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5 Phrases to Keep Out of Your Resume

Written by Bernie

Bernie Frazier, SPHR is the Founder and President of CAREERCompass, LLC, a speaking and career coaching firm in St. Louis, MO. She also spent almost 25 years recruiting talent to six organizations across four industries and led the talent acquisition function for four of those organizations, including one global team.

As a career coach and recruiting professional, I have seen thousands of resumes.  Some of them have been so impressive, I’ve wanted to hire the person sight unseen.  Others have left me shaking my head in complete disappointment.

One of the main reasons for my disappointment has been because of the phrases many candidates use.  I’m sure it’s because they think these phrases are impressive but, in all honesty, they really aren’t.

Here are a few of the most commonly used phrases and why you shouldn’t use them: 

  1. “I’m a team player” – It’s so overused nowadays that it sounds “cheesy.” Instead of just putting these words together, find a way to give an example that demonstrates teamwork. Did you partner on a major project? Have you worked on a team that was brought together to solve a major problem? Put this on your resume instead of using a vague, clichéd expression.
  2. “I’m a people person” – You have to get us to believe this otherwise you would never be considered for most jobs. However, instead of stating this and sounding like a Miss USA contestant (no offense to the Miss USA Pageant!), try demonstrating this through the examples you provide.
  3. “I have a proven track record” – Okay, prove it!  How you classify proven track record and how I classify proven track record could be dramatically different. Give me 1-2 specific examples that I can read and determine if our “records” are a match.
  4. “I’m a problem solver” – Since hiring a problem solver is a big win for all companies, I understand why people work to incorporate this phrase into their resume.  However, I’m confident you can do better by instead telling the employer what problems you solved.  Did you lead or help to mediate a labor dispute?  Did you help to resolve an employee dispute?  Did you identify an over spend and bring it to your boss’ attention? These types of examples will convince me of your problem solving skills faster than any general statement you can make.
  5. “I have a strong work ethic” – Since our definitions of strong work ethic could vary, instead give me examples of how you went the extra mile to achieve an accomplishment, or how you were able to make a really tough deadline.  Again, I will learn more about your work ethic through your examples than through a catchy phrase that many candidates use.

In case you aren’t seeing a theme here, let me point it out for you.  Instead of relying on generic phrases that can be found on most resumes, you should list examples of the work you’ve actually done which demonstrates these qualities.  It is these real examples that can stop me in my tracks and have me wondering how I can hire you sight unseen!

Until next time….