Things To Avoid, In Your resume..

By Devaki

Thursday, April 29, 2010, 11:57

Despite being a self-motivated worker and even a team player, writing a resume requires skill. Some remarks in your resume may do more harm than good for the chances of getting a dream job.

There are some popular catch phrases that should never make it into your resume, says Liz Ryan, the career adviser and CEO of a jobsite.

1.Never call yourself on a resume using some of the typical or cliche phrases. This includes the phrase 'results oriented professional', being probably the biggest and the 'meaningless' one used. There is not need to use the weird robotic language which does not describe much about yourself, says the experts.

2. Say, 'I got into journalism, because l like to tell compelling stories" instead of 'I have a proven track record in the newsroom."

3. Phrases like 'bottom line-orientated,' 'proven track record of success' (as opposed to a proven track record of failure!) etc are VERY redundant, though those are the qualities employers always look for. But the remarks like 'proven track record' are already proven as it is a track record. It is successful because no body boast about failures. So they will never describe you in a good way.

4. Instead of saying that 'you are special,' narrate the examples of what you do or what you enjoy. The person who says that he has 'excellent communication skills' actually does not! The person who is excellent in the communication skill will never use the trite word, to describe that.

5. It is good to explain our skills in a teeny-tiny mini story format. If you 'built the company's newsletter from the scratch,' it says a lot about your 'strong communication skills'. It will fit with in a bullet point, but conveys much about you. The employers will like such terms because the phrase built form 'scratch' is colloquial and conveys that you are comfortable in your skin. It will be better to tell a mini story which can be more colourful instead of using regular cliches. It is grabbier than the common and trite phrases, too.

6. For a journalist, 'work well under pressure' is another such term which can be replaced with 'kept calm during the daily coverage of a crisis'. The prospective employers will see that in their head and that makes it graphic, visual and it is coming through the language on the page. 'Financially savvy' is not as smart as 'spent four days tracking down a financial leak'. It will be a right brain approach, as this description provides an emotional reaction for the employer, regarding your skills.

7. Avoid mundane lines like 'excellent working with customers'. We can say 'saved our biggest client who was ready to leave'. It is giving concrete examples of when your skills have worked. Instead of saying 'strong negotiation skills,' specify the things you have already done.

“You really have to do the work make the world's shortest story about yourself. It cannot be a paragraph, but it starts by not standing back and saying what you think of yourself. Employers read all the time: 'My friend says "I use my time effectively, I''''m a team player," etc. 'Tell what you did already".