CareerBuilder.com: "25 words that hurt your resume"

[Bush_Eats_Beef]

25 words that hurt your resume
Words don't tell potential employers as much as deeds
By Laura Morsch, CareerBuilder.com

Friday, January 20, 2006; Posted: 8:45 a.m. EST (13:45 GMT)

http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/Careers/01/20/cb.words.hurt.resume/index.html

The worst offenders

It's good to be hard-working and ambitious, right? The hiring manager won't be convinced if you can't provide solid examples to back up your claims.

Bennett suggests being extra-careful before putting these nice-sounding but empty words in your resume.

Aggressive
Ambitious
Competent
Creative
Detail-oriented
Determined
Efficient
Experienced
Flexible
Goal-oriented
Hard-working
Independent
Innovative
Knowledgeable
Logical
Motivated
Meticulous
People person
Professional
Reliable
Resourceful
Self-motivated
Successful
Team player
Well-organized

[SoCalDem]

1. how true.. there are deeper meanings to those words

Aggressive= obnoxious
Ambitious= backstabbing zealot
Competent= do the minimum to get by
Creative= not a team player
Detail-oriented= OCD?
Determined= keeps tryin..not quite good enough to finish the task
Efficient= descended from Hitler
Experienced= old
Flexible= loosey-goosey
Goal-oriented= one track minded
Hard-working= asskisser
Independent= personality disorder?
Innovative= improviser..deviates from rules
Knowledgeable= book-learnin'..no hands on
Logical= Spock?
Motivated= must-have-carrot
Meticulous= anal retentive
People person= no skills, like to gossip
Professional= will ask for raises and want to run the show
Reliable= has no outside life, waits by the phone for call ins, kissass
Resourceful= probably will steal office supplies
Self-motivated= has no respect for rules, will try to change the place
Successful= thinks he knows more than the boss
Team player= will pick the brains of co-workers and claim credit for their ideas
Well-organized= see OCD

[Sequoia]

7. A guest in the lobby asked me why I was laughing!

You're getting me into trouble here!!

[fishwax]

13. very nicely done!

:rofl:

[Orangepeel]

2. better to talk about what you've done, not what you are (n/t)

[Whoa_Nelly]

3. Creative is one that is FOR my career

in Interior Design. I don't see how that would make me NOT a team player :shrug:

[SoCalDem]

12. You repainted my stapler and then STOLE IT...

and while we're at it.. Where are my scissors?

[Whoa_Nelly]

18. Why, AH Nevah!!!

Your stapler is now an objet d'art on your wall, and your scissors are serving as an accessory to the bidet system I had installed for you on your toilet. Ha and ha ha!

[dolo amber]

4. "Experienced" being included there is ridiculous

You should NOT be experienced? Then you wouldn't have experience. Then you wouldn't be qualified for the job. :silly:

The rest of them I can see, but not that.

[Redstone]

5. Some more to avoid:

-Psycopathic
-Co-Dependent
-Withdrawn
-Bloviational
-Recently-released
-Reformed
-Suicidal

Redstone

(Yes, you might want to be cautious about putting "Redstone" on your resume as well. I do have a reputation.)

[ET Awful]

9. Let's not forget

-Bipolar
-Narcissistic
-Flatulent
-Agoraphobic
-Republican

[hfojvt]

6. no problem there

since I am none of that, but at least I am honest.

[dryan]

10. Thanks folks....

I needed that!

PS - I used to work for a headhunter and we got a resume for a man looking for a job as an accountant but there was a noticeable gap in his resume. I called to follow up. The gap was caused by the 3 years he was in prison for car theft!

[hfojvt]

14. you shoulda hired that guy

he's a real go-getter.

[no name no slogan]

8. YES!!! "Ass-Kickin'" is still okay!

*whew* dodged another bullet

[anarch]

11. but...

I really am an Aggressive, Ambitious, Competent, Creative, Detail-oriented, Determined, Efficient, Experienced, Flexible, Goal-oriented, Hard-working, Independent, Innovative, Knowledgeable, Logical, Motivated, Meticulous, Professional, Reliable, Resourceful, Self-motivated, Successful, Well-organized Team player! And a People person, too!

I can't help what I am. :cry:

[BigMcLargehuge]

15. Contagious

Psychopathic
Relentless
Rutting
Drippy
Obsessive
Compulsive
Obsessive/Compulsive
Obtuse
Illiterate
Monolingual
Agraphobic
Probation
Sociopath

[SoCalDem]

16. and using your parole officer as a reference is a no-no, as well

:)

[wildhorses]

17. other words to avoid

homicidal
deviant
anti-scocial
paranoid
schizophrenic
obese
anorexic
incarcerated
defect
illogical
misunderstood
awol
party animal

[LaraMN]

19. Not to forget these twenty-five:

My
Last
Boss
Secretly
Wanted
To
Gnaw
Off
My
Testicle
Eventually
I
Couldn't
Take
Anymore
I
Sawed
It
Off
And
Gave
It
to
her
Iamaveryhardworkerpleasehireme.

[progmom]

21. ...

:rofl:

[bigwillq]

20. Responsible

That one should be added to the list. I hope someone is responsible when applying for a job.

[Rabrrrrrr]

22. Rabrrrrrr's top 35:

Murder
Mephitic
Phlegmatic
Harrasser
Gross

Bloviator
Flatulent
Sadistic
Horny
Obdurate

Temperamental
Eldritch
Venomous
Stigmatic
Opprobrious

Impulsive
Combative
Slothful
Craven
Undisciplined

Screamer
Weaselish
Judas
Perfunctory
Byzantine

Commitable
Nettleish
Offensive
Self-focused
Execrable

Libelous
Contumelious
Barbaric
Traducing
Heinous

[lakemonster11]

23. I've seen most of these words on lists of words to definitely include

on your resume.