The most commonly-used statement in people’s CVs was ‘hard working’, which 22.5% of the 2,000 people surveyed had usedRecruiters do not have long to assess the quality of candidates based on their CV and certain clichéd statements can see yours going straight in the bin.
When an employer is looking at applications. they will spend around 30 seconds on each CV; therefore, yours needs to make an impact straight away to get to the next stage.
Over used clichés
One of the things to avoid when putting together your CV is the overused clichés that many job hunters believe potential employers want to hear; in fact, the complete opposite is true and these statements could lessen the likelihood of being called for an interview.
Research conducted by a professional CV writing company assessed which statements employees were most likely to put in their CVs to describe their characteristics and work profile. These are the ones you should avoid using if you want to have the best advantage in the jobs market.
The most commonly-used statement in people’s CVs was ‘hard working’, which 22.5% of the 2,000 people surveyed had used. This was followed by ‘reliable’, which appeared in just over 18% of the CVs.
The other top overused comments were ‘team player’ (more than 11%), ‘dedicated’ (9.5%), ‘passionate’ (8%), ‘strategic thinker’ (almost 7%), ‘results driven’ (4.5%) and ‘dynamic’ (3.5%).
In the past, these statements were the buzz words of CVs and were the characteristics employers were looking out for; now, they have simply become overused and worthless in the real world. Rather than making an impact, it appears that you have not made an effort with your CV or adapted it for the position; in addition, you will not have any unique features to stand out amongst the crowd.
What to say on a CV
Instead of including a lot of meaningless words in your CV, you need to really think about how you are suited to the position and why an employer should hire you.
The best way to do this is to explain the experience you have by using real-world examples to demonstrate your achievements and skills. It is also vital to tailor each CV for the position to enable you to answer the specifications the employer is looking for.
By avoiding the use of these common spin words and jargon, you will have a much better chance of standing out from the crowd and making it to the interview stage.
Join Over 40,000 Recruiters. Get our latest articles weekly, all FREE – SEND ME ARTICLES
Recruiters love this COMPLETE set of Accredited Recruitment & HR Training – View Training Brochure
