Why Buzzwords Hurt Your Resume
Your resume has about six seconds to make an impression on a hiring manager. When those precious seconds are filled with the same tired phrases they’ve read on hundreds of other resumes, you’ve already lost the battle for attention.
The Problem with Clichés
Buzzwords create a disconnect between what you’re trying to communicate and what hiring managers actually understand. When you write that you’re a “results-driven team player with excellent communication skills,” you’ve told them nothing they didn’t already assume about any professional applicant.
Here’s what really happens when you use buzzwords:
- They blend into the background. Hiring managers have read “detail-oriented” so many times the phrase becomes invisible. Their eyes literally skip over it.
- They waste prime resume space. You have limited room to sell yourself. Every buzzword is a missed opportunity to share real accomplishments.
- They make you sound generic. When everyone uses the same language, no one stands out. You become just another forgettable candidate.
- ATS systems don’t prioritize them. Applicant Tracking Systems are looking for skills, technologies, and relevant experience, not subjective self-assessments.
- They undermine your credibility. Claiming you’re “innovative” without evidence makes hiring managers skeptical of everything else on your resume.
What Hiring Managers Actually Want to See
After reviewing thousands of resumes, hiring managers consistently look for the same things:
- Concrete evidence of your abilities. Don’t tell them you’re good at something. Show them what you accomplished.
- Quantifiable achievements with context. Numbers matter, but only when paired with the story of how you achieved them.
- Specific skills and technologies. Name the tools, methodologies, and frameworks you actually used.
- Problems you solved and impact you created. What changed because you were there? What would be different if you hadn’t been?
- An authentic voice that matches who you are. Your resume should sound like a professional version of you, not a corporate robot.
The 30 Worst Resume Buzzwords and What to Say Instead
“Results-Driven” / “Goal-Oriented”
Why It Hurts You
Saying you’re “results-driven” is like saying you breathe oxygen. It’s expected of every professional. If you weren’t focused on results, why would anyone hire you? This phrase tells hiring managers nothing about what results you actually achieved or what goals you met.
It’s also impossibly vague. What kind of results? In what timeframe? Compared to what benchmark?
What to Say Instead
Replace this empty claim with the actual results you drove:
Before: “Results-driven sales professional”
After: “Increased regional sales from $2.3M to $4.1M over 18 months by identifying and pursuing enterprise accounts”
Before: “Goal-oriented project manager”
After: “Delivered 12 client projects consecutively under budget, averaging 15% cost savings per project”
Before: “Results-focused marketing manager”
After: “Grew email subscriber base from 5,000 to 47,000 through targeted content strategy and conversion optimization”
“Team Player”
Why It Hurts You
Nearly every job requires collaboration. Stating that you work well with others is like stating that you show up on time. It’s baseline, not a selling point.
The phrase is also so overused that it’s become meaningless. Hiring managers’ eyes glaze over when they see it because it communicates nothing specific about how you collaborate or what makes your teamwork valuable.
What to Say Instead
Show actual examples of successful collaboration with measurable outcomes:
Before: “Team player with strong collaboration skills”
After: “Partnered with engineering, design, and product teams to ship new checkout flow, reducing cart abandonment by 23%”
Before: “Works well in team environments”
After: “Led cross-functional initiative between 4 departments to standardize customer data, improving reporting accuracy by 89%”
Before: “Collaborative team member”
After: “Mentored 6 junior analysts, with 5 promoted to mid-level within 14 months”
“Hard Worker” / “Hardworking”
Why It Hurts You
This phrase is problematic for multiple reasons. First, it’s subjective. What you consider hard work might not align with what the hiring manager considers hard work. Second, it’s unverifiable. How can anyone confirm this claim from a resume?
Most importantly, hard work should be evident from your accomplishments, not stated as a character trait. If you accomplished impressive things, the hard work is implied.
What to Say Instead
Let your achievements demonstrate your work ethic:
Before: “Hardworking analyst who goes above and beyond”
After: “Maintained portfolio of 22 concurrent client accounts while volunteering to lead onboarding program for new hires”
Before: “Hard worker committed to excellence”
After: “Completed CPA certification while working full-time and consistently exceeding quarterly targets”
Before: “Dedicated employee who puts in extra effort”
After: “Coordinated weekend infrastructure migration with zero downtime, personally overseeing all 14 hours of deployment”
“Detail-Oriented” / “Attention to Detail”
Why It Hurts You
This is the single most overused phrase on resumes, appearing on an estimated 50% of all applications. It’s become completely meaningless through overuse.
