12 Resume Buzzwords That Hurt Your Chances
Let’s start at the beginning. You’re probably wondering what words are considered resume buzzwords. A buzzword is a word or phrase that is usually vague and sounds like business jargon.
But, more importantly, those words don’t spotlight your unique skillset. Typical buzzwords include: I’m a hard worker, results-oriented, and a real team player. Perhaps you consider yourself motivated, a go-getter, responsible, and innovative. These words are used so frequently that they are now meaningless. Resume buzzwords are a buzzkill.
Most recruiters and hiring managers are looking for proven examples of the results you’ve produced. Here’s a list of the most over-used words and phrases on resumes and LinkedIn profiles.
1. Detail Oriented
A well-organized resume with no spelling errors and clear descriptions will demonstrate that you pay attention to details. Use the precious space on your resume to cover information relevant to the position.
2. Team-Player
Show that you can work on a team by giving examples of how you’ve contributed to a team in the past. Action verbs like implemented, mentored, or collaborated are more engaging.
3. Results-Driven
If you’re working, the hiring manager will assume you are achieving results for your current employer. You’ll have a more significant impact if you can demonstrate through key performance indicators (KPIs) or other tangible measurements the results you’ve accomplished.
4. Motivated
Every job seeker must demonstrate that they are motivated as part of the price of admission into the pool of qualified candidates. To show that you are a motivated, hard worker, you might include examples of times you took on more responsibility or went above and beyond what was expected. Another strategy is to describe a time when you designed and implemented a new, better way of doing things that either increased profits or streamlined processes.
5. Go-Getter
This term is too broad. Instead of using one word to encompass an idea central to your career growth, describe when you took charge or led a project that resulted in an impressive outcome. A concrete example shows initiative.
6. Hardworking
Here is another word that comes to life when you include an example. The results and achievements you list on your resume show that you work hard.
7. Responsible
Start each bullet point with an action verb. “Responsible for” is a passive description. Instead, choose a more specific and effective action, like transformed, secured, developed, launched, reconciled, championed, or capitalized.
8. Seasoned
Do you want to sound old or overqualified? According to AARP, nearly 80% of older employees say they’ve seen or experienced age discrimination in the workplace. Avoid any terminology that could imply your age.
9. Successfully
This is vague and hard to prove. Choose a more specific descriptor or add enough details that point to the most important key performance indicators (KPIs). Hiring managers like to see measurable outcomes listed in job histories.
10. Think Outside the Box
While this phrase might accurately describe your unique contributions—it’s so cliché that it almost has the reverse connotation. Think about using words like “conceptualized” to demonstrate your creativity.
11. Innovative
What did you innovate? You’re better served by giving an example with a corresponding impact statement than hoping a hiring manager will take your word for it.
12. Proven Track Record/Proven Ability
Just avoid the word proven. Says who? Hiring managers want concrete information about what you delivered.
Don’t confuse keywords with buzzwords.
The best way to look at the difference between the two is that buzzwords aren't specific to an industry, but keywords are. Keywords should contain information about the role and educational or experience requirements.
Employers and applicant tracking systems often look for specific keywords when deciding which resumes and candidates they might want to consider for an open position. For example, a marketing company might look for potential hires with brand management or digital communication skills on their resumes.
Where do you find keywords to include in your resume?
The best keyword source is the job listing, which is likely to contain many, if not all, of the keywords that an employer will use to search the resume database. Include plenty of those keyword nouns and noun phrases throughout your resume.
How to determine what keywords are appropriate for your industry and job.
Look through recent job ads online. Highlight the words that reappear consistently. Those are your "key" words.
Make sure your resume contains the keywords and concepts used in the job listing.
Talk to people in the career field you are targeting and ask them what keywords are appropriate to the positions you are seeking.
Visit professional association websites and read the content carefully. Many of these are loaded with industry-related jargon that may be appropriate for your resume.
Try O*NET OnLine, a U.S. Department of Labor website for career exploration and job analysis with detailed descriptions of jobs and positions; or the Occupational Outlook Handbook, an excellent resource produced by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Other important considerations for keyword success:
Volunteer positions can provide you with meaningful experience and skills, enabling you to increase your keyword count.
If you are in college, try to get an internship in your chosen career field to increase your keyword count.
Try to use a minimum of four industry or job-specific keywords. The ideal is to have at least 12 keywords.
Include concrete examples of your accomplishments, using keywords if possible. A resume that highlights your skills and summarizes your experience using the appropriate keywords can make a positive impression by offering a clear vision of how you may contribute to helping the company reach its goals.
Four keywords and phrases to include in place of buzzwords
Keywords can help demonstrate your understanding of the position requirements and how you can apply your previous experience. However, there are a few other words that may also be useful in place of buzzwords:
1. Implemented or helped to implement
Action verbs are a great way to describe your skills, achievements, and responsibilities. If you implemented a process that helped meet strategic goals, you must discuss how that experience contributed to positive change. For example, I listened to customer feedback and used that information to create a streamlined process that improved efficiency and increased customer retention by 95%.
2. Achieved, accomplished, or improved
Rather than talking about your proven track record or being results-oriented, you can speak to your accomplishments or achievements. Including qualitative or quantitative metrics to demonstrate your impact is a good idea. Having a quantifiable number is a plus. For example, clearly state if you work in customer service and have maintained a 97% satisfaction rating over the last 12 months. Or write, "Achieved sales goals for three consecutive years with a reduced staff." This implies that you and your staff are hard-working while avoiding saying so directly.
3. Managed or directed
Rather than mentioning communications skills or leadership experience, talk about how you managed a process at work or directed a group of people. Showcase specific examples of abilities or particular skills you developed from championing or leading people and processes. Hiring managers prefer more specific words, like “managed” or “directed,” with details about your contribution, scope, and impact.
4. Collaborated on a team
Teamwork is an integral part of many jobs, and it's a good idea to include examples of how you took the initiative as part of a team and highlight what you accomplished. Instead of saying you’re a strong team player or hardworking, talk about your specific role on the team and how you contributed. For example, you could discuss how you helped facilitate communications or resolved the conflict between team members. This also shines a spotlight on your emotional intelligence.
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