Phrases & Words Not to Use in a Resume

Request a Consultation from an Award-Winning Recruiter and Resume Writer

(Board, C-Level, VP, Director & Mid-Career Professionals)

Phrases Not to Use in a Resume

You might not be aware of it, but by using weak words and phrases in your resume, you are sabotaging your own chances of landing a great job. These employment-speak clichés can make even the most qualified candidate come across as incompetent, dull, and lacking both initiative and confidence to succeed in the workplace. Our professional resume services recommend you remove these phrases from your resume!

Take a minute to go through your resume line by line and see if any of these seven phrases are the reason why you haven’t received as many interviews as you’d hoped for.

    1.  Responsible for / In charge of

Saying that you were “responsible for” or “in charge of” something does not mean you did it well. In fact, these statements create the impression that you might be hiding some major mishaps or know next to nothing about the subject in question. So spell out what your responsibilities entailed using active verbs. For example, instead of saying “Responsible for opening and closing the store”, write “Opened and closed the store independently every day” and add any other relevant details. A small tweak like that instantly makes your profile much more attractive.

    2.  Duties included

Again, by using this phrase you’re essentially saying what you were supposed to do instead of what you’ve actually achieved. Your best bet here would be to shift focus from your duties to your accomplishments.

   3.  Selected as

This phrase makes you sound passive and unenthusiastic. To avoid that, emphasize your work in the role you were selected to perform. For instance, even if you were appointed head of some task force or committee, you’d be better off saying you’ve supervised a certain number of people or led a project to completion.

   4.  Helped with

This statement is just too vague. Take the time to list exactly HOW you have helped. If there’s nothing worth mentioning than your “helped with”, it shouldn’t have been on your resume in the first place.

   5.  Attempted

A potential employer is interested in what you can do for their business. So while attempting something new might have been a valuable learning experience for you, keep it off the resume. That’ll free up space for you to elaborate on the outcomes of the tasks you’ve actually completed.

   6.  Familiar with

Technically, I can say I’m familiar with karate after watching a documentary about it. On the other hand, a black belt champion can safely make the same claim. As you see, being “familiar with” something says absolutely nothing about your level of expertise on the subject. So please be more precise about your knowledge of procedures, legislature, software or anything else that applies.

   7.  Approximately

You don’t want to come across as uncertain and incompetent, do you? But that’s exactly what you’ll accomplish by using “approximately” in your resume. Numbers and figures make the HR’s eyes light up. So if you want to say that you have been instrumental in increasing your employer’s revenue, take the time to calculate or find out the exact percentage. Otherwise, don’t bother.

One final piece of advice: don’t be afraid to play around with words as you tweak your resume. Getting it right isn’t easy, but if you use active, positive verbs, and take care not to blow things out of proportion (lying on employment documents is never okay), you should do just fine! For examples of some of our award-winning professional resumes please check out our samples.

If you need assistance with your resume, cover letter, or LinkedIn profile development, contact Arno Markus for a free consultation.

Let us help you land your next position by crafting the best ATS optimized resume or by managing your entire job search. Here’s more information about our Resume Writing Services and Reverse Recruitment Service. Book a call today to speak directly with our CEO and Founder, Arno Markus!

About iCareerSolutions

iCareerSolutions, America’s #1 Executive and Professional Resume Writing Services, Reverse Recruitment, and LinkedIn Profile Development Company. 28X award-winning resume writers deliver professional resumes that get interviews. We have successfully landed our executive clients senior-level leadership positions at companies like Apple, Amazon, EA, Oracle, GM, Google, Facebook, DoJ, Gap, and 2U just to name a few. iCareerSolutions has 200+ 5-star reviews and offers a 60-day interview guarantee. Every resume template created is Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) compatible and highly customized to meet your unique needs.

Active Members of The National Resume Writers’ Association (NRWA) │ The Professional Association of Resume Writers & Career Coaches (PARW&CC) │ Career Directors International (CDI) │ Career Professionals (CPC) │ Forbes Coaches Council

One of the Top Multi-Award-Winning Resume Writing Services in the country.

Book a complimentary consultation for your Professionally Managed Job Search now!

Forbes Coaches Council
60 Day Interview Guarantee

Here are some of our Top Resume Testimonials

Ariel Morel
I met Arno when I was seeking out the need for a professional service in revamping my resume. I was introduced to him by Emily, of Refresh Your Step and I quickly noticed that Arno was a true professional with a keen understanding of resume writing and the current trends in the job market. Throughout the resume writing process, Arno ensured that all my questions were answered and provided a concis…
Ariel MorelAdministrative & Operations Executive
Lynn Petersen
I reached out to Arno to assist me in adding that “professional” look to my resume. He was a great resource to work with, providing guidance and advice. While updating a resume can be an arduous process, Arno brought his extensive experience and helped me produce a professional resume that I am proud to share. I would work with Arno again, should the need arise!…
Lynn PeterseneCommerce Project Manager
Vanessa Dos Santos Oliveira
Arno and his team helped me write a concise, engaging, and on-target resume. I also had the opportunity to gain long-lasting experience by employing proven strategies to secure a job through his 1:1 Coaching session. Arno and his team helped me write a concise, engaging, and on-target resume. I also had the opportunity to gain long-lasting experience by employing proven strategies to secure a job …
Vanessa Dos Santos OliveiraAccountant
Avery Weisfeld
Arno was a great asset to me and helped guide me in understanding how to achieve specific opportunities that were available to me. He coached me on the proper ways to set up a resume and what really stands out in industry. With the help from Arno and perseverance, I was able to land a job in no time and it was fascinating to learn how to get ahead with his techniques. Arno was an invaluable resour…
Avery WeisfeldSenior Solution Engineer
scott druker
I was looking to refresh my LinkedIn Profile as well as my resume. I decided to work with Arno after reading some of his LinkedIn postings. I couldn’t have made a better decision. Arno has a great process to pull relevant information from you and pull it all together in a very focused and impactful work product.
Scott DrukerInnovation Executive
blank profile picture
Thanks to the team at iCareer and Arno Markus for helping me and my family secure new jobs and helping with updating our resume. Also, the personal touch iCareer me us feel special, showing they cared and provided the extra support we needed. Again, thank you so much iCarerr and Arno Markus.
Kguis chard
a women in black dress
“I am regularly asked who I recommend for a great resume writer, career transition leader, and LinkedIn expert. Go no further than Arno Markus BA, MSc., CPRW. His services are invaluable and absolutely worth the investment.”
Suzanne Ley
Paula Gurnett
Arno did an incredible job of updating and putting my resume together. He worked closely with me to gain an understanding of my previous experience as well as my current career goals. He is highly skilled at writing resumes in a very clear and professional manner and I have had interviewers comment on the quality of my resume, before offering me a position. I believe that Arno’s resume work has he…
Paula GurnettCanadian Certified Counsellor
Talia Ortega Morales
Arno- Thank you so much! I will review thoroughly and will send back with comments, but I just want to say I love what I see! This is amazing! Thank you!
Talia Ortega
Ricardo Nuncio 1
The work that iCareer Solutions does is great! They helped me improve my personal Brand, my resume and my LinkedIn profile and now I’m scheduling more interviews.
Ricardo NuncioStatistician & Trending Engineer

Top Resume Writing Awards

Employers who have Onboarded Our Clients

Scroll to Top
Scroll to Top
×

Hello!

👋 Need help with your resume/job search? I'm here to help!

× Need help?