Additionally, claiming attention to detail while submitting a resume with typos creates instant credibility damage. Many hiring managers deliberately look for errors in resumes that claim this trait.
What to Say Instead
Prove your precision through specific examples of accuracy:
Before: “Detail-oriented financial analyst”
After: “Implemented three-tier review process that reduced financial reporting errors from 12 per quarter to zero over 18 months”
Before: “Meticulous attention to detail”
After: “Maintained 99.97% accuracy rate across 500+ legal documents, catching errors that saved clients an estimated $340K in potential liabilities”
Before: “Detail-focused quality assurance”
After: “Developed testing protocol that identified 847 bugs pre-launch, preventing critical issues in production”
“Strategic Thinker” / “Visionary”
Why It Hurts You
These self-congratulatory terms make you sound arrogant, not accomplished. True strategic thinking is demonstrated through the strategies you developed and their outcomes, not through self-labeling.
Calling yourself a “visionary” is particularly problematic. It’s a term others should use to describe you based on your track record, not something you claim for yourself.
What to Say Instead
Describe the strategies you created and their business impact:
Before: “Strategic thinker who sees the big picture”
After: “Analyzed customer churn data to identify at-risk segments, developing retention campaign that recovered $1.2M in annual recurring revenue”
Before: “Visionary leader”
After: “Recognized shift toward remote work in 2019 and spearheaded digital transformation initiative that positioned company to scale during pandemic”
Before: “Strategic marketing professional”
After: “Built data-driven content strategy based on search intent analysis, increasing organic traffic by 340% year-over-year”
“Excellent Communication Skills”
Why It Hurts You
This buzzword appears on nearly every resume, making it invisible to hiring managers. More importantly, your communication skills should be evident from how you’ve written your resume and cover letter, not stated as a fact.
The phrase is also far too vague. Communication encompasses writing, speaking, presenting, listening, and translating complex ideas. Which specific communication skills do you possess?
What to Say Instead
Demonstrate your communication abilities through specific examples:
Before: “Excellent written and verbal communication skills”
After: “Delivered monthly presentations to executive team and board of directors on product analytics, directly influencing $3M in strategic investments”
Before: “Strong communicator”
After: “Authored technical documentation and video tutorials that reduced customer support volume by 38% quarter-over-quarter”
Before: “Great communication abilities”
After: “Facilitated requirements-gathering workshops with stakeholders across 7 business units, aligning competing priorities for enterprise software rollout”
“Innovative” / “Creative”
Why It Hurts You
Innovation and creativity must be demonstrated, not declared. When you label yourself innovative without backing it up, hiring managers assume you’re all talk and no action.
These terms are also incredibly subjective. What seems innovative to you might be standard practice in the industry. Let the hiring manager decide whether your work was innovative based on what you actually accomplished.
What to Say Instead
Show your innovative thinking through the solutions you created:
Before: “Innovative problem solver”
After: “Designed mobile-first scheduling system that reduced booking friction, increasing conversion rate from 14% to 31%”
Before: “Creative marketing professional”
After: “Developed TikTok strategy targeting Gen Z consumers, generating 2.3M views and 47,000 new followers in first campaign”
Before: “Innovative approach to operations”
After: “Reimagined warehouse layout using flow analysis, reducing pick-and-pack time by 42% and eliminating bottlenecks during peak periods”
“Self-Starter” / “Self-Motivated”
Why It Hurts You
Most professional positions require independence and self-direction. Stating that you’re a self-starter suggests these qualities aren’t assumed, which can actually work against you.
The phrase also sounds defensive, as if you’re preemptively addressing concerns about whether you need constant supervision. Confident professionals show their initiative through their actions.
