Being a recent job hunter, I found the LinkedIn Blog’s “10 Most Overused Buzzwords” entry very interesting. Obviously my occupational hunt was very successful, sacking me a position as Research Assistant (aka: intern) here at Beekeeper Group. Yet I still felt that the article pertained to me, and to my fellow resume- writers (lets face it, who ISN’T actively trying to build their resume?) because it offered statistical data and insight into the ten most played out “Buzzwords” in the biz.
Buzzwords are those hackneyed, ambiguous maxims people use to describe themselves, that really don’t tell you anything at all about a person. Not everybody in the job market can be a “results oriented” “entrepreneurial” “problem solver” with a “proven track record”. I mean, being that your resume is an extension of your brand and often your one chance to market yourself to possible employers, it becomes obvious how these phrases could be detrimental to your odds. So much for sticks and stones, right?
Instead of this conventional self-marketing approach, try to shift the focus of your resume to promoting yourself by introducing other facts. Such as:
- Do you often complete work ahead of deadlines, or under budget?
- Are you capable of consistently surmounting your sales targets?
- Have you ever found new markets, introduced a pioneering process, or done something positive that had never been done before?
When trying to think of how to fit information about factual situations into a document that is traditionally expected to be no longer than two pages (including one inch margins!), think back to the last proposal you submitted. How did you phrase the data in the last presentation you gave? When was the last time you heard an exceptional pitch? Chances are, these expositions were not terribly long winded, yet still presented data and facts in an easy to digest format. Use those examples as guidelines and emulate those techniques while editing your resume (or profile, whichever) while also removing the clichéd clutter, and your hunt will likely be far more successful.
