The #1 Most Overused and Useless Resume Word

The 1 Most Overused and Useless Resume WordOver the past 15 years Ive read thousands upon thousands of resumes and there is one word that pops up mora than any other word Ive seen that does absolutely NOTHING for your resume or job search. The word professional is one of the most overused and useless words a resume can contain. We are all professionals in the working world. No need to state on your resume that you are just like every other human. Individuality is the substance of successful resumes in todays job market. Unfortunately, I see titles like this on resumes every dayAdministrative ProfessionalCustomer Service ProfessionalAccounting ProfessionalHuman Resources ProfessionalInformation Technology ProfessionalSenior Executive Professional (Seriously? What does this even mean?)Senior Finance ProfessionalDedicated ProfessionalConsummate ProfessionalAnd the one I love to hate the most Accomplished ProfessionalYou can put any industry (or adjective) you want in front of the word p rofessional and people think it makes for a great addition to their resume. Truth is, there isnt a much more vague statement out there. It is so inadequate to include this statement as a job target, job title, header, branding statement, or within the first line of your career summaryif for no other reason than the fact that a hiring manager isnt going to log into LinkedIn or Monster and search the words Customer Service Professional, Accomplished Professional, or Consummate Professional to find you.When they do a keyword search theyre going to search by job title and for keywords relevant to the opportunity. Instead of using professional, use the job title or position youre seeking.For example, instead of Customer Service Professional with 15+ years of experience, just say Customer Service Manager with 15+ years of experience or Customer Service Representative with 15+ years of experience.Rather than Senior Executive Professional or Senior Finance Professional, say Chief Executive Officer, Chief Operations Officer, or Chief Financial Officer.Using specific position titles has two positive effects. First, it increases your keyword optimization with pesky applicant-tracking software programs second, it clearly defines for the partie reviewing your resume who you are and the position youre seeking. The last thing you want to do is confuse the hiring manager about what type of role youre trying to obtain.