The People Bulletin

Whether you’re out of work or your New Year’s resolution is to secure a new role, the job market has never been tougher. For the majority of vacancies a CV is the first contact an employer will have with a potential candidate, however a new survey from The Writer has revealed the majority of CVs are failing to impress due to the use of clichéd terms and ‘boring’ phrases.

Findings

The survey of over 500 members of the general public found: 

• 57% of respondents voted ‘team player’ as the most dull phrase to use on a CV.
• 43% didn’t like ‘proven track record'.
• 40% felt ‘passionate’ left them cold.
• 50 % thought that other people’s CVs were ‘not at all’ or ‘barely’ effective.
• In contrast 80% said that their own CVs were ‘very’ or ‘impressively’ effective.

The full list of words candidates should avoid, according to the survey, are:

1. Team Player
2. Proven Track record
3. Passionate
4. Dynamic
5. Motivated
6. Proactive
7. Enthusiastic
8. Innovative
9. Problem solver
10. Collaborative

Commenting on the findings Neil Taylor, creative director at The Writer said:

“People fill their CVs with buzzword to impress but it actually has the opposite effect. The people who get to the very top don’t use them; people who can cut through the waffle will stand out. So if you trained a load of people, say that. Don’t say you ‘upskilled a functional unit of direct reports’.

“It’s also telling that so many people think their own CV is impressive despite their low opinion of the ones they read. It’s probably worth taking a hard look at your own CV again – is it really that impressive or different? Quite often it’s when people try to describe their traits that they start repeating the same old tired adjectives. Try telling a story instead that shows off your qualities. The most persuasive writing shows rather than tells. And remember, your application doesn’t have to get you the job – it has to get you an interview. So you need to sound interesting enough to meet”.

What can be done?

Taylor offers the following tips on creating an engaging CV: 

• Write more like you speak – everyone tells you to write CVs in the third person. Rubbish. Try ‘I’; it’ll make your writing feel much more natural, and more engaging.
• Nick tricks - the tip above will make your writing really easy to read. But you can go further, and make your writing really memorable, or engaging, or distinctive. So nick some tricks from that day’s newspaper headlines (journalists have to make boring stuff interesting every day). Watch an Obama speech. Try writing a poem. Turn your introduction into a story in six words. Because if you enjoy your writing more, so will your reader.
• Think about your personal brand - great brands stand for something. They have opinions, and attitude. And so do you. So if your hobby is the conservation of rare toads, drop that in. If you think the way your industry works is completely unsustainable, say so. Anything that will intrigue your reader into a conversation will pay dividends.
• Be honest - few people get to the top without making a few mistakes. Be honest about them. Say what you’ve learnt. A few business bruises show you’ve been there, done that.
• No gimmicks - no pink paper or paper aeroplanes; they’re for the kids. At this level, you stand or fall on the strength of your ideas, personality and experience.

For more advice and tips see ‘The Art of Self Promotion’ by Corrine Mills in The People Bulletin, 13 January.

Do you have any words you like to see on CVs - why not share them on our LinkedIn group?