10 Words Recruiters Hate Seeing on Your Resume (and 10 They Love)

With so little space and so much awesome information about your career to share, it’s critical that you get picky with the words you use on your resume.

Unfortunately, when trying to make a resume that stands out, people often get a little too, shall we say, creative with their word choices, opting for corporate-sounding buzzwords that they think hiring managers want to hear, rather than simply describing their accomplishments.

Well, I've got news for you: It’s time to cut the jargon. In other words, "Get right to the Point."

The Worst Resume Terms to use:

Best of breed
Go-getter
Think outside of the box
Synergy
Go-to person
Results-driven
Team player
Hard worker
Strategic thinker
Detail-oriented


The Best Resume Terms:

Achieved
Improved
Trained/Mentored
Managed
Created
Influenced
Increased/Decreased
Negotiated
Launched
Under budget

When it comes to the words you choose on your resume, keep it simple. Clearly and accurately describe what you’ve done in the past, and it will become obvious to hiring managers why you’re the “best of breed.”