Sometimes a simple turn of phrase on a resume changes everything. Instead of a hiring manager reading on, they crumple your resume, or worse, show it to everyone else for a laugh. Maybe you thought you were being clever, well we’re here to help. Never put these things on your resume:

1. Best of Breed.

Yes, your resume is supposed to brag about you and how great you are, but when you brag abstractly (not listing a specific achievement) you undermine the cause. This holds true for terms like Results-Driven, Punctual, Hard Worker, Strategic Thinker, etc. Avoid vague platitudes and hone in on the things you’ve done.

2. Responsible for:

Sometimes language just falls flat. While you’re not writing a spy novel, you want to make sure you’re using as many action verbs as you can. If what you’re writing seems perfunctory, self-obvious or stilted then you need to rewrite.

3. Highly Qualified.

Maybe you think you’re doing the work for them by simply saying you’re highly qualified. You’re not (doing the work for them). You’re insulting them. They get to determine this, and you get to slyly allude to it through your myriad accomplishments. .

4. Your GPA.

Your GPA does not matter once you leave school. Maybe that’s a good thing?

5. Interfaced.

Trying to sound really technical makes you sound really robotic. Stop reaching for these silly businessy terms. They’re not hiring a machine. They want to know about you.

6. Hit the Ground Running.

Another cliche that as soon as it’s said everyone in the room looks at their watch and starts wondering how much more of their time this person is going to waste.

7. Objective.

Take your Career or Business Objective out of your resume. Who started that? I’m sure they had good intentions, but its day has come. Leave it out.

8. Successfully.

Adverbs are a sign of weakness. OK not all the time, but would you list something that you unsuccessfully performed on your resume? You don’t need this word.

9. Address.

The word “address” before your address is unnecessary but so is listing your address on your resume.

10.References Available Upon Request.

You don’t have much space to make your resume look great. Avoid words that convey no meaning or information. If you’re serious about getting a job , you’ll have to give references. You don’t need to make this apparent on your resume.

The next time you look over your resume take a very deep look into not just what you’re saying but how you’re saying it. Show people that you value their time by avoiding silly phrasings that don’t help them get a better understanding of you (at least a positive understanding). Your resume should be super useful just like you.

About NextGen

NextGen is the brainchild of longtime telecom professionals with nearly 50 years of experience and millions of dollars in Telecom Recruiting Services. We focus on establishing long term relationships with our clients and candidates so we can recruit the best and the brightest in the telecom industry. This ‘quality over quantity’ approach is at the heart of everything we do and has resulted in successful job placements at Fortune 1000 firms worldwide.