Thinking about getting a new gig? Or are you just a smart gal who always has one eye open and has found the perfect job but has yet to apply? Either way, if you’re contemplating sending your resume into a prospective employer, it can be daunting. Especially if the old version’s been collecting dust for a few years. Do you even remember where that CD-ROM is with the file on it? Hm, maybe you should just start from scratch. But first and foremost, you should check out this list of words that experts agree are passe on the old resume.
Objective: The Objective isn’t just a word, for many it’s the first paragraph of the resume. And for many hiring managers, it’s pointless. Mostly because it’s vague. Applicants try to tailor it to that specific job, which is a little presumptuous or they don’t give any concrete details. These days, the “objective” section has been supplanted by a summary section. It’s a way to describe what you’ve done and say something about why it’s meaningful. The summary should give an idea of your level of experience and expertise. If there’s a weakness in your resume, this is where you can offset it with a couple of well chosen sentences.
Motivated/Self-Starter: The motivated/self-starter bit is trite at this point. If you weren’t trying to work your way up the career ladder via scheduling an interview and being on time, then you wouldn’t be motivated would you? Actions speak louder than words sometimes, so let them speak.
Experienced: There are other ways this should come through on your resume, like a quick scan of tenure at various jobs and the years you’ve racked up in your industry that you can mention in your summary. Managers don’t want to just hear you’re experienced, they want to see how and in what ways.
Team Player: No doubt this is an integral part of the impression you want to give your new bosses. However, saying so can seem disingenuous. What examples can you give of being on a team? Is there a specific project you can mention that you worked on? Or an event for your office you helped organize?
Dynamic: This is something you’ll want to show during a conversation in your interview. Your work experience and skills listed on your resume, as well as interests, will show a hiring manager whether they can expect you to be dynamic or one-dimensional.
References Available Upon Request: Experts agree, this is just a waste of space. Even Forbes listed it as a resume no-no. Employers know to ask you if they want references that aren’t listed. In fact, some of them ask for them in the job ad, knowing they aren’t standard practice on basic resumes anymore.
Responsible: By now you should be seeing a theme. Eliminate words or adjectives that are an excuse not to give concrete details. Responsible is one of those words. How have you shown leadership? How have you taken the reins and been responsible in former jobs? That’s what they want to know.
Innovative: Everyone wants to think they’re innovative and wants a manager to think so too, but are you really? I mean, if we’re getting philosophical for a second, pretty much everything is just a version of something that’s been done before. So unless you’ve done something that is truly out-of-the-box leave it alone.
Organized: Again, show up on time, have your resume, notebook, portfolio, cover letter, business card and pen handy and you’ll show you’re organized. Do even one better and send a handwritten thank you note post interview.
