7 Overused Words That Damage your Resume's Success

By Jessica Holbrook Hernandez

Words and their meanings are vitally important in the resume world, and if you want a competitive advantage, then we suggest you pay close attention to your word choices. I’ve compiled a list of seven worn-out resume terms and some more creative alternatives that you can implement in your resume today!

Accomplished Yes, we all know every job seeker is accomplished, otherwise you would have been fired from every job you’ve ever had if you’d never accomplished anything. Instead try: Peak Performer.

Results-Driven We all know that everyone’s professional resume starts out with Results-Driven (Insert your job title here). The only problem is, in the job search game you don’t want to sound like everyone else; you want to stand out from the crowd. Instead try: Performance-Driven, Top-flight, or Top-notch.

Successful This is another overused phrase. We all want to communicate how successful we’ve been so that a new employer will think highly of us, but let’s look at some alternative wording versus just coming out and saying, hey there, I’m a success. Instead try: Best-In-Class, Award-Winning, or Top-Performing.

Skillful or Skilled These are so boring. Seriously, I hate to see resumes with these words on them. I cannot even tell you how incredibly dull these words are, and I am sure you can come up with something way more creative for your resume. If you can’t think of anything, try my recommendations; or, if you don’t like them, use a thesaurus. Instead try: Talented, Sharp, Progressive, or Resourceful.

Problem Solver Can I just say that this is a given … we are ALL problem solvers. If you are human, you are a problem solver; it is just part of human nature. Does it really need to be stated on your resume? I think not. Instead try: Troubleshooter, Forward-Thinking, or Visionary Leader.

And last, but not least, Dedicated and Dependable Again, I have to say, boring … boring … boring. Spice up your resume with something creative. Instead try: High-Potential, Quality-Driven, High-Impact, and Dynamic.

Will these words make or break your resume success? Maybe … maybe not. But if it means the difference between being memorable and being passed over … then word choice is much more critical than we might think.

10 Things That Keep Managers up all Night (And A Sleep Aid For Each One)

Most of the time being a manager can be incredibly rewarding. There’s nothing like the satisfaction of helping an individual or team reach their goals and perform at their best. Managers are usually in a better position to influence and lead change. And let’s face it, in most organizations, being a manager means a better compensation package.
However, there’s a price to pay for the privilege to lead, the status, and those extra rewards and perks. Being a manager means you also have to deal with the tough issues that can cause you to lose sleep at night.

Having been a manager for over twenty years, and being in positions that involve working with managers at all levels, here’s what I’ve found to be the top ten issues that can keep a manager up at night. I’ve also included a “sleep aid” for each one.

1. Confronting a performance issue.
No doubt, this one always has been and always will be the granddaddy of all manager headaches. While they are never easy, they don’t have to be so hard. A lot of performance problems can be preventing with better selection, establishing clear expectations, regular feedback, coaching and development, and using a progressive discipline process. Yes, you’ll still need to confront poor performance, but when you do, it shouldn’t be a surprise and it’ll be the right thing to do.

2. Having to fire or lay off an employee.
There really is no sleep aid for this one. No matter what you’ve done (see #1), it’s always going to be gut-wrenching. No manager should ever get too comfortable with this responsibility.
In addition to the tips in #1, make sure you have clear polices and training for severe conduct violations. For layoffs, make sure you use a fair and consistent process, get training on how to conduct the discussion (in a respectful way), and provide a fair severance and outplacement package.

3. A tough hiring decision.
Choosing between your final candidates can be agonizing! If you choose wrong, you’re going to end up dealing with a few of the other problems on this list. The cure? Use a good selection process – DO NOT “wing it” (most managers actually do).
Get trained in selection interviewing; consider using validated selection assessments; get multiple inputs, offer realistic job previews or shadowing, and work with a good HR pro or recruiter.

4. Guilt from doing something unethical or wrong.
Here’s a preventative cure that’s served me well over the years: when making a decision, ask yourself, “How comfortable would I be reading about my decision in the newspaper the next day”? That’s a far better question than “what’s the chances of being caught”?
However, if you do screw up (and we all do), then the best thing is to come clean and own up to it. Cover-ups usually get people in more trouble than the original screw-up. Live with the consequences, learn from your mistake, and get on with it.

