Global recruitment company Glassdoor has published a list of 21 words and phrases you should never include on your CV if you hope to land a job.<\/p>\n
According to Jamie Hichens,\u00a0Senior Talent Acquisition Partner at Glassdoor it’s vitally important to make a good impression with the language used in your CV as despite automated screening processes, the majority of companies still largely rely on recruiters to read through submitted CVs.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou have a limited amount of time to catch a recruiter or hiring manager\u2019s eye \u2013 use it wisely,” said Hichens.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n As a result filling precious resume space with verbose language or overused buzzwords can easily backfire.<\/p>\n Here are the words you should avoid – and why the experts say you should chuck them.<\/p>\n\n\n
\n Word\/Phrase<\/th>\n Why the experts say you shouldn’t include it<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n \n Unemployed<\/strong><\/td>\n Your employment dates already show if you\u2019re unemployed \u2013 you don\u2019t need to highlight it.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Hard-working<\/strong><\/td>\n Your employer already hopes that you’re hardworking and self-motivated – you don’t need to point it out.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n “Ambicious”<\/strong><\/td>\n Misspelled words should never appear on your resume. Print it, take a pen to it and have someone else read it.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Microsoft Office<\/strong><\/td>\n You should only include skills specific to the job you are applying for – Microsoft Office is (or should be) a given.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Objective<\/strong><\/td>\n Is your career trajectory pretty straightforward and lacking major gaps between jobs? Then you probably don\u2019t need an objective statement.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Synergy<\/strong><\/td>\n Completely overused jargon. Steer clear.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Reference available after request<\/strong><\/td>\n This\u00a0is a sign that a candidate is overeager. If a recruiter wants to call to know more about you, they will reach out directly.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n She, He, Him, Her<\/strong><\/td>\n Talking in 1st or 3rd person reads weird \u2013 did someone write your resume for you?\u00a0Just state the facts.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Rockstar<\/strong><\/td>\n Completely overused jargon. Steer clear.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Dabbled<\/strong><\/td>\n Don’t indicate proficiency in an area which you are not truly familiar with. If you know how to do something say so, otherwise leave it out.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n On Time<\/strong><\/td>\n This is an expectation.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Expert<\/strong><\/td>\n Unless you are prepared to be peppered with questions regarding your expertise, steer clear of indicating you are an expert in your field.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Unnecessary personal information<\/strong><\/td>\n Date of birth, family status, personal interests etc. should be avoided on a resume.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n “I know HTML, Photoshop…”<\/strong><\/td>\n Skills are the most common resume lies. Although you may think that having every skill listed in the job description will get you the internship, that\u2019s not always true.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Hobbies<\/strong><\/td>\n Content that does not relate to the job and does not address what qualifications a candidate has for a job can absolutely eliminate a candidate.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Generalisations<\/strong><\/td>\n Substantiate your accomplishments with numbers – you need to provide context for your impact at your previous jobs.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Accomplished<\/strong><\/td>\n Instead of saying you are accomplished, show it.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Stay-at-home mom<\/strong><\/td>\n Like personal information, do not feel obligated to explain gaps in your resume.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Responsible for…<\/strong><\/td>\n Strengthen your resume through muscular verbiage and results instead of listing off responsibilities.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Results-oriented<\/strong><\/td>\n While many other words are misused or diluted by overuse – this is the weakest and most abused.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table><\/div>\n
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