What to Say Instead
Demonstrate initiative through examples of proactive work:
Before: “Self-starter who takes initiative”
After: “Identified inefficiency in customer onboarding, designed new automated workflow, and implemented solution without being assigned, saving 15 hours per week”
Before: “Self-motivated sales representative”
After: “Independently researched and prospected untapped vertical market, generating $680K in new business from healthcare sector”
Before: “Takes initiative without direction”
After: “Proposed and led migration to cloud infrastructure after analyzing cost projections, reducing hosting expenses by $94K annually”
“Problem Solver”
Why It Hurts You
Every job is fundamentally about solving problems. An accountant solves financial reporting problems. A developer solves technical problems. A manager solves organizational problems. Saying you solve problems without specifying what problems is meaningless.
The phrase is also passive. It suggests problem-solving is your identity rather than demonstrating what you actually solved and how.
What to Say Instead
Describe the specific problems you solved and the impact:
Before: “Proven problem solver”
After: “Diagnosed root cause of recurring system crashes affecting 75,000 users, implementing fix that improved uptime from 94% to 99.8%”
Before: “Strong problem-solving skills”
After: “Resolved longstanding inventory discrepancy issue by implementing RFID tracking, eliminating $220K in annual shrinkage”
Before: “Creative problem solver”
After: “Reduced customer service call volume by 52% by identifying top 10 pain points and creating self-service knowledge base addressing each”
“Passionate” / “Enthusiastic”
Why It Hurts You
Passion is an emotion that’s difficult to verify from a resume. Everyone applying for a job will claim they’re passionate about the field. The word has become so overused it no longer conveys genuine interest.
More critically, professionalism matters more than passion in hiring decisions. Hiring managers want to see competence, track record, and results, not emotional claims.
What to Say Instead
Show dedication through your actions and investments of time:
Before: “Passionate about data science”
After: “Completed Johns Hopkins Data Science Specialization and built 12 personal projects using machine learning, 3 featured on Towards Data Science”
Before: “Enthusiastic marketing professional”
After: “Active member of American Marketing Association, attend 6-8 industry conferences annually, and maintain marketing strategy blog with 12,000 monthly readers”
Before: “Passionate about education”
After: “Volunteer weekly at local library teaching digital literacy to seniors, reaching over 200 community members in past two years”
“Dynamic”
Why It Hurts You
“Dynamic” is a filler word that sounds impressive but means nothing concrete. What does a dynamic professional do differently than a non-dynamic one? The term is too vague to communicate any actual skill or quality.
It’s often used to pad weak descriptions when you can’t think of something substantive to say.
What to Say Instead
Replace vague adjectives with specific actions:
Before: “Dynamic leader”
After: “Restructured 30-person department by skill set rather than traditional hierarchy, improving project delivery speed by 35%”
Before: “Dynamic sales approach”
After: “Adapted sales methodology based on customer segment analysis, personalizing pitch for enterprise, mid-market, and SMB prospects”
“Expert” / “Guru” / “Ninja” / “Rockstar”
Why It Hurts You
Calling yourself an expert is presumptuous. True expertise is recognized by others, not self-proclaimed. The hiring manager will determine your expertise level based on your experience and accomplishments.
Terms like “ninja,” “rockstar,” and “guru” are particularly problematic. They were trendy in the 2010s but now sound dated and unprofessional. They also trivialize your professional experience.
What to Say Instead
Let your experience level speak for itself:
Before: “JavaScript expert”
After: “8 years of JavaScript development experience including React, Node.js, and TypeScript, having built and deployed 23 production applications”
Before: “Excel guru”
After: “Advanced Excel proficiency including VBA macros, Power Query, and complex pivot tables, creating financial models used for $15M in investment decisions”
Before: “Marketing rockstar”
After: “Led demand generation programs that consistently exceeded lead targets by 25-40% across SaaS, fintech, and e-commerce verticals”
“Go-Getter” / “Go-To Person”
Why It Hurts You
These casual, clichéd phrases don’t belong on a professional resume. “Go-getter” sounds like something from a 1980s motivational poster. “Go-to person” is what you might say in conversation, but it lacks the specificity needed for a resume.
Both terms are self-assessments without evidence. You can’t credibly claim to be the go-to person. Others need to view you that way.
