- Proven Track Record- This phrase absolutely makes my stomach churn because it’s possibly the most over-used résumé phrase. Not to mention, it doesn’t actually prove anything. Rather than telling me that you are “proven,” show me. Give me examples!
- Demonstrated Success- This one is almost exactly the same as the first. A completely useless phrase that tells me nothing. You’d be better off listing specific examples of how you’ve been successful, rather than just telling me that you have been. Anybody can make this claim, so there’s no meaning to it.
- Team Player-You’re a team player? That’s great. So is 90% of the population. There is nothing special about this claim and it serves you no purpose on your résumé.
- Results Driven-If I saw this on someone’s résumé, the first thing I would ask them is: Do you talk like that in real life? If not, then don’t put it on your résumé. Anybody can see through this phrase as a contrived attempt to appeal to employers. It’s completely disingenuous.
- Cross-Functional-Again, is this a phrase you would actually say? Probably not. This is cheesy corporate language, essentially. All this phrase it saying is that you can work well with different groups of people. You’d be better off just saying that instead!
- Responsible For…Most people view résumés as a list of their job duties, but that’s the wrong approach. It should be a list of your ACCOMPLISHMENTS. Saying what you were responsible for is far less compelling that saying what you actually did and how well you did it.