These Resume Cliches Could Sabotage Your Growth Prospects
By Andy Medici – Senior Reporter, The Playbook, The Business Journals
If you have cited your innovative track record of “dynamic” and “proactive” performance on your resume, it’s likely hurting your chances of landing a new job.
An analysis of 1.8 million resumes by Kickresume found that just 20% of resumes avoided cliches and buzzwords that end up making many resumes feel the same. At the same time, 20% of resumes had no numbers to back up their claims, while the median resume included just four metrics across an entire career.
The most overused words or phrases in resumes included:
- “Dynamic” — 14% of all resumes
- “Innovative” — 13% of all resumes
- “Track record” — 10% of all resumes
- “Responsible for” — 9% of all resumes
- “Proactive” — 7% of all resumes
“Our analysis shows that candidates are following approaches that are familiar and safe—nobody wants to feel like they’re bragging,” said Peter Duris, CEO and co-founder of Kickresume. “However, showcasing your skills and experience with confidence and backing it up with numbers will make your resume much more convincing. It’s not about arrogance, but clearly and directly showing what you’re capable of.”
Kickresume said that a convincing resume showcases accomplishments using objective numbers and metrics. For example, saying they onboarded more than 30 clients sounds better than simply “assisted with onboarding clients.”
Kickresume also noted the use of “weak” verbs that aren’t descriptive or that dilute the impact of the accomplishment.
“The shift from ‘helped with’ to ‘led’ or ‘launched’ isn’t about exaggeration—it’s about giving yourself credit for the work you actually did,” said Marta Rihova, HR Expert at Kickresume. “Most candidates dramatically undersell their own contributions, often because they don’t want to seem boastful. But understatement on a resume reads as lack of ownership, not modesty.”