What to Say Instead
Show how others relied on your expertise:
Before: “Go-getter who takes on challenges”
After: “Volunteered to lead critical client rescue project others declined, successfully recovering relationship and $1.4M contract”
Before: “Go-to person for complex issues”
After: “Designated subject matter expert for regulatory compliance, fielding escalations from 50+ team members across 3 offices”
“Synergy” / “Leverage” / “Paradigm Shift”
Why It Hurts You
These corporate buzzwords make you sound like you’re writing a parody of business-speak. They’re vague, pretentious, and communicate nothing concrete about what you actually did.
“Leverage” might be the worst offender. People use it when they mean “use,” making their writing unnecessarily complicated.
What to Say Instead
Use plain, clear language that describes your actual work:
Before: “Leveraged synergies across business units”
After: “Coordinated marketing and sales teams to align messaging, increasing qualified lead conversion by 28%”
Before: “Created paradigm shift in customer service”
After: “Redesigned support model from reactive ticket system to proactive outreach, improving customer retention from 76% to 91%”
“Best of Breed” / “World-Class”
Why It Hurts You
These hyperbolic terms sound like marketing copy, not professional accomplishments. They’re subjective judgments that you can’t make about yourself or your work.
If your work or team truly was world-class, the achievements should demonstrate that without you needing to say it.
What to Say Instead
Let your results speak to the quality level:
Before: “Built world-class development team”
After: “Hired and developed engineering team that reduced sprint velocity variance to under 5% and achieved 98% on-time delivery rate”
Before: “Delivered best-of-breed solutions”
After: “Designed customer portal that won 2024 Webby Award for Best User Experience and increased self-service resolution by 63%”
“Thought Leader”
Why It Hurts You
Calling yourself a thought leader is the opposite of thought leadership. Real thought leaders are recognized by their contributions, publications, and influence in their field. The title is bestowed by others, not self-proclaimed.
What to Say Instead
Demonstrate your industry influence through tangible contributions:
Before: “Thought leader in cybersecurity”
After: “Published 17 articles in InfoSecurity Magazine, keynote speaker at RSA Conference 2024, and cited expert in Wall Street Journal article on ransomware”
Before: “Recognized thought leader”
After: “Maintain industry podcast with 25,000 monthly listeners and advisory board member for two SaaS startups”
Industry-Specific Buzzwords That Hurt You
Different fields have their own sets of overused buzzwords that make hiring managers roll their eyes. Here’s how to avoid them in your industry.
Technology and Engineering Buzzwords to Avoid
What Hurts You
- “Full-stack ninja” or any job title with “ninja/rockstar/guru”
- “Expert in all technologies”
- “Bleeding edge” or “cutting edge”
- “Passionate about code”
- “Quick learner” (for senior positions)
What Works Instead
Before: “Full-stack rockstar proficient in all modern technologies”
After: “Full-stack engineer with 6 years experience in React, Python, PostgreSQL, and AWS, having built and scaled applications to 500K+ users”
Before: “Passionate about cutting-edge technologies”
After: “Early adopter of containerization, implementing Docker and Kubernetes in 2018, reducing deployment time from 2 hours to 12 minutes”
Before: “Quick learner who can master any language”
After: “Learned Rust to optimize performance-critical service, reducing latency by 73% and cutting infrastructure costs by $45K annually”
Sales and Business Development Buzzwords to Avoid
What Hurts You
- “Rainmaker”
- “Hunter mentality”
- “Relationship builder”
- “Revenue generator”
- “Deal closer”
What Works Instead
Before: “Rainmaker with hunter mentality”
After: “Consistently ranked in top 10% of 200-person sales organization, exceeding quota by average of 134% over 4 years”
Before: “Relationship builder who generates revenue”
After: “Developed partnerships with 12 enterprise accounts worth $8.3M in total contract value through consultative selling approach”
Before: “Deal closer”
After: “Closed 23 of 27 qualified opportunities in Q4 2024, maintaining 85% win rate against primary competitor”
Marketing Buzzwords to Avoid
What Hurts You
