Words to Remove from Your Cover Letter and Resume

Your cover letter and resume are one of many being reviewed by your potential new employer.

If the person reviewing them can not understand what you are trying to communicate, is annoyed by your word choices or is getting deja vu from a similar submission, you are going to be overlooked.

At first glance, your cover letter and resume will be skimmed and you quickly need to be seen as qualified and unique.

While many job descriptions have the word "optional" next to cover letter, it should not be overlooked. Be unique, personable and professional. Starting with the salutation, do a little digging to find the name of the person that will be reviewing your submission and avoid "To Whom it May Concern".

Other words to avoid in cover letter:

- "Thinking outside of the box".

- "Game changer".

- "I am not sure if you know". Google yourself because your recruiter or hiring manager will.

- "I am good at what I do" without supporting evidence.

- "Love". State why you entered industry and not just that you want the job or love the industry.

- "Please feel free". End with your call to action. For example, I will follow up next Wednesday.

- Fluffy adverbs and adjectives. Be sincere without opening the thesaurus.

- Copied and pasted words from resume. State other accomplishment relevant to your industry.

- "Self-starter", "detail oriented" and "forward-thinker". They are overused terms.

Now for your resume. The old fashion resume is still extremely important part of the hiring process. Avoid the old fashioned and cliche language that will get your resume placed in the "no" pile.

Resume words to avoid:

- "Utilized". Quantify your results. Be specific about your value. - "Assisted". This word seems too humble. Consider "collaborated" or "contributed".

- "Responsible for". This term prevents you from being able to list accomplishments.

Use action words, such as:

- Implemented

- Proposed

- "Worked". This word is vague.

- "Objective". Consider a summary statement, in lieu of an objective subheading.

Increase your odds of success by following the suggestions above and contacting an EHD Tech recruiter at 615-953-1907.