As you sit down to write a resume, you need to be wary of five keywords that send the wrong message. The wrong message you do not want to send is that your resume is entry-level, even if you are right out of college. You want to come across as someone who has been here before and had some experience, which is why you need to remove the five keywords we discuss in this article from your resume immediately.
Team Player
Even though companies are looking for candidates who are team players, this phrase needs to be removed from your resume immediately. Whether or not you actually like to work in a team setting, you are just taking up space on your resume with this keyword when you can put something more valuable in its place. Instead of saying you are a team player, say something like “I successfully guided our department team through the installation of new software.”
Excellent Computer Skills
The second keyword that should be removed from your resume immediately is that you have excellent computer skills. For the most part, every job today will require you to have some sort of experience with computers. This means that you do not need to list this on your resume anymore. You do not necessarily have to list the programs you have experience with, either (depending on the position you are applying for). Instead of mentioning your computer skills, you can use this space to discuss a new program you designed or implemented for a former employer.
Client Friendly
Keyword number three that needs to come off your resume is “client friendly.” This is an overused keyword that essentially says you know how to treat people with basic respect — a trait all decent human beings are expected to have. That is what every company is looking for, but it makes your resume appear to be entry-level. Instead of saying you are client friendly, you should mention that you acquired five new clients per month for the span of two years.
References Available Upon Request
Another keyword that is on a ton of resumes (that should not be) is “references available upon request.” Employers are going to perform a background check on each candidate they interview, and they are going to require references. If a company is interested in you, they will ask you to submit a list of references. Use this space on your resume to discuss your experiences in more detail.
Motivated and Enthusiastic
When trying to describe yourself as a worker on your resume, you need to refrain from using the words motivated and enthusiastic. Sometimes, these words will not pertain to the job you are applying for, so they prove no worth to you on a resume. Instead, provide examples of how you went above and beyond in your work, and you will be showing — and not telling — employers how motivated you are.
On a side note, some other things that you could be doing wrong regarding your resume include using an old resume format, not spell checking your work and having the resume be more than one page in length. For more information on how to better format your resume, contact the experts at TempStaff today.