- “Growth hacker”
- “Storyteller”
- “Brand evangelist”
- “Marketing maven”
- “Creative visionary”
What Works Instead
Before: “Growth hacker and storyteller”
After: “Grew user base from 10,000 to 180,000 through content marketing, SEO optimization, and strategic partnership campaigns”
Before: “Brand evangelist”
After: “Increased brand awareness from 12% to 41% in target demographic through integrated campaign across social, PR, and influencer channels”
Before: “Marketing maven with creative vision”
After: “Led rebrand initiative including new positioning, website, and messaging that contributed to 156% increase in inbound leads year-over-year”
Finance and Accounting Buzzwords to Avoid
What Hurts You
- “Numbers person”
- “Excel wizard”
- “Financial guru”
- “Accounting ninja”
- “Detail-obsessed”
What Works Instead
Before: “Numbers person with Excel wizardry”
After: “Built automated financial reporting dashboards in Power BI, reducing monthly close process from 12 days to 6 days”
Before: “Detail-obsessed accountant”
After: “Completed 8 consecutive annual audits with zero material findings and maintained SOX compliance across 23 business processes”
Before: “Financial guru”
After: “Developed 5-year financial model supporting $25M Series B fundraise and subsequent $180M acquisition”
Healthcare Buzzwords to Avoid
What Hurts You
- “Compassionate caregiver”
- “Patient-focused”
- “Dedicated healthcare professional”
- “Caring and empathetic”
What Works Instead
Before: “Compassionate, patient-focused nurse”
After: “Maintained 96% patient satisfaction score while managing 6-8 patient caseload in high-acuity cardiac unit”
Before: “Dedicated healthcare professional”
After: “Reduced medication errors by 78% through implementation of double-check protocol and staff training program”
Before: “Caring and empathetic therapist”
After: “Specialized in CBT and DBT treatment for anxiety disorders, maintaining 89% patient improvement rate based on standardized assessment scores”
Education Buzzwords to Avoid
What Hurts You
- “Passionate educator”
- “Student-centered teacher”
- “Lifelong learner”
- “Dedicated to student success”
What Works Instead
Before: “Passionate, student-centered educator”
After: “Improved AP English pass rate from 67% to 89% through differentiated instruction and targeted intervention for struggling students”
Before: “Dedicated to student success”
After: “Developed peer tutoring program that raised school-wide math proficiency 12 percentage points in two years”
Before: “Lifelong learner”
After: “Completed National Board Certification and implemented project-based learning framework across grade level, increasing student engagement scores by 31%”
How to Write a Buzzword-Free Resume That Gets Interviews
The CAR Method: Challenge, Action, Result
The best way to avoid buzzwords is to structure your accomplishments using the CAR method. This forces you to be specific and results-oriented. For more detailed guidance on crafting compelling achievements, see our comprehensive guide on how to write resume achievements.
Challenge: What problem or situation did you face? Action: What specific steps did you take? Result: What measurable outcome did you achieve?
Example: Instead of: “Dynamic leader who drove results”
Use CAR: “Inherited underperforming sales team ranking last in region (Challenge). Implemented weekly coaching sessions, revised compensation structure, and provided advanced CRM training (Action). Team ranked first in region within 9 months and exceeded annual quota by 127% (Result).”
The Metrics That Matter
Numbers grab attention, but context makes them meaningful. Include:
- Percentages: Show relative improvement (increased efficiency by 45%)
- Dollar amounts: Demonstrate financial impact (generated $2.3M in new revenue)
- Time frames: Provide context for achievements (over 6 months, within 90 days)
- Scale: Show scope of responsibility (managed team of 12, oversaw 50+ projects)
- Rankings: Highlight competitive standing (ranked #3 out of 200)
- Comparisons: Show improvement from baseline (reduced from 8 hours to 45 minutes)
Strong Action Verbs That Replace Weak Buzzwords
The verbs you choose set the tone for your entire resume. Weak verbs make you sound passive. Strong verbs demonstrate ownership and impact. For an extensive list of powerful verbs organized by category, check out our complete action verbs guide with 200+ alternatives.
