Introduction

Creating a good resume is not an easy task. You have to go through years of work experience, education, etc., and pick out the exact details that will give you the best shot of winning the job. It is a long process that requires you to look back at your career and figure out what you have accomplished, finding a way to turn them into words on a page that will draw the reader’s attention.

1 “Excellent Communication Skills.”

 

Why this is bad:

So what you’re saying is that you have the unique ability to speak to people? That’s amazing! We have always wanted to hire someone that uses words to communicate! FINALLY we have an applicant that can do things like talk and listen and respond.

How you can make it better:

Everyone has excellent communication skills. Try using something more specific. “Led 3rd annual research symposium for tenured urologists.” Basically, discuss what you have done with those communication skills, i.e. the details of how you used your communication skills to complete a difficult task, not that you have them.

2 “Team Player.”

 

Why this is bad:

No one is ever going to admit they hate working with others and would prefer to be left alone to do their job and go home. It is no surprise to an employer that you claim to work well with others. But, they don’t want to just hear you say it, they you to provide examples that prove it.

How you can make it better:

It is not hard to add this skill to your resume without saying you are a “team player.” Add it to one of your accomplishments. “Worked directly with sales staff to implement weekly action plan, and as a result contributed to increase in monthly profits by 187%.” This implies that you were on a team but puts the focus on what you accomplished with that team

3 “Hard Worker.”

 

Why this is bad:

Even though this is probably one of the worst clichés of all, it actually would be fun to find a resume where the applicant said “If you hire me, there’s a pretty good chance I’ll do the bare minimum that I need to get the job done and go home at 1 minute past 5 every day.” Maybe that is the type of person you would like to hire since at the very least you know they are honest.

How you can make it better:

Everyone says they’re a hard worker. No one really is a 100% hard working 100% of the time. Your resume will show you are a hard worker by listing off a variety of accomplishments, tasks, and showing your knowledge. It does not need to be in your resume.

4 “Results Oriented.”

 

Why this is bad:

This is an interesting one. On its own, it is already somewhat lame and overused. Who doesn’t try to complete tasks they have been assigned? Yet, it suffers from another problem as well. If you could choose between two applicants, one that said they enjoy the process and another one that said that they only enjoy the completion, which applicant would you hire? Chances are the process applicant is going to be the one that does their job most efficiently.

How you can make it better:

The employer will see that you are results oriented by the accomplishments you place in your resume. They are the results of your work, after all. If you are listing accomplishments in your resume that you have not actually completed, you are probably writing your resume incorrectly.

5 “Successfully…”

 

Why this is bad:

It sounds nice, but it is better if you avoid the term “successfully” as you begin any one of your accomplishments. Similar to “results oriented,” projects you have accomplished “successfully” are implied by the fact that you are putting them in your resume. Very few people are placing “Had the potential to increase profits by 100% if my boss gave me the damn file on time” on their resume. If it’s in your resume, you completed it successfully.

This would not be that big a deal if the term was used less often. These days, however, you can find it on almost any resume. The reason action words are so successful is because they make the user sound proactive and intelligent. Using a word that everyone else uses does not support that goal.

6 “Provided Excellent Customer Service.”

 

Why this is bad:

Like always, the main problem with this sentence is that it is overused. It also has negative implications. It’s rare that people call customer service just to thank them for how amazing the product was. Customer service is used for complaints, problems, and occasionally mean spirited questions.

How you can make it better:

Try to elaborate on how well you helped solve a problem or a complaint that eventually translated to company-wide policy, and your accomplishment was then “Awarded platinum medal for outstanding customer and client services.”

7 “Strong Organizational Skills”

 

Why this is bad:

Does this mean that you don’t randomly throw files on your desk? Does this mean that when you are given tasks and told what order to complete them, you magically know the order to complete them? What do organizational skills even mean?

Why not instead elaborate and detail the list of things that you have organized, such as “Organized strategic resources department with the bureau of undergraduate affairs by re-categorizing resources based on usage behavior versus alphabetical listing.”

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