R̩sum̩ clich̩s РJust say no!

Posted on 30. Sep, 2010 by Emmanuelle Archer in Blog, Working Abroad
4 comments

The #1 problem expats run into when they write their résumé is that they don’t quite know what to say, and how to say it.

They worry that their English may not be perfect. They worry that their writing may sound quaint, or not professional enough.

So they do what every logical person would do: they get one of those “2857 résumés so impressive they’ll make grown men cry” books. And they load up on clichés.

The kiss of death

Clichés are the kiss of death for a résumé.

Seriously. Your résumé may not make grown men cry, but if it sounds like something straight out of Dilbert, it will certainly make recruiters laugh. Or at the very least roll their eyes and discard your application.

How can you tell?

But how do you know if you’re using clichés? How can you even tell them apart from normal everyday phrases?

Here’s a handy list of words to avoid in a résumé. [I love this article - the author doesn't mince words, and the videos are pretty great too.]

A few choice quotes:

- Old, boring, hackneyed words and phrases make your resume look as interesting as cheap wallpaper.

- Multi-tasker – this has often come to mean that a person can do a lot of things at once, but most of them incorrectly.

- Detail-focused, team-oriented, results-driven, highly motivated, no-nonsense manager. That manager wastes too much time writing adjectives.

Need I say more? Arm yourself with your favourite red pen, and get ready to edit that résumé of yours!

Was this post helpful? Do you need more personalized resume writing advice? Contact me to schedule a one-on-one consultation.

Emmanuelle

Image by Jean Jullien