10 overused words to banish from your CV

When it comes to a traditional CV, why not think about your soft skills– those tangible attributes that are the modern workplace’s most sought-after qualities. Think punctuality, flexibility, good communication and cooperativeness.

And there’s no need to worry if you don’t have a degree.

This week, publisher Penguin announced it was dropping this as a requirement from its job applications. Instead, think about your experience, extra-curricular activities and examples of your work.

When you present a wide-ranging picture of yourself – and an authentic one – the buzzwords just fall away.

Banish the buzzwords – How to sell yourself 

‘Passionate’ and ‘Enthusiastic’

Instead of saying that you’re ‘passionate’ and ‘enthusiastic’ why not demonstrate that you are? List any voluntary experience or causes you care about to highlight your interests outside work and show yourself off as a person who cares as a matter of course.

Creative’

Try, ‘I see the world differently’ – as long as you can qualify it by explaining how. Or, actively showcase your ‘creativity’ by uploading examples of your work so that people can see this for themselves

‘Track record’

Instead, use ‘performance’ or ‘reliable’. Alternatively, prove your ‘track record’ by adding statistics and tangible results to your job descriptions to demonstrate the outcomes. Have results improved as a result of your work? Say so!

‘Successful’

Nothing beats praise from colleagues and employers to demonstrate you’re ’successful’. Ask others to endorse you; or give former colleagues a recommendation to encourage one back

‘Leadership’

Use real life examples of how you’ve led teams, how large they were, and the outcome. Also, encourage your team to endorse you for your ‘leadership’ or ‘management’ skills on LinkedIn

‘Extensive experience’

Demonstrate your ‘experience’ by offering your opinion and insight on relevant topics through LinkedIn groups. Being active makes your profile 15 times more likely to be viewed online. And if you avoid using too many buzzwords, you might even persuade people to read to the end.

Source: Telegraph UK