Small Business

Eliminate Weak Words From Your Resume

By Dave Johnson

Updated on: January 26, 2009 / 10:35 AM EST / MoneyWatch

You know how some of those little habits â€" like leaving the toothpaste uncapped and drinking milk directly out of the carton â€" annoy your spouse? In much the same way, your resume might be doing things that turn off your prospective boss. Lifehacker has pointed us to Squawkfox, which has cataloged six words that you should purge from your resume.

Bad resume words:

Responsible for
Experienced
Excellent written communication skills
Team player
Detail oriented
Successful

The problem is that these words mask your real accomplishments â€" you might be "experienced," but what did you actually do? Likewise, when you say you were "responsible for" a project, you gloss over the concrete details of what you delivered, how many people you led, and how much money was at stake.

Need more resume help? Be sure to see my advice last week on writing the perfect resume. Photo by Procsilas