5. Boss confrontations.
The topic of how to deal with a bad boss would take up more space than this post allows. However, let’s assume most bosses are reasonably competent with good intentions (and they are). Bosses, and people in general, don’t like being told they are wrong. So if that’s your goal in a confrontation (to convince your boss you’re right and they are wrong), then it’s not going to be a productive discussion.
Try putting yourself in your boss’s shoes, and offer your idea as an alternative than will help them achieve their objectives. Also, listen and keep an open mind. Who knows, your boss may have information that would lead you to re-consider your idea.
Most importantly, work on establishing a foundation of trust and mutual respect with your boss. That way, you’ll be able to have disagreements in a safe and productive environment. For more on this topic, read John Baldoni’s Lead Your Boss.

6. Team member conflicts.
As managers, we all want our employees to collaborate, work as a team, and play nice in the sandbox. When one employee comes to you with complaints about another employee, it puts the manager in a “Judge Judy” position of having to arbitrate the dispute. To some degree, just like in being parent, it comes with the territory. However, a lot of team member conflict can be avoided with a hiring profile that places an importance on teamwork and collaboration, as well as clear expectations, rewards, and consequences that reinforce these expectations. Beware – don’t turn your back on the “star” performer that’s consistently ticking off their co-workers. If you do, than you’ll get exactly what you deserve – a disruptive prima donna, team turnover, and a reputation as a wimp manager.

7. Peer confrontations.
Are you starting to see a trend here? Yes, confrontations - those messy people issues - are probably the single aspect of work that keep managers up at night the most. That’s why many managers tend to avoid them. In some cases, that’s not a bad strategy (i.e., develop more tolerance, acceptance, etc…). However, when the stakes are high, avoidance is a terrible strategy. Also, not all confrontations are bad - a little constructive conflict is healthy for a team.
I’d recommend learning how to have a “crucial conversation”. It’s a must skill for any manager.

8. Having to do something important that you don’t know how to do.
It’s always a challenge when we have to leave our comfort zone and feel “incompetent” all over again. However, if you never do anything new and different, you’re not developing. The most impactful way to develop as a leader is new jobs and challenging assignments. “Learning agility” is not something anyone is born with – it can be developed over time.
When you are in a new role or doing something new, put a development plan in place to ensure your success. There are usually 2-3 “subject matter experts” that you can learn from, as well as books, courses, and online resources. Nowadays, with social networking, you can easily find someone that’s willing to help by sharing their expertise in whatever you need to learn. Great leaders are always learning, and are not afraid to admit it.

9. Losing a star performer.
Don’t wait until your star performer shows up with an offer letter. By then, it’s too late. Make sure your “A players” are paid what they are worth, are challenged, supported, and are learning. Let them know you care and how much you appreciate them.
Keep in mind, star performers will eventually get promoted or leave for better opportunities. That’s OK, that’s the rewarding part of being a great leader (as long as they are leaving for the right reasons, not because they’re dissatisfied).

10. Burnout.
Take care of your health and always keep a perspective on the things in life that really matter. Managers that don’t take vacations are not benefiting from the opportunity to recharge their batteries. They also set terrible examples for their employees, which can lead to burning them out as well.
A primary cause of burnout is job satisfaction, not hard work. If you’re doing something you truly hate, then make a plan to transition to something else. Life is too short… we don’t need to settle for a job we hate. There are always choices.

How about you? What keeps you up at night as a manager?

This blog was originally posted by Dan McCarthy on Great Leadership

Get Organized For Job Search Success

To get the most out of your job search in the New Year, it is essential to get organized so you can effectively manage the sometimes chaotic process. In addition, an organized job search can be more time effective and efficient. Getting organized doesn’t have to be a complicated process. Here are a few simple ways to get organized to bring you the most job search success in 2011.


