accomodate his insecurity in his final product? Any suggestions would be most welcome - I do not want to lose my job!
Well, Darlene, your best bet is to speak to your boss directly. Let him know you truly want to meet his expectations. At the heart of every job is the need to make our bosses look good. And this is especially true in the legal profession, where seemingly small details like consistent spacing are taken very seriously.
You know he’s a stickler for spacing, so be sure to run a spell check before giving him a document. That will find all the missing spaces. Then, you can also check for extra spaces by using the search and replace feature in Word – "search" for two spaces (hit the spacebar twice in the text field; it will look like there’s nothing there, but that’s OK) and “replace” it with one space.
Choose "Replace All" and it will change all double spaces to single spaces throughout the document.
Ask him if there are other specific issues he would like you to address, and then be sure to check those before returning anything to him.
Being proactive and acknowledging his expectations and your efforts to meet them instead of waiting for him to "correct" you should help both of you forge a better working relationship.
While I agree with the sentiment behind the article I have to say I think that recruiters don't always make it easy for applicants. If the job seeker isn't skilled in resume writing and someone says "I'm looking for someone who is able to meet deadlines" the chances are the job seeker may respond with "I'm able to meet deadlines."
Your suggestion - "Show, don't tell" is exactly spot on!
However, I did have a bit of a giggle over the comment ...
"6. "Energetic Team Player'" As opposed to what? A "Lethargic Loner"?"
You'd be surprised!!! I remember one particular client who was very uncommunicative when I was interviewing him re his skills, experience etc. In desperation I threw out some suggestions "Communication skills? Customer Service? Team Player?" at which point he stopped me and said "Oh no, I'm not a team player. I don't like working with other people" (His previous job required him to work closely with others)
Excuse me?!?!?
I should have not been that surprised when later on in the interview he told me he was currently suing his previous employer. When I asked him why, he said that his employer had fired him on the basis of "personality differences"
Hmmm, I wonder why!
p.s. Great suggestion for Darlene. As a former legal secretary I know what it's like to have to make sure every space etc is perfect, and I would have suggested the "Find and Replace" feature too! I can't imagine though someone tracking every little spacing error etc though, including the time and date. Yikes!
As a proud wordsmith, my personal preference is to use my own language and original descriptions of myself and my work. Therein lies the rub. This article would seem confusing to many who are instructed by other supposed experts that the whole way to play "the game" is to list a "key skills" bank (aka job description regurgitation) at the top of the resume and to tailor wording of each and every resume and cover letter to rise above the heap of other candidates being subjected to the woes of resume scanning in this somewhat recently bloated job market. As I feel I'm woefully and regretfully becoming an expert on job description terminology, I can confidently confirm that the very terms you suggest candidates not use are the exact terms I see daily in job descriptions from supposedly respectable potential employers. Who do we believe??
Hi Chuck!
Thanks for your observations and your question. Much of what I described above is what I call "subjective fluff." Of course these companies are going to want someone who's detail-oriented, reliable, and an energetic team player. That's easy to say, but the proof lies in the details. If you're an "energetic team player," for instance, don't "tell" me that; give me some details that "show" you are. For instance, "Assumed leadership of 5-person team that had trouble meeting deadlines and turned around critical software implementation days ahead of schedule. Was nominated for company award by two teammates."
Hope this helps! ~ Rick
Re-entering: What about a stay at home Mom and the x-husband's bookkeeper. Needless to say he would not give me a good reference. I had skills 15 yrs ago but I have been looking for a year. I hate to say I am desperate, but I'm living here and there. 3 Years divorce not final. Any samples for a resume after many years?? Or a website I could look at. I have a Real Estate License, I managed offices but it has been a long time ago. My competition is amazing...
Hi Tammie!
Here are links to two valuable pieces of Pongo content that should help you:
http://www.pongoresume.com/articles/347/preparing-for-re-entry.cfm
http://www.pongoresume.com/blogPosts/249/writing-a-resume-when-you-haven-t-worked-for-years.cfm
Best of luck! ~ Rick
So true! I critique a lot of resumes, and I have to say this article hits the nail on the head. Great work, I will definitely be sharing this article.
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