• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

People Equation

Leadership Development and Career Success Tips

  • About
  • Services
    • Leadership Communication Coaching
    • Leadership Messaging
    • Writing Services
    • Thought Leadership
  • Portfolio
  • Blog
  • Contact

Creating the Perfect Resume – Word Choice Matters

by Jennifer V. Miller

When you write a resume, word choice matters. This probably doesn’t surprise you, but maybe some of the words you’re not supposed to include will come as a surprise. The folks at ZipRecruiter shared this infographic with me. It highlights analysis they’ve done on over three million resumes and cover letters in their database. They’ve drawn their conclusions based on which cover letters and resumes are ranked by hiring managers as “five star” (the top rating) versus the “one star” rankings.

To me, the most interesting is the section titled, “Avoid These Words.” I would have thought words like “learning” and “develop” would have positive connotations. As with everything, context is important. It turns out that these words are rated less favorably by hiring managers who use  ZipRecruiter’s services. Evidently, these words give the impression that the applicant is still in “learning” mode or is more focused on building their career than on contributing to the company’s goals.

Many people who are hiring managers are readers of The People Equation. Tell me: do you agree with these findings? What words on a resume appeal to you?

perfect resume ZipRecruiter infographic

Disclosure: ZipRecruiting shared this infographic with me. I received no compensation for publishing this post and I was free to form my own opinions.

Jul 28 2014 · Categorized: Human Resources · Tagged: Career, Personal Effectiveness

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

Master the people equation.
Elevate your leadership.

Tips for how to make the most of interactions with your boss, peers and colleagues; show up in a way that’s positive and respectful.

Topics

  • Bad Boss Diaries
  • Book Review
  • Business Management
  • Communication
  • Food for Thought Friday
  • Guest Blogger
  • Human Resources
  • Leadership
  • Learning
  • Office Politics
  • Personal Effectiveness
  • Social Media
  • Team Effectiveness
  • Training Delivery
  • Weekend Reflections
  • Workplace Issues
  • Zen of Jen

The People Equation blog by Jennifer V. Miller is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 United States License.

Footer

Follow the People Equation

  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy
  • Disclosure Statement

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Sign Up

Copyright © 2023 · People Equation