Weary of reading the same phrases over and over again, hiring managers are starting to expect more from top candidates who want to stand out in the crowded job market.

Table of Contents

1. Self-Motivate Professional or Team Player
2. Including, but Not Limited To
3. Responsible For…
4. Experienced “___” Professional
5. Entrepreneurial
6. Excellent Communication Skills
7. Creative

Try to avoid using these resume phrases as much as possible, and use these recommendations to improve them instead!

1. Self-Motivated Professional or Team Player

Most employers assume that they are interviewing candidates with these strengths. After all, if you weren’t self-motivated, why would you be pursuing a career move at the next level?

Assuming that you are using these phrases in your resume summary of qualifications, try instead to write a branded, headline-style sentence that pulls in your achievements, as in these examples:

“MBA candidate with numerous promotions in hospitality leadership roles.”
“Technology leader awarded company honors for saving $100K in imaging expenses.”

2. Including, but Not Limited To

I have news for you: “including” technically MEANS “not limited to.”

As an example, if your sales clients spanned a number of major corporations, you can spell them out with “including ABC Corporation, XY Company, and BC Enterprises.”

In this case, the reader can assume that you’ve left out several others—therefore, the word “including” will serve you just fine by itself.

3. Responsible For…

To any experienced resume writer, these words are like fingernails on a chalkboard. If you weren’t charged with doing it, why would it even appear on your resume?

Here is where a power verb will serve you better, plus provide more detail to the reader. Consider writing a replacement sentence such as “Raised customer satisfaction scores 30 percent with improved product launch support,” rather than resorting to “responsible for customer service delivery.”

Some other good words you can use include;

• Strategized
• Overhauled
• Achieved
• Managed
• Led

4. Experienced “___” Professional

This is a very common sentence starter in summary paragraphs, which means hiring managers are seeing it time after time during their day.

Instead, use an attention-grabbing starter like “Results-driven”, or “Customer-focused” housekeeping professional with 10 years of luxury hotel experience.

This will immediately set the tone for the rest of your resume and tells the hiring manager one of your skills or strengths.

5. Entrepreneurial

Be very careful with this term, as many employers assume that entrepreneurs are focused solely on their own companies and needs, and may avoid candidates that appear unable to work for someone else.

Should you be a former business owner trying to transition into the corporate world, you’ll make a stronger impression by defining your entrepreneurial nature for employers—in a way that makes sense for their needs. Here’s an example:

“Concept-to-market driver with a multimillion-dollar record of startup success backed by launch planning, market development, product development, and forecasting skills.”

6. Excellent Communication Skills

Like “effective communicator,” this phrase is likely to elicit a “so what” yawn from employers, mostly because it’s largely assumed that you are able to convey critical messages to those around you.

You’ll do better to describe your communications skills in more detail, with phrases such as “capable of distilling complex technical concepts to non-IT executives” that give specifics on how you are able to educate others in your company.

7. Creative

Creativity is a great skill to have, and one that many employers are looking for, depending on the role you are applying for, however, just saying that you are creative won’t cut it.

List out concrete examples of your creativity through projects you managed that are also tied to results. If you are applying for a marketing, design, or even event role, make sure to include a link to your portfolio as well so they can see your creativity!