Calendar & Schedule
You can easily keep track of your daily plans, upcoming interviews, scheduled follow-ups with employers and other appointments with the help of a calendar. Many electronic calendars can be set to send you notifications a certain amount of time before upcoming events so you can prepare for them in advance. However, use what you’re the most comfortable with, whether that’s a calendar on your computer, your phone or even a daily planner.


Contact Manager
To take advantage of your network, create a list of contacts that you speak with during your job search. Include people you’ve interviewed with or met at networking events, recruiters you’ve been in contact with, and people who have served as your references. Make sure to make a note of how you’ve met them (or who introduced you), their contact information, company, when you last spoke and what they’ve done to help in your search (for thank you notes later). There are a few computer software options for contact management, however, a card file, address book or notebook can work just as well depending on your preferences.


Job Search Spreadsheet
Create your own job search spreadsheet to keep track of all of the positions you’ve applied to, including links to the jobs, your application date, when you plan to follow-up, the names of any contacts you have at that company and any other notes about the position. Not only will you avoid applying to the same position multiple times (which doesn’t look good to employers) but you can save time by having all the necessary information about each position in one place. By creating a spreadsheet with this information, you don’t have to research where you found the position, what the requirements are, or the name of the contact person.


File Management
When you target resumes and cover letters to specific opportunities, you’ll find yourself with multiple versions of these files saved on your computer after applying to a few positions. To keep track of all your files, consider organizing your application materials into separate folders. Make sure to use a file naming strategy that makes sense, such as “Resume-Manager Roles” or “Cover Letter-Edits from Pat” so you can easily find the right files.


In addition, you organize your email. File all job search correspondence into its own folder and consider creating additional subfolders for each employer you’ve emailed. This way, you can avoid losing any email with important information.


A little organization can go a long way when it comes to preparing for and jump starting your job search in 2011.


Original Simply Hired Posting

Most Job Seekers Answer This Interview Question Wrong - Will You?

Let’s face it. Interviews are tough, and interviewers are tricky. These folks have hundreds of ways to get you to talk about things you didn’t plan to discuss. It’s their job, and they do it well. What may seem like a simple conversation about a past employer can be a disaster to your interview if you don’t consider what you are saying. To the unprepared job candidate, questions about your most recent position tend to be one the quickest ways to knock them out of the job race. However, with a little preparation, these questions can be used to catapult you into the lead!

Consider this:
- If you take too long to answer questions about your employer, they might assume you have something to hide and you are trying to make up a story.
- If you happen to dislike your current employer and speak freely about it, they will likely assume you probably hate all supervisors or employers, and scratch you off the candidate list.

“What Do You Dislike About Your Job?”
When an interview is going well, it’s very easy to feel you have rapport with your interviewer. You tend to feel like they are on your side, and it becomes very easy to speak openly about all the things your current employer does wrong, all the reasons you hate your boss, or the fact that you really don’t like what they have you doing.
You need to be honest, but you can’t risk sounding negative in any way. Try to think of a positive answer for each of the above points that apply to you.

For example, when asked about your supervisor, you could say:
a) “I hate my micro-manager boss,”

or

b) “I appreciate my supervisors situation, and I understand why he’s forced to manage the way he does, but I feel an can perform even better in an environment that enables me to develop and implement my own strategies.”

Both responses answer the question. However one will end the interview, while the other may get you to the next round.

Do Your Research
The best way to avoid a bad impression is to do your research ahead of time. Know the company you are interviewing with, and understand the position you are interviewing for. Make sure the things you dislike about your current job are not present in the one you are seeking.

- make sure this position has minimal desk time if you dislike sitting at a desk all day
- enjoy customer service, but dislike cold calling? Make sure this sales territory has a high level of market share that needs to be maintained.

Commenting negatively about aspects of your current job, that also happen to be components of the position you happen to be interviewing for, will reflect very poorly on you. It becomes very obvious that you don’t understand the position, and are therefore not a good candidate. The last thing they want to do is to offer you a position that continues to make you miserable!

