CUT THE CLICHES
Some words may work against you on a resume. Melanie Burgess reports
YOU may be an energetic and dynamic strategic thinker looking to disrupt the industry, but loading a job application with buzzwords and cliches is unlikely to work in your favour.
Analysis of more than 60,000 Australian CVs by job site Adzuna reveals the most common phrase, “communication skills”, appears on almost half of resumes.
Other worn-out words include “motivated” (appearing on 23,502 of the analysed CVs), “excellent” (20,441), “problem solving” (20,088), “flexible” (16,722), “effective” (16,196), “innovative” (15,068) and “team player” (14,258).
In some cases, jobseekers may be choosing these words because they are used in the job advertisement and they hope to game automated applicant tracking systems that are potentially set to scan for them but Adzuna Australia country manager Tejas Deshpande says jobseekers must strike a fine balance when it comes to crafting a great CV.
“Whilst many employers now use technology to scan through CVs and look for keywords in applications to help refine lists of applicants, it’s important to choose your skillset and attributes wisely,” he says.
“When choosing words to describe yourself and your skillset, consider the kind of skills that are really relevant for the exact industry and job role that you are applying for.”
Sullivan Consulting managing director Andrew Sullivan says “cando approach”, “highly-skilled” and “innovative expert” are also buzzwords he comes across often.
His least-favourite phrase is “disrupting the industry”.
“Disruption was a great word five or 10 years ago but everyone is using it now and I’m not a fan,” he says.
“Buzzwords are words that people use to really sell their experience – but they could be doing it in other ways. Instead of saying you are a hard worker, say what your achievements are. Instead of saying you think outside the box, maybe list projects you have worked on and what you have actually done in the role.”
Sullivan says some employers embrace buzzwords more than others so advises tailoring resumes and cover letters to the company.
“If they have lots of buzzwords on their website or in their annual reports then go for it but if it’s a conservative organisation then you are just going to annoy the person (reading your resume).”
He says if jobseekers are using buzzwords as strategic keywords for automated applicant tracking systems, they are better off including them in the cover letter only.
He also recommends ensuring they can live up to the buzzwords they use if they get a job interview.
“You end up with egg on your face,” he says. “You can’t say you are dynamic then you’re looking at the ground and you wear a brown cardigan and you’re not engaged.”
Another peeve of Sullivan’s is resumes written in the third person.