Similarly, it’s best to steer clear of meaningless jargon, such as “hardworking”, “teamplayer” and “pro-active” as every Tom, Dick and Harry that applies for a job has exactly those qualities, too. It’ll make the recruiter’s day if instead you give hard evidence that illustrates why you are all those things – and more.
In short, if you can discipline yourself to make use of active, upbeat language in presenting your achievements you’re well on the way to beating the rest of the pack to an interview. Here are a few pointers...
Be positive – avoid using negative words
Don’t say...
Hate/abandoned/avoided/argued/tried
Do say...
Overcame/reorganised/accomplished/persuaded/delivered
Never generalise
Don’t say...
Proven track-record at increasing profits
Do say...
Generated an increase in profit of 20%
Use active sentences
Don’t say...
A database was created
Do say...
Created a database
Use high-impact words
Don’t say...
Exposed to/helped/participated in/etc
Do say...
Activated/implemented/motivated/exceeded/etc
Never simply list your job-spec, be assertive about what you do
Don’t say...
Responsible for managing the restaurant and generating turnover
Do say...
Managed a 100-seat restaurant, generating £2,000 turnover a week
Present any negative experiences in a positive way
Don’t say...
Even though I failed to meet my target, I learned about ...
Do say...
The experience taught me a lot about people management
Be confident about your abilities
Don’t say...
Some of my managers have told me I have good customer-facing skills
Do say...
I have good customer-facing skills, developed through...
