Liz Ryan (The Savvy Networker), at Yahoo Hotjobs, had a post last week on the 10 Boilerplate Phrases That Kill Resumes. Liz’s list of killer resume phrases are:
- Results-oriented professional
- Cross-functional teams
- More than [x] years of progressively responsible experience
- Superior (or excellent) communication skills
- Strong work ethic
- Met or exceeded expectations
- Proven track record of success
- Works well with all levels of staff
- Team player
- Bottom-line orientation
I’m sure your own resume probably has a few of these beauties scattered through your 3 or 4 pages (sorry Jason – but with these golden nuggets – I need more than 1 page!) This got my head spinning on what do we need to put on our resumes to get noticed, and, more importantly, get us hired! So, here are my 10 Killer Resume Phrases to Get You Hired:
- Guaranteed not to fall asleep, much.
- Will give 110%, 10% of the time
- I always show up to work on time, if you come and get me.
- There’s no I in Team, but there is an M and an E
- Completely clear of all past communal diseases
- I’m all about making money
- Likely to Perform well
- Will do almost anything, once we define “anything”
- Plays well with others (Oops, that is actually on my resume!)
- Great personality, when medicated properly
For all the Hiring Managers and HR Pros out there, you know that while these phrases are unlikely to show up on a resume anytime in the near future – they are probably closer to the truth on some of those rare candidates we all have stories about. With unemployment numbers high all over the country (Ok Nebraska we know you’re still low – all 28 of you) the issue of resume inflation is not going to go away anytime soon.
So, screen well, network for solid references, interview better than you ever have, and for the love of St. Pete, smile and have some understanding for those trying to get a job and wanting to make themselves look the best they can.
We all can’t be “A Players” from “Fortune 500″ Companies with “Ivy League” education…Even Matt Foley was successful once he found the right job…
Cheeky. But I had to reread Liz’s list. To me there’s a difference between “killer resume phrases” and “resume-killing phrases”
Can I add one?
“Frequently organize career-impacting after hours events.”