If you are a job seeker, your resume is the zenith of your personal branding campaign, and a weak phrase can sink it in seconds. Even if it gets a pass with an application tracking software, your resume will still get about 20 seconds of attention when the HR professional goes through the stack.

Brands choose very catchy slogans to differentiate themselves example “Let’s go there.” “Rule your world.” It’s in you.” But the message is the product itself.

Words like ‘successfully’ are pretty lame and every other person uses that now and this doesn’t tell the HR person what he wants to hear. What they want to hear how you can help the company make money and how you can cut cost for the company using your professional experience.

Here’s a short list of phrases to avoid because resume readers have seen this 30 million times. You can use them only and only if you don’t want that job.

  1. Highly qualified
  2. Result focused
  3. Effective leader
  4. Highly talented
  5. Energetic
  6. Confident
  7. Professional
  8. Successful

Example:

Highly qualified Executive Manager offering more than 4 years of software development, consulting services business, product sales and tech support experiences. Results-focused and effectual leader with proven ability to turnaround troubled organizations. Has talent for proactively identifying and resolving problems and building highly motivated teamwork organization.

The revised version:

Combine astute strategic, business, and project management skills with a 4-year track record of business consultancy and analysis that enables revenue and profit growth. Excellent analytical, organizational, and leadership skills. Seasoned, collaborative leader skilled in motivating staff to achieve aggressive goals and objectives. Global business operational perspective through exposure to diverse business protocols, particularly in North America, Europe, Emerging Markets, and Asia Pacific with Interra Network and Abuja Technology Village which led to more than 800 pre-sales technical support staff organization that supported N7B to N8B in revenue. Skilled in product development, Business Process Outsourcing and with solid background in IT systems.