“I’m a team player”. “I work well under pressure”. “I’m a good communicator”. Let’s face it, we’re all guilty of chucking a couple of these on our CV but, it turns out, phrases like these are absolutely despised by employers.
Indeed, although spelling and grammatical errors are obviously a big no-no, a new study by London’s New College of the Humanities revealed that it’s actually stock phrases like these which are really important to avoid.
The research also found that an increasing number of people are using emoji in their job applications (Really? Who honestly thinks that’s a good idea?), while cliché quotes are also on the rise.
Here are the top 10 phrases which infuriate employers the most:
– I’m a hard worker
– I work well under pressure
– I can work independently
– I’m a team player
– I am a problem solver
– Good communicator
– I’m proactive
– I am a good listener
– I’m enthusiastic
– Excellent written communication skills
The study asked 2,000 employers what ticks them off the most when reading a résumé, and they added that an overly casual tone and signing of emails/cover letters with the colloquial “cheers” will enrage more than half of the recruiters and is a sure fire way to see your CV thrown in the bin.
