If you’ve applied for a job recently, you’ve probably looked over that 8½ x 11” summary of your career more times than you can count—and tweaked it just as often—in pursuit of the perfect resume.
But before you add another bullet point, consider this: It’s not always about what you add in—the best changes you can make may lie in what you take out.
The average resume is chock-full of sorely outdated, essentially meaningless phrases that take up valuable space on the page. Eliminate them, and you’ll come off as a better, more substantial candidate—and your resume won’t smack of that same generic, mind-numbing quality found on everyone else’s.
Every word—yes, every word—on that page should be working hard to highlight your talents and skills. If it’s not, it shouldn’t be on there. So grab a red pen, and banish these words from your resume for good.
Career Objective
My first few resumes had a statement like this emblazoned top and center: “Career objective: To obtain a position as a [insert job title here] that leverages my skills and experience as well as provides a challenging environment that promotes growth.”
Yawn. This is not only boring, it’s ineffective (and sounds a little juvenile, to boot). The top of your resume is prime real estate, and it needs to grab a hiring manager’s attention with a list of your top accomplishments, not a summary of what you hope to get out of your next position.
Experienced
You can be “experienced” in something after you’ve done it once—or every day for the past 10 years. So drop this nebulous term and be specific. If, for example, you’re a Client Report Specialist, using a phrase such as “Experienced in developing client reports” is both vague and redundant. But sharing that you “Created five customized weekly reports to analyze repeat client sales activity”—now that gives the reader a better idea of where exactly this so-called experience lies, with some actual results attached.
Also eliminate: seasoned, well-versed
Team Player
If you’ve ever created an online dating profile, you know that you don’t just say that you’re nice and funny—you craft a fun, witty profile that shows it. Same goes for your resume: It’s much more effective to list activities or accomplishments that portray your good qualities in action than to simply claim to have them.
Instead of “team player,” say “Led project team of 10 to develop a new system for distributing reports that reduced the time for managers to receive reports by 25%.” Using a specific example, you show what you can actually accomplish. But simply labeling yourself with a quality? Not so much.
Also eliminate: people person, customer-focused
Dynamic
While resumes are meant to highlight your best attributes, some personality traits are better left to the hiring manager to decide upon for herself. There is a difference between appropriately and accurately describing your work skills and just tooting your own horn. Plus, even the most introverted wallflower will claim to be “dynamic” on a piece of paper because, well, why not? When it comes to resumes, keep the content quantifiable, show tangible results and successes, and wait until the interview to show off your “dynamism,” “enthusiasm,” or “energy.”
Also eliminate: energetic, enthusiastic
References Available Upon Request
All this phrase really does is take up valuable space. If a company wants to hire you, they will ask you for references—and they will assume that you have them. There’s no need to address the obvious (and doing so might even make you look a little presumptuous!). Use the space to give more details about your talents and accomplishments instead.
In a crummy job market with a record number of people applying for the same positions, it takes more than a list of desirable-sounding qualities to warrant an interview. Specific examples pack a punch, whereas anything too dependent on a list of buzzwords will sound just like everyone else’s cookie-cutter resume. So, give your resume a good once-over, and make sure every word on that page is working hard for you.
How about eliminating the phrase “Curriculum Vitae of” your name here!
Great list! Here is one I can share: http://bit.ly/chavlog7
Definitely believe that which you said. Your favorite justification seemed to be on the internet the simplest thing to be aware of. I say to you, I definitely get irked while people consider worries that they plainly don’t know about. You managed to hit the nail upon the top and defined out the whole thing without having side-effects , people can take a signal. Will likely be back to get more. Thanks
Excellent points! I find job seekers get into trouble when they try to lard their resume with behavioural competencies. These can only be evaluated by interview.
I put “experience” in a resume profile if, for example, the job ad stated “Must have four years experience in enterprise Java”. Then I might say “Over six years Jave programming experience, five in an enterprise setting” up front in the profile. Then in the work experience, I substantiate with specific project information.
The real problem for me, as a resume consultant, is the person who dumps all these vaguely nice words into their profile – or worse yet – their cover letter – with NO substantiation in their work history! (And wonders why it hasn’t been working).
To stand out from the crowd you have to avoid what the crowd repeats, ad nauseum, on every resume. Find a different way to say the same thing, with real world examples of what you have done and how you have made a positive contribution to a former or current employer (even in a volunteer capacity). Actions speak louder than words. And while you are at it, send that resume online, via ResumeBear to make certain that the resume not only arrives, but that it is read.
Very good article,The point is to get the interview.After you get in the door then make your play.this was good stuff!!!
jimmy
Very well said.there were some points made here in this article.You just want to get the interview.Very good stuff in this one!!!
jimmy
When I was a recruiter, the phrase that always made me shudder was “solid experience”. It has no meaning at all. Or does it mean that you have practice being a solid?
Good points. I’ve read so many boring resumes that I’d welcome something new and interesting.
The “cover” letter becomes the “cover-up” letter…
Sound advice on what to keep and what not to.
Hello,
In job market with a record number of people applying for the same positions, it takes more than a list of desirable-sounding qualities to warrant an interview.
Great advice and well articulated. State the truth, differentiate with an intelligent and applicable presentation. And you are spot on with utilizing the valuable “real estate” on your resume. A candidate’s resume has only a few precious seconds to be reviewed by the hiring manager, and they can sniff out unoriginal in milliseconds. One of the better Resume articles I have read.
When I read the statement “keep the content quantifiable, show tangible results and successes, and wait until the interview to show off your “dynamism,” “enthusiasm,” or “energy.”” this came to mind: The purpose of a resume is NOT to get hired.
The purpose of the resume is to get the interview. When you keep this in mind and do as the author says and delete unnecessary words, your resume will stand out in the crowd.
Thank you for sharing this witty yet accurate descriptions of what a resume should contain. I will definitely put this into my next resume
Excellent advice. The old phrase “KISS” is still appropriate. I had a trainer once that liked to say “Telling isn’t Selling”.