Instead of “Managed” or “Oversaw”
Use: Directed, Orchestrated, Spearheaded, Steered, Piloted, Commanded, Supervised, Administered, Governed
Instead of “Helped” or “Assisted”
Use: Collaborated, Partnered, Facilitated, Contributed, Supported, Enabled, Coordinated, Advised
Instead of “Responsible for”
Use: Led, Owned, Drove, Executed, Delivered, Implemented, Directed, Managed, Controlled
Instead of “Worked on”
Use: Developed, Built, Created, Designed, Engineered, Constructed, Produced, Established
Instead of “Improved” or “Made Better”
Use: Enhanced, Optimized, Streamlined, Strengthened, Upgraded, Refined, Transformed, Elevated, Modernized
Instead of “Achieved”
Use: Attained, Accomplished, Delivered, Secured, Surpassed, Exceeded, Reached, Realized
For Leadership
Use: Mentored, Coached, Trained, Guided, Developed, Cultivated, Championed, Influenced, Motivated
For Innovation
Use: Pioneered, Launched, Introduced, Originated, Initiated, Devised, Conceived, Formulated
For Analysis
Use: Analyzed, Evaluated, Assessed, Researched, Investigated, Examined, Measured, Quantified
Focus on Impact, Not Activities
Hiring managers care less about what you did and more about what changed because of what you did. Shift your mindset from listing responsibilities to demonstrating impact.
Activities (Weak):
- “Managed social media accounts”
- “Conducted code reviews”
- “Handled customer complaints”
Impact (Strong):
- “Grew Instagram following from 2,400 to 34,000 through consistent content strategy and engagement, driving 15% increase in website traffic”
- “Established code review standards that reduced production bugs by 54% and improved team code quality scores from 6.2 to 8.9”
- “Resolved escalated customer issues with 92% satisfaction rate, preventing estimated $380K in churn”
Before and After Resume Transformations
See how eliminating buzzwords and adding specificity transforms generic resume bullets into compelling accomplishments.
Example 1: Marketing Manager
Before (with buzzwords): “Results-driven marketing professional with excellent communication skills and proven track record. Team player who thinks strategically and delivers innovative campaigns. Detail-oriented self-starter passionate about digital marketing.”
After (buzzword-free): “Marketing manager with 7 years experience driving demand generation for B2B SaaS companies. Built content marketing program that generated 2,400+ qualified leads and contributed $6.2M in pipeline over 18 months. Managed team of 4 and agency relationships totaling $240K annual budget.”
Example 2: Software Engineer
Before (with buzzwords): “Passionate full-stack ninja and problem solver. Quick learner who thrives in fast-paced environments. Excellent communication skills and team player committed to writing clean code.”
After (buzzword-free): “Full-stack engineer with 5 years experience building web applications using React, Node.js, and PostgreSQL. Reduced page load time by 67% through code optimization and database indexing. Led migration from monolith to microservices architecture serving 200K+ daily active users.”
These transformations show the power of specificity. Similar techniques apply when making a career change—framing your experience in terms your target industry understands rather than relying on generic buzzwords.
Example 3: Operations Manager
Before (with buzzwords): “Dynamic operations leader with strategic vision and proven ability to drive results. Detail-oriented self-starter who excels at optimizing processes. Excellent communicator with strong leadership skills.”
After (buzzword-free): “Operations manager who improved warehouse efficiency by 41% through layout redesign and process automation. Managed team of 24 across two shifts and reduced overtime costs by $127K annually. Implemented inventory tracking system that decreased shrinkage from 3.2% to 0.7%.”
Example 4: Sales Representative
Before (with buzzwords): “Goal-oriented sales professional and relationship builder. Self-motivated go-getter with hunter mentality. Proven track record of exceeding targets and delivering results.”
After (buzzword-free): “Enterprise sales representative specializing in financial services software. Closed $4.7M in new business over 2 years, ranking in top 15% of 120-person sales organization. Average deal size of $285K with 8-month sales cycle.”
Example 5: Project Manager
Before (with buzzwords): “Results-driven project management professional with excellent organizational skills. Team player who delivers projects on time and under budget. Strategic thinker with attention to detail.”
After (buzzword-free): “Project manager certified in PMP and Agile methodologies. Delivered 18 software implementation projects worth combined $12M with 94% on-time completion rate. Managed cross-functional teams of 8-15 members and stakeholders across 6 business units.”
