3 Popular Resume Writing Clichés to Avoid
Selecting the appropriate adjectives to describe your best self in your resume can be a daunting challenge. For the professional resume writers and career coaches on our team, doing this task on behalf of our clients can be even tougher. Below are 4 of the most common resume writing clichés we see, and our suggestions on what to do to avoid using them incorrectly and turning off a potential employer. The key takeaway is a lesson straight from your expository writing classes in high school and college – show, don’t tell.
“Experienced”
The most common word I delete out of my clients’ resumes. Why? I don’t like this word because it can date a client (make him or her seem old) and it is just so over-used. What you are trying to convey by saying that you are experienced is that you have an expertise or very high proficiency in something, so why not just say it outright? Which of the two sentences is more powerful – 1) “Experienced money manager seeking a challenging position with a leading mutual fund” or 2) 10-year finance executive proficient in security analysis, market research analytics, and risk management transitioning to a career on the buy-side”? Yes, we agree completely.
“Creative”
People love to describe themselves as creative. We are all creative in our own way, so this adjective on its own doesn’t add a lot of value. The best way to express your creativity is to point out examples that show your reader out-of-the-box thinking and aggressive problem solving. Focus on examples that illustrate how you went above and beyond to fix or address a vexing situation.
“Assisted”
Maybe the most passive word I see on resumes, more prevalent among mid-level professionals. Eliminate this word entirely from your resume if it’s on there. It is not only a weak word but it diminishes and minimizes your contribution to an organization. More often than not, your efforts are integral to the success of a given objective, so go ahead and describe it that way! Take credit where it’s due but if you were in fact in a straightforward support role, swap out “assisted with” with “significantly contributed to” in order to capture the weight of what you did.