10 Words and Phrases to Watch Out for on Resumes [Infographic]

Are you a detail-oriented team player who thinks outside the box to develop synergy between departments?

If so, please don’t write that on your resume.

Words and phrases like “team player,” “synergy,” and “think outside the box” have become so overused that they mean virtually nothing anymore. As every student of creative writing knows, the key is to show, not tell. So stop telling employers you’re a “jack of all trades” and start highlighting specific examples of your achievements in a variety of fields.

And if you’re a recruiter on the receiving end of these buzzword-laden resumes, you have our deepest sympathies. You also, thanks to pre-employment screeners EBI, have a guide to help you decode what candidates are trying to say when they throw this empty language at you.

Check out the infographic from EBI below, which outlines what 10 all-too-common resume words and phrases should really say: