Don't Use "Twinkie" Words in Your Resume

You take the time to really polish your resume by selecting the best font -- resume design experts recommend something easy on the eyes like Bookman Old Style or Times New Roman - and properly format it so the sections are in the right order and amply supply the perfect information about your past experiences.

You've made sure to say what great organization, customer service, and project management skills you have and how effectively and quickly you learn or handle your assignments. Perhaps you even mention how detail-oriented you are and all the tasks you were responsible for. If so, then you have more than likely created an average resume that won't garner anymore interest than any of the others that use tired old phrases, worn-out jargon and empty, filler words.

If you really want to communicate you're the right candidate for the job, you need to reconsider the words you choose and how you describe your work experience.

Tired, Old Phrases Result in Tired, Old Resumes

Do you do everything 'effectively' or 'quickly' or have 'proven abilities?' Well, show it. Not by using adverbs or adjectives that only serve to intensify or emphasize your intent, but by creating sentences that paint a real picture.

For instance, instead of writing that you 'quickly process orders from customers,' be specific. How many orders do you process? How many customers do you speak with? Within what time frame do you handle all these calls?

If you say you handle an average of 100 customer calls a day or you process 250 orders a week, it provides a much better picture. Better yet, since call centers base productivity on metrics such as average handle time (AHT), you can communicate how your monthly AHT of 350 exceeds the department average of 380.

Another trap that many candidates fall into is the excessive use of the phrase 'responsible for' as in "responsible for maintaining personnel files" or "responsible for conducting monthly inventory count." Instead, just make it "maintain personnel files," and then quantify and further explain what this means by describing what and how many.

Worn-Out Jargon is Obsolete

Ever notice how every candidate is 'detail-oriented' these days? Or maybe you're a 'strategically focused team player?' Insert loud yawn here.

You may very well embody these traits -- along with the rest of the candidate pool. So you need to do something that will set your resume apart from the others. You need to come up with a better way to communicate why you feel you are detail-oriented or a team player.

Are you the go-to person when it comes to editing written documents because you have an eye for finding grammatical or structural errors? Did you step up to the plate and take on a project when a co-worker suddenly quit? Put in writing whatever actions you have taken in your career that illustrate why you feel you exemplify these traits.

Twinkie Words Are Vacuous

You review the ad posted on line and see that it fits you to a tee including the part about the required "organization, interpersonal and communication skills." Heck, you have all of those. In fact, you have included all these empty words on your resume.

Yes, it is important to utilize key words that organizations may use to search their database for candidates. However, you can do better than just developing a laundry list of abilities or traits by incorporating these words into strong, meaningful phrases.

If you have great organization skills, explain how and what you organized, whether it was a national meeting for 250 sales people or a writing class for ten. If your skills are in developing relationships, explain what you have done in this regard. And don't forget that if communication is your strong suit, that means both verbal and written communication, prove it by how you fashion a great resume.

Stop using Twinkie words. Instead paint a picture that everyone can see. Write a better resume by quantifying and explaining what your experience is and not just by using empty, meaningless words that say nothing. Remember that your resume is a reflection of you and your experience.