When writing your resume, it’s natural to want to stand out and distinguish yourself from the competition. Ironically, the desire to stand out has created a menace of buzzwords in the job market which have the opposite effect.  Some recruiters and employers are less likely to feel impressed with a resume that is littered with these buzzwords. Let’s take a look at a few:

·       “Responsibilities included…” or “Spearheaded the….” These are both tiresome buzzwords which usually herald the equally tiresome list of mundane tasks a job seeker performed at their previous job.  Instead of using these phrases and the boring list of job tasks that almost always accompanies it, go into detail about how you stood out at your previous job. How did you save the company money, time or energy?  Detail how you made a difference and include facts and figures if you can.

·       “Motivated…” or “Problem-solver…”  Once again, this is a problem of telling and not showing. Anyone can say they are motivated or a problem-solver, it is up to the job seeker to prove it on their resume. Don’t wait until you get to the interview to highlight how you took on a project that no one else wanted, do it in your resume, because if you fail to do so you won’t get the interview.

·       “Knowledge of….” or “Experience with…” are phrases which lack specificity.  Don’t just tell the employer that you’re knowledgeable about something, show them how much knowledge you have.  Saying, “15 years of experience in real estate law involving cases worth $1 million or more” is a lot more valuable than simply saying you have “experience in real estate law.”