Five Phrases to Remove From Your Resume
There are five phrases to remove from your resume that are overused so much on resumes that when the employer spots them, they can automatically have negative feelings toward the document.
You want your resume and cover letter to feel genuine, and informative, so by including tired phrases such as these you won't be doing yourself any favors.
Don't Use This Verbiage on Your Resume
While people tend to skimp on parts of the application process, this absolutely cannot be one of those parts. This document is so important that including one of these meaningless phrases is the exact opposite of what you want to do.After all of your time at school, you don't want the reader to think you aren't competent enough to properly complete your resume. Don't waste people's time; avoid these phrases in your endeavor to move successfully through the job application process.
You're going to be using your resume no matter what job you apply for during your working lifetime. You might as well start the right way and eliminate words that have no value before you begin the job application process.
Career Help Center
Five Phrases to Remove From Your Resume
It will benefit you to remove these types of phrases from your page. Although there is no guarantee that you will immediately receive a job offer after you make these corrections. Make it the best that it can be! You are aiming for quality, not quantity.- “Highly Qualified Individual”
While it is important for the company to understand that you are a hard worker, it is pointless to include these words on your resume or in a cover letter. Every other person already has wording like this on their resume, which takes away the value of these phrases. If you aren't “Highly Qualified” you shouldn't be applying for the job.
Instead of including these words, you should have a list of bulleted points or a list of examples that demonstrate how you are qualified. List any degrees, certifications, or training that you have received that makes you a good fit for this position. - “Great Team Player”
The company must understand that you work well with others if your job exists in a team setting. Make it known to them that you can also work as an individual. This phrase is not the one that you should be using to describe your personal qualities.
Take a direct example from your work experience and quickly outline exactly how your excellent team dynamic contributed to and benefited that particular situation. - “Self-Starter”
Unless you are an entrepreneur, no one cares that you are a great self-starter. If you are an employee, they are going to want to see that you can follow instructions, meet demands, and bring profit to their corporation.
Instead of using this obsolete verbiage, briefly highlight a situation in which you took the reins and ran with a project. Write about the initiative that you took and how that project became a great success. - “Flexible”
A company expects that you can rearrange your schedule. To make time for your work preceding any other commitments that you face. Being able to juggle several tasks and obligations at once is what a good employee does.
Instead of including this word on your resume, leave it out, and then demonstrate to them that you fit this description by providing detailed examples referring to the historical aspects of your commitments. The larger the number of tasks that you have taken on and completed within short periods, the more successful you appear to be at getting the job done. - “Passionate About the Work”
As far as a hiring manager is concerned, everyone should be passionate about the job for which they are applying, otherwise what would be the point of hiring that individual? Including this type of wording would be stating the obvious and would render the entire statement meaningless.
Your passion for the field shines through in other ways. Perhaps you won an award in your area of study? Do you have countless years of volunteer work? If you want to demonstrate your passion, make sure you bring assets like those to the attention of the reader.
