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A Career (It's Not For Life) Resume, CV

During the week I came across this short video about the words to avoid on your résumé or cv because they make hiring managers cringe and I wanted to share it with you.

Words to Avoid on your Résumé or CV

There is so much out there covering how to go about writing a good résumé or CV, that everyone of us should be able to craft one that ensures we don’t use the words to avoid on your résumé or CV. However, this struck a chord because it is both very straightforward and because I realise that my CV does actually have some of these words. At least it did, because I’ve changed it now!

If you prefer to read my summary below, instead of watching the video, you can get down to work improving your CV right away. The key takeaways about the words to avoid are:

  • No to – References are available on request – of course they are and you will be asked for them at the appropriate point in the hiring process
  • No to – Seasoned – it implies age and whilst it is illegal to use age as a selection criteria, you are best to not give the recruiter a subconscious reason for rejecting you
  • No to -Innovative –  it’s subjective
  • No to – Microsoft Word – as a skill it’s such a basic requirement that adding it to your CV is not helpful
  • No to – Highly qualified – another subjective phrase
  • No to – Successfully – of course you are successful, why would you mention projects that you failed on?
  • No to – Ambitious – apparently it suggests you will be looking for a new role the moment you get hired. Whilst I don’t agree, that’s what recruiters say!
  • No to – I – as in the personal pronoun, because of course your résumé is about you
  • No to – Team player – another one of those unnecessary phrases. Better to state a project you worked on as part of a team

That’s it. Happy writing or re-writing.

Susan Scott

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