You’ll have to be more specific

How many of the resumes that have landed on your desk were up to snuff? I’m not talking about the candidate’s abilities and experience, but the way in which that person presented them on paper.

Online resume service ResumeDoctor.com recently reviewed more than 160,000 resumes to examine how job seekers described their skills. According to the results, nearly half used vague or inexplicit phrases to describe their workplace skills and experience.

“Many job seekers fail to realize that phrases like ‘team player’ and ‘problem solver’ have become vague clichés. On your resume, you actually need to state what team you played for and which problems you solved,” notes Brad Fredericks, a partner with ResumeDoctor.com. 

Here are the top culprits and the percentage of job seekers who used them:

* Communication skills: 12.58%

* Team player: 7.18%

* Organizational skills: 5.47%

* Interpersonal skills: 4.82%

* Driven: 4.3%

* Detail-oriented: 4.23%

* Results-oriented: 3.82%

* Self-motivated: 3.78%

* Problem solver: 3.24%

* Highly motivated: 3.15%

How many of these fluffy phrases sound familiar? Hopefully job seekers will strike them from their resumes and instead give you specific descriptions of their IT skill and accomplishments. Or if you’re the one who is the job seeker, check out ResumeDoctor.com’s compilation of recruiters’ top 20 pet peeves regarding resumes. Review the advice and https://www.resumedoctor.com/ResourceCenter.htm#petpeevesurvey and make sure you don’t make the same mistakes.