Your Complete Resume Buzzword Audit Checklist
Use this checklist to eliminate buzzwords and strengthen your resume:
Round 1: Remove the Obvious Offenders
- [ ] Search and delete all instances of “results-driven” and “goal-oriented”
- [ ] Remove “team player” unless you can prove it with specific collaboration examples
- [ ] Delete “hard worker,” “hardworking,” and “work ethic”
- [ ] Eliminate “detail-oriented” and “attention to detail”
- [ ] Cut “strategic thinker,” “visionary,” and similar self-congratulatory terms
- [ ] Remove “excellent communication skills” and variations
- [ ] Delete “innovative,” “creative,” “outside-the-box” without supporting evidence
- [ ] Eliminate “self-starter,” “self-motivated,” and “self-directed”
- [ ] Remove “problem solver” and “troubleshooter”
- [ ] Delete “passionate,” “enthusiastic,” and emotional descriptors
Round 2: Industry-Specific Cleanup
- [ ] Remove “ninja,” “rockstar,” “guru,” “maven,” “wizard,” or similar informal titles
- [ ] Delete “synergy,” “leverage,” “paradigm shift,” and corporate jargon
- [ ] Eliminate “world-class,” “best-of-breed,” and unverifiable superlatives
- [ ] Remove “thought leader” unless you have concrete evidence (publications, speaking)
- [ ] Delete industry-specific clichés relevant to your field
Round 3: Strengthen What Remains
- [ ] Replace every removed buzzword with a specific achievement or metric
- [ ] Add numbers to at least 70% of your bullet points
- [ ] Start every bullet with a strong, varied action verb
- [ ] Include context for your achievements (team size, budget, timeframe, baseline)
- [ ] Use the CAR method (Challenge, Action, Result) for your top 5 accomplishments
- [ ] Ensure each bullet shows impact, not just activities
- [ ] Vary your language (don’t start 4 bullets with “Managed”)
Round 4: Final Quality Check
- [ ] Read resume out loud—does it sound natural or robotic?
- [ ] Every claim is supported by evidence or metrics
- [ ] No generic statements that could apply to any candidate
- [ ] Skills section includes specific technologies, tools, and methodologies
- [ ] Someone unfamiliar with your work could understand what you accomplished
- [ ] You can speak confidently to every achievement in an interview
- [ ] Resume passes the “so what?” test (every bullet answers “why does this matter?”)
- [ ] No typos or errors (especially critical if you claimed attention to detail)
Common Questions About Resume Buzzwords
Can I ever use these words?
The issue isn’t the words themselves, it’s using them without proof. If you write “innovative approach to inventory management that reduced carrying costs by $340K,” you’ve shown innovation rather than just claiming it. The word serves a purpose when backed by evidence.
What if the job description uses these buzzwords?
Job descriptions often include buzzwords, but that doesn’t mean you should copy them verbatim. If the job asks for a “results-driven professional,” respond by showing your results. If they want a “team player,” demonstrate collaboration. Give them what they’re asking for through evidence, not echo. For more on optimizing for job descriptions, see our ATS resume guide.
How many metrics should I include?
Aim for numbers in 60-80% of your bullets. Not everything is quantifiable, and that’s okay. But the majority of your accomplishments should include some measure of scope, impact, or improvement.
What if I don’t have impressive numbers?
Any metric is better than no metric. “Managed 3-person team” is more concrete than “managed team.” “Completed project in 6 weeks” is more specific than “completed project quickly.” Start with whatever numbers you have access to.
Should my resume summary include buzzwords?
Your summary should be the most specific, compelling part of your resume. It’s prime real estate. If you open with “Results-driven professional with excellent communication skills,” you’ve wasted it. Open with your title, years of experience, specialization, and your most impressive achievement.
Let Resume Refiner Eliminate Buzzwords for You
Reviewing your own resume for buzzwords is difficult because you’re too close to the content. You might not even notice when you’ve slipped into generic corporate-speak.
Resume Refiner analyzes your resume and automatically flags overused buzzwords, vague claims, and missed opportunities for impact. Then it suggests specific, powerful alternatives based on your actual experience and the job description you’re targeting.
Transform your buzzword-filled resume into a results-focused document that gets interviews. Try Resume Refiner today and see the difference specific, achievement-oriented language makes in your job search.