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The language you use on your resume can make a big difference on whether you make it to the next round of the hiring process, and we’ve talked before about how to streamline your resume for success. There’s lots of great resume advice out there about making your resume stand out, from Hays America and from associations such as the HRPA.
But there hasn’t been much discussion on phrases to avoid. Too many clichés can make your resume feel generic and will leave them with no sense of your actual abilities and experience.
Certain phrases come to mind as you try to describe yourself and your skills, for example, if you are a team leader, you may automatically feel the need to include “Excellent leadership skills”. However, if you want to create a winning resume, one which gets you the interview, you need to provide evidence of your achievements, and avoid clichés like these:
Instead, if working independently is a genuine strength of yours and is of prime importance to the job you are applying for, then give an example of a time you showcased this strength and the results. For instance, rather than simply stating, “I work well independently”, try “I independently designed and implemented a new strategy that increased customer engagement by X percent”
Don’t run the risk of a recruiter or hiring manager being put off by your resume simply because of the language you have used. Replace overused clichés with real life examples of your skills in action to create a more impressive resume and heighten your chances of getting through to the interview round.
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