Social media profiles are often your first chance to make a good impression on prospective employers and can decide whether you get an email or call back to forward your resume. You should also make sure your resume does not have these phrases to ensure you go further in the process and get that interview. While you want your profile and resume to stand out, you also want to make sure it stands out for the right reasons. Keep reading to learn about five phrases you should omit from your profile and resume to avoid getting moved to the “no” pile.
Expert
Having the word “expert” on your resume is only appropriate if you can prove that you’re an expert. Many sales candidates will use the word “expert” on their resume to describe a skill they perform exceptionally well. While you may be very good at finding new business, that doesn’t necessarily mean you’re an expert.
Diverse background
Having a diverse background may sound like a good thing on a resume, but hiring professionals will see right through this technique when it comes to sales reps. Candidates will often use this term in their summary to make it seem like having many different jobs has given them a lot of experience. And while this may be true, it also makes the candidate a job hopper, and in sales, that’s a big red flag.
Relentless Hunter
Hiring professionals appreciate when sales candidates use industry jargon and identify themselves as either hunters or farmers, but adding any adjectives to “hunter” or “farmer” makes you sound overly aggressive or that you’re exaggerating. So remember to keep the industry jargon but lose the adjectives.
Top Performer
Another common phrase sales candidates use on their resumes is “top performer”. This immediately stands out to hiring professionals, but only if there are numbers to back it up. Just saying you’re a top performer doesn’t mean anything to a hiring manager, but if they see 100% against quota, they will be more likely to reach out.
Quick Learner
Finally, adding the phrase “quick learner” to a resume isn’t necessarily a red flag, but it does make the hiring professional wonder why you needed to include it in the first place. In most sales jobs, you will have some training or process to learn, so it is assumed that you will be a quick learner. The best thing to do would be to take this phrase off your resume and focus on adjectives that you can support with facts and numbers.
Don’t let a few wrong words on your resume keep you from getting a call back from a hiring manager. Learn which words to keep off your resume and improve your chances of landing your dream job.
