Writing a CV – Common phrases to avoid

Il curriculum è il nostro primo biglietto da visita, ecco perché è importante che sia efficace se vogliamo riuscire a catturare l’attenzione di un potenziale datore di lavoro e ottenere, magari, un colloquio.

Nei post precedenti, abbiamo visto quali informazioni inserire nel curriculum per mettere in evidenza ciò che abbiamo da offrire e valorizzare il nostro profilo.

Oggi, invece, grazie a questo video di Monster UK & Ireland, vediamo alcune frasi ed espressioni “standard” assolutamente da evitare per non correre il rischio di risultare banali.

As it is your personal advertisement, showing potential employers what you can offer, writing an effective and winning CV is crucial.

Many people tend to load their CV with “stock phrases and key words”, thinking this will help them stand out from the crowd, but they actually achieve the opposite effect. In fact, these phrases and key words have become so overused that they have lost all meaning.

So, if you want potential employers to notice you, the best way is to give evidence of what you have achieved instead of writing vague and useless jargon.

Here are the most common phrases you should avoid and some suggested alternatives.

– Team player – as it’s unlikely that anyone would claim the opposite, statements like this become meaningless. The most effective way to get your future employers attention is to demonstrate your experience by giving a real-life example. For instance, have you worked within a team to achieve a specific goal? What was your role?

Project management skills – this is just a fancy way of saying that you are organised. Employers want to know what you have done in your current job that demonstrates your abilities. Have you organised an event or managed a budget? If so, tell them.

– Results orientated – and so you should be. After all, employers are running businesses and they want a return on their investment in you. Convey and quantify your accomplishments and your potential to solve your future employer’s problems. Did you increase sales? If so, by how much? Did you save money for your organisation? Did you achieve your targets in the face of difficult circumstances?

People management skills – does that mean that you were a Manager or simply that you got on well with your customers and colleagues? ‘Management’ implies that you held a position of responsibility over other staff and can confuse employers. So, opt for words such as ‘supervised’ or coordinated’ instead.

– Responsible for – everybody is responsible for something in their job. And, just because you are responsible for something does not necessarily make you a responsible person. Did you take on duties that were not part of your job spec? Did you train staff or suggest/introduce a new initiative? Did you rescue a failing project and turn it around?

By using examples of past experience you will put yourself in a stronger position and stand out from your peers. So, bin the jargon and clichés and get personal.”

Let’s take a look at some new  vocabulary related to jobs and business used in the video:

advertisement = any public notice (such as a short film, a written notice or an announcement on radio etc.) designed to help sell a product or publicise an event

failing = not acceptable in performance

jargon = unintelligible or meaningless talk

key word = a significant or descriptive word

people management= is about organising human resources to ensure their best performance to meet a business’ objectives

project management = is the art of managing all the aspects of a project, from inception to closure, using a scientific and structured methodology

return = gain or profit from work, land, business, or investment

stock phrase  = A well-known, overused phrase, a cliché

Quindi, è proprio il caso di dire: poche chiacchiere e molti fatti!

E ora che l’attenzione del nostro potenziale datore di lavoro l’abbiamo catturata, al prossimo Business English post per scoprire come fare una buona prima impressione al colloquio. A presto, j


Janet L. Dubbini

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