We’ve discussed how packing your resume full of buzzwords like “creative” and “organisational” is a bad idea, but sometimes those words are appropriate. To use them effectively, tie them to actual results — that way they’re descriptive of specifics, not eyeroll-worthy generalisations.
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When lists of “overused resume words” are published, they’re always a double-edged sword. Sure, everyone says they’re “organised”, “creative”, “responsible” and “motivated”, but when someone is reading your resume, you want them to know, right out of the gate, what you were responsible for, or how you’re creative. LinkedIn, which publishes a list of overused resume words every year, noted that the word that topped the 2013 list was “responsible”. On its own, it doesn’t mean anything — the key to using the word is to tie it to specific results that matter to the person reading your resume, says LinkedIn’s Christine Choi:
Link your skills to specific results that demonstrate your competence,” Choi writes. Figure out how all these buzzwords actually describe you and give the detail through which a reader will come to the conclusion you want, rather than just take your self-description on faith alone.
For example, rather than simply asserting she’s a solid communicator, a nurse might offer a bullet point that reads something like this: “Enhanced communication between physicians and families by educating parents on their child’s condition, support and care.” This level of detail enables the reader to imagine that nurse sitting with parents somewhere in a hospital, engaging in active dialogue.
The key is to give your resume a read-over from an objective perspective, and when you see buzzwords that claim you’re “something”, make sure you include context for that characterisation. Hit the link below for more tips to keep your resume from dying a buzzword-burdened death.
3 Ways to Avoid Resume Buzzword Banality [US News Money]
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