4 resume’ killing words

With the stock market crashing down around our heads yet again, and the job market so far south it has to look up to see the equator, let’s take time out to address an issue that might help

you put together a resume that gets you hired in the unlikely event there ever actually are jobs out there again. Today we’re going to focus on four absolutely useless words in the business world. You’ve seen them before and you might even use them but, rest assured, when you talk and write like that, no one, especially hiring managers, listens.

Passionate
Unless you’re highly overmedicated, there is little chance that you’re truly passionate about all the things people claim to be. Some of us might have one passion. Maybe. Not three or four, and the odds that you feel that way about “teaching small businesses to harness the power of social media” is infinitesimal. Focused might be a legitimate word but passion is something else entirely.

Authority
Former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher used to say this: “Power is like being a lady; if you have to say you are, you aren’t.” What we’re saying is that if you feel compelled to plaster the word authority over everything you’re connected with, chances are you aren’t either. Social media authority. What’s that? Sounds like you spend too much time on Facebook.

Workaholic
To anyone who understands what the word actually means, “workaholic” has definite negative connotations. Sorry, it’s impossible to work 24/7. You’d be dead soon. Rather than devoting all that effort to impressing us with how hard you work, why not focus on the results that your efforts have created? Now that might be impressive. Keep in mind that employers don’t care how much your work, only that you accomplish something while you’re doing it.

Unique
We feel pretty safe in saying that every human being on this planet is unique. That’s part of the deal. Saying it is only restating the obvious and should be classified in the category of Worthless Resume Filler. Writers are urged to show not tell, and that makes good sense here to. You don’t prove uniqueness by saying you’re unique. Try showing why you’re different instead.

Why not pull out that resume’ that’s collecting dust and make sure you haven’t fallen prey to any of these common mistakes.

The Young Wealth Team

 

 

 

 

 

 

(Flickr / windygig)