Instant Alert: 27 annoying words on your résumé that make hiring managers cringe

MANAGE SUBSCRIPTIONS   |   UNSUBSCRIBE   |   VIEW ONLINE   27 annoying words on your résumé that make hiring managers cringe by Rachel Gillett on Jun 29, 2016, 4:34 PM Advertisement While many large companies use automated résumé-screener software to cut down the initial pool of job applicants, loading your résumé with meaningless buzzwords is not the smartest way to get noticed. "Nearly everyone is guilty of using buzzwords from time to time, but professionals are evaluated increasingly on their ability to communicate," says Paul McDonald, senior executive director for professional-placement firm Robert Half. Some of the major problems with using buzzwords, according to Mary Lorenz, a corporate communications manager at CareerBuilder, are that they have become so overused that they've lost all meaning, and they don't differentiate the job seeker from other candidates because they're so generic. Other, less jargony words and terms should be avoided when they serve little purpose to the hiring manager. All these words do is waste their time and, as a result, you lose out on the few precious seconds a recruiter spends scanning your résumé. Instead, Lorenz says job seekers should speak in terms of accomplishments and show rather than tell. "Avoiding overused terms can help job seekers convey their message and stand out from the crowd," McDonald says. Here's what you should avoid: SEE ALSO: 30 things you should remove from your résumé immediately DON'T MISS: 32 things you should never say to your boss 1. 'Best of breed' When CareerBuilder surveyed more than 2,200 hiring managers last year, it found "best of breed" to be the most irritating term to be seen on a résumé. The phrase offers little meaning and doesn't help differentiate candidates. "Employers want to know what makes the job seekers unique, and how they will add value to the specific organization for which they're applying," Lorenz says. 2. 'Phone' Career coach Eli Amdur tells Business Insider that there is no reason to put the word "phone" in front of the actual number: "It's pretty silly. They know it's your phone number." The same rule applies to email. 3. 'Results-driven' "Instead of simply saying that you're results-driven, write about what you did to actually drive results — and what those results were," Lorenz suggests. See the rest of the story at Business Insider   Share the latest business news with your network: Email sent to:   |   Manage your email preferences   |   Unsubscribe Terms of Service   |   Privacy Policy Business Insider. 150 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10011