Remember. It’s easy to get tricked into speaking negative about an employer. However, the candidate that gets the job offer is likely the one who recognized the opportunity to turn negative into positive, and turn whiner into winner.

Is There Potential For Advancement?

Unfortunately, this question is perhaps the most popular and is possibly one of the worst questions you can ask in an interivew. In many cases, you will get exactly what you asked for. A one word answer - Yes!

If you're really interested in discovering the career advancement opportunities in an organization, you need to ask a series of questions that give you a good perspective of their true growth potential. Topics such as the financial success of the company (current and projected), past hiring practices, availability of training, and expectations of employees in this position, will each give you insight into the possibility of the company giving you the advancement expectations you are seeking.

Here are some questions that get you the info you want:
1) What are your sales projections for this year and next year?
2) What will this company look like in 5 years?
3) Is the company expecting to acquire new business or add a new division?
4) What is your policy on internally promoting?
5) What is your policy on internally posting positions?
6) How long have my potential new co-workers been at their levels?
7) How long have my potential new supervisors been at their levels?
8) What are the expectations of a person in this position their first year?
9) What do you expect an employee in this role to have accomplished in 3 years?
10) What type of career advancement training is available to employees?

Each of these questions give you some insight into their advancement opportunities. An organization with a track record of growth or will be adding new business units will obviously need to move people up ands around within the organization. Additionally, companies that try to promote from within and provide developmental training(rather than training that just helps you in your current role - product training, software training, etc) tend to have a culture that focuses on developing internal employees for future promotions.

So, the next time you want to learn about the growth opportunity in a perspective employer, make sure you ask the questions that give you the REAL answer!

Read This Before You Apply To That Out Of State Job

In today's challenging job market, opening up your search to include other communities and other states could be the best way to increase the probability of finding the position you are looking for. While most of the seed companies are trying to find people with experience in that local market, most companies in agriculture are very open to filling position with candidates from another area, and offer relocation incentives and compensation for making the move.

Unfortunately, it is all too easy to apply to jobs all over the country without any consideration to the impact on both yourself and others in your life. In fact, many job seekers do not consider what locations are suitable for themselves or their family until it is too late in an interview process. It's unfair to a potential employer to realize that the location of their position is not suitable for your family after you have started through the interview process. It's even more unfair to your family members to figure this out after engaging interest in a position and not discussing the position's location beforehand.

If you are open to considering out of state opportunities, be sure to have an open discussion with your spouse or family members to determine a list of acceptable and unacceptable geographic locations. Factors to consider include career opportunities for family members, housing prices, recreational activities, weather, schools, and friends & family in the area. You can search different job boards to get a feel for what type of job opportunities there are for a spouse or family members. Also use sites like Realtor.com, Trulia.com, and Zillow.com to get a feel for real estate prices in that area. This is a much better way to get a feel for the primary factor of the region's cost of living and a more accurate snapshot than a "cost of living" calculator.

Relocation is a career option that will certainly enhance your ability to find the opportunity you are looking for. However, be sure to work with your family to make a simple list of desirable locations before you start your search. Doing so beforehand will save you a tremendous amount of headache and inconvenience.

How To Surpass 95% Of Your Competition With One Simple Gesture

Whether you are seeking a job, or trying to make a sale, a key to your success is building a rock solid network. All too often, people fail when making new contacts and miss golden opportunities to establish a powerful network of friends, supporters, and customers.

Follow up is one of the key components to a successful relationship building process, and Keith has done an excellent job explaining how just one simple step can change your rate of success. Here are a few simple tips he suggests:

1) Put the name and email of a new acquaintance in your database and program your calendar to remind you in a month’s time to drop that person an email, just to keep in touch.

2) Remember – and this is critical – your follow-up shouldn’t remind them of what they can do for you. It’s about what you might be able to do for them. It’s about giving them a reason to want to follow-up

3) Always express gratitude

4) Be sure to include an item of interest from your meeting or conversation – an article, joke, or shared moment of humor.

5) Reaffirm whatever comments your both made – going both ways.

Read the rest of Keith’s tips in his article HERE