How to Avoid Resume Verbiage Overload

Every so often, job seekers will get carried away with the verbiage on their resumes. They'll use more when less would suffice.

Scratch that. It's more than "every so often." In fact, it is rampant. Many job seekers use more words than necessary on their resumes in the misguided belief that more is better.

Here are a few resume verbiage over-do's all job seekers should avoid:

First person pronouns. Since the document is obviously YOURresume, there is no reason to use "I," "me," "my," "us," "we," or "our." Why? Because it's redundant. In grammar school, most of us learned the "you understood" sentence structure, whereby pronouns could be eliminated to make stronger sentences and avoiding redundancies. These unneeded pronouns also take up valuable resume space that you could use to strengthen other points.

Amount of text. Huge blocks of text can prove overwhelming - even to hiring managers. Break the blocks up with bullets or fewer words. Just because you know a lot of words doesn't mean you have to use all of them in the same block of text. Remember your old text books? If you're like most, some of your textbooks were filled with large amounts of...well, text. In many cases, the paragraphs ran the length of the page. Just as that might have intimidated you during your high school or college days, so too do large blocks of text intimidate hiring managers.

Amount of big words. Most of us have run across others who try to impress with their use of big words. Some sound like they've swallowed a dictionary and wind up looking foolish. Some big words are necessary on resumes, but not every big word. Choose the right word for the right situation. Too often, job seekers' resumes read like word-a-day calenders. Don't be afraid of using smaller words if the situation calls for it. It'll actually make you sound more intelligent.

Overstating. Nothing is as counterproductive as overstating. Overstating, in fact, helps prove the opposite point you're trying to make. Why? Because overstating seems like lying. While euphemisms are acceptable - and expected - overstating is not. So while it's a good idea to put your responsibilities in the best possible light, remember that hiring managers can spot overstatement a mile away. Who, for instance, is going to believe a dishwasher spearheaded an initiative that generated $2 million annually?

IN A NUTSHELL: Avoid overstating and over-doing use of big words and amount of text.