Clichés are driving employers away from your CV, according to new research.
It can take only 30 seconds for a recruiter to review your application and overused phrases can send your resume straight to the bin, according to the research released today.
The top cliché, used by 22.5 per cent of candidates, is “hardworking”, according to professional CV writing service purplecv.co.uk. Purple surveyed over 2,000 people in the UK to find out which characteristics people would be most likely to use to describe themselves in their resumes.
Nearly a fifth of applicants describe themselves as “reliable”, while just over 11 per cent consider themselves as “team player”.
These common words might have looked good on paper in the Eighties but have now become a thing of the past as too many people use them, the agency said.
“These days it just looks dated, not to mention lazy. It won’t make you stand out, because it’s what nearly everyone else is saying on their resume,’’ said Andrew Arkley from PurpleCV.co.uk.
So what should you say on your CV instead?
According to Mr Arkley, it is best to demonstrate your experience through real-life examples of your achievements and tailor it to the position you are applying for.
“Avoid jargon and corporate speak and you’ll be half way to standing out anyway, purely because you’ve avoided using any clichés.” Mr Arkley said.
The top clichés are:
Hardworking: 25%
Reliable: 18.3%
Team player: 11.6%
Dedicated: 9.5%
Passionate: 8.2%
Strategic thinker: 6.8%
Results driven: 4.5%
Dynamic: 3.5%
