Words are vehicles you rail your thoughts on for communications. Words create imagery around your expressions. That imagery creates a picture in the minds of listeners enabling them to understand what you want to convey. Words are therefore the most effective tools for communication. Words are like a two-edged sword cutting at the wrong place if not used appropriately. Such is the impact of a misused word. Here we discuss some examples of words to ban in the resume.

Your resume is a sensitive document that has the potential to change your life. This must be clean of words that have lost their value by misuse or repetition. Appropriate and suitably used words are the building blocks of an impressive resume. But at the same time, there surely are words to ban in the resume.

It looks strange to say that there are words to ban in the resume. Yes, it is true. We discuss below the words that everyone needs to avoid including in the resume. Let us redline the words to ban in the resume.

Words Do Count.

The information and the choice of words are two strong determinants if you get an invitation for an interview. There are tons of CVs in inboxes on a daily basis or delivered to offices through the post. Only a very few of them get shortlisted for interview calls. Design is surely the first eye-catcher but the relevance of information and choice of words count a lot. Following is a list of words one must avoid using in a professionally written resume.

Creative

Words lose their sanctity by overuse. “Creative” is perhaps one of the best examples of overuse. Creativity is a trait that does not have an academic definition but a broader application. Avoid using the term if you do not have convincing proof in your profile. Just putting another catchy word in your resume can annoy the employer if you fail to display evidence of actually holding the trait. 

Dedicated

Hardworking, dedicated, and devoted are the terms that never satisfy an employer. These are the traits that need time to prove. Measurable qualities require proven evidence. Avoid wasting space by using it more objectively. 

Detail-Oriented

Another vogue phrase commonly used in the resume is “detail-oriented”. It is a misleading expression if not supported by any evidence. 

Extensive Experience

An extensive experience may not sound that “extensive” to your prospective employer. The term again needs verifiable proof to attach to your resume. On the other hand, it conveys the impression you lack the desired experience in other particular areas. 

Funny

Funny, friendly, and jolly might be strong traits of your personality. You might have found people admiring you for these qualities. Still, such qualities are not worth mentioning in the resume. Getting a job is quite a serious deal. You need not spoil it by showing a less serious side of yours in the resume. 

Hobbies

Leading a vibrant personal life and spending time enjoying different activities is fine. Your resume is not a document to stuff with whole your personal life. You can show yourself enough of your hobbies if asked in an interview. Save the space in your resume to list your skills instead of hobbies. 

Honest

Telling your prospective employer that you are an honest or trustworthy person does not make sense. Honesty is a basic quality expected from any employee. How a “dishonest” person can be hired. Honesty has to do nothing for mention in the resume but you have to win the trust of your employer over time. 

Microsoft Office

Time changes and values stand changed with it. Yesterday’s specialties become the basics of today. Computing skills and acquaintance with “must-have applications” no longer remain a matter of pride. Such skills are the package without which you are even not expected to apply for a job. Mention your skills in new software that truly is relevant to your job. 

Punctuality

Telling your prospective employer about punctuality works badly with what you expect. You are perhaps trying to show your strength but punctuality is a basic requirement that an employer expects from an employee. Reaching the office well in time is a point at which your duty starts. Need not boast about it in your resume. 

Results-Oriented 

Your resume should be a statement of your measurable abilities and verifiable success records. By using the term “results-oriented” you want to say that you can achieve the goals set by your employer. Better if you could refer to your specific instances from the past where you delivered quality results in difficulties and against the odds. Talking about facts rather than fiction is a simple and stronger way to get the attraction of others. 

Salary Negotiable

Salary is a return that a job eventually offers. Every job has an understandable range of minimum to maximum as per the market standard. Be specific on numbers if you are asked to mention them in your resume. Better to negotiate it at the time of the interview, instead. 

Team Player

Every employee is expected to collaborate and communicate effectively. Employers ideally hunt for team players. It is no special quality needing a specific mention in your resume. Your experience must reveal your strength as a team player. Using the term in a resume perhaps will not convince your employer to believe it.

Think

An expression like “think,” “guess,” and “hope” does not convey a sense of certainty. Words and expressions showing a lack of confidence must be banished from your resume. Using strong words never means arrogance and stubbornness but confidence. Week words however convey an expression of a weak personality.

The employer is least concerned about hiring an uncertain or double-minded person. The first impression is the last impression that you can only make by using a sure, certain, and authoritative portrait of your abilities. 

Unemployed

Not preferred by employers but there can be a situation having gaps in your career history. It can be due to justifiable reasons, especially in the present-day pandemic era. Explain the employment gaps in your resume tactfully and in a thoroughly professional manner. Beware of using the word “unemployment” as it never sounds good to an employer. 

Want

When you “want” something you mean that somebody “give” it to you. It is an impression of asking for a favor if not “begging”. The use of phrases like want wish ask could imply desperation, dependency, urgency, or vulnerability. These are surely not the qualities an employer would prefer in his employees. Your resume must not be tailored around your ”wants” and “wishes” but the needs and benefits of your employer. 

Ending Up

The tested rule in writing a professional resume is to “show, don’t tell.” It means that don’t mention the catchy words or phrases in your resume but demonstrate that you possess these attributes. List your measurable achievements alone. Your employer is more interested in knowing what you have “done” so far. He is least concerned with your claims about what you “could” do. An objective and “matter-of-fact” approach can better help you prepare a more convincing, professional resume. So beware of the words to ban in the resume.

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