We all do it
We want to look good. We want to be employed and we want to take care of our families. So we start selling ourselves to potential employers. We talk about how good we are , we talk about what we know and elaborate on our virtues. We accentuate the positives in minimize the negatives. I guess a certain amount of that is expected and realistic. I also beliee that some people just take it to "whole... notha... level..." I know of one instance when I was a background investigator that a police candidate puffed up their resume so much we actually passed him over because he essentially lied on his application.
Another way that people try to puff up their resumes is by using buzzwords they think will get picked up by search engines. I saw a CNN article by Mark Millan that talked about the 10 most overused words on resumes. This list was compiled by LinkedIn, the social networking site for professionals.
According to LinkedIn, these are the top 10 overused phases on job seekers resumes.
In short, take time to review your resume and ask yourself if you can really do all the things you have put on it. You will look (and will probably feel) pretty stupid when you are asked questions about things on your resume that simply are not true or are embellished. If you find areas where you think you need to beef up your resume, it would probably be more prudent for you to actually beef up your skills first. Get a book, listen to a podcast, or ask a friend. Get the skill any way you can. In the end, this is much more credible and will show your future employer that you are a good catch.
Have you seen people embelish their resume with buzzwords? Have you done it? I would love to hear about how that has worked out for you or what you thought of the people that did it.
We want to look good. We want to be employed and we want to take care of our families. So we start selling ourselves to potential employers. We talk about how good we are , we talk about what we know and elaborate on our virtues. We accentuate the positives in minimize the negatives. I guess a certain amount of that is expected and realistic. I also beliee that some people just take it to "whole... notha... level..." I know of one instance when I was a background investigator that a police candidate puffed up their resume so much we actually passed him over because he essentially lied on his application. Another way that people try to puff up their resumes is by using buzzwords they think will get picked up by search engines. I saw a CNN article by Mark Millan that talked about the 10 most overused words on resumes. This list was compiled by LinkedIn, the social networking site for professionals.
According to LinkedIn, these are the top 10 overused phases on job seekers resumes.
- Extensive experience
- Innovative
- Motivated
- Results-oriented
- Dynamic
- Proven track record
- Team player
- Fast-paced
- Problem solver
- Entrepreneurial
But I AM a team player!
By now you might be saying to yourself that you ARE a team player. So how should you say that without using the words "team player"? You can give examples of what you did rather than just using the buzzwords to describe it. If you cant find solid examples of what you did that makes you a "problem solver", then I guess you might be challenged on a couple of different levels anyways making the placement of that term on your resume a misnomer. :-)In short, take time to review your resume and ask yourself if you can really do all the things you have put on it. You will look (and will probably feel) pretty stupid when you are asked questions about things on your resume that simply are not true or are embellished. If you find areas where you think you need to beef up your resume, it would probably be more prudent for you to actually beef up your skills first. Get a book, listen to a podcast, or ask a friend. Get the skill any way you can. In the end, this is much more credible and will show your future employer that you are a good catch.
Have you seen people embelish their resume with buzzwords? Have you done it? I would love to hear about how that has worked out for you or what you thought of the people that did it.
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