The Most Overused Phrases On Resumes, Finds New Study

Jobseekers have 7.4 seconds to make an impression with their resume, according to eye-tracking research, and new analysis from Careerminds suggests that those precious seconds are spend reading the same words repeatedly.

The workforce solutions provider analyzed 41,844 resume summaries and profile statements within the last 12 months to reveal the most overused buzzwords on resumes today, then followed those resumes to a hiring outcome to determine which words are associated with landing a job.  

Key findings:

• ‘Dynamic’ is the most overused buzzword on resumes, appearing on over 19,633 resumes in the last 12 months

• Job seekers describing themselves as ‘ambitious’ were hired 24.4% of the time, against a 19% average

• ‘Dependable’ was the weakest word measured for hiring chance, with just 7.2% of job seekers using it on their resume landing a role.

• ‘Reliable’ and ‘hardworking’ rank among the most used words on resumes, yet are less likely than average (19%) to lead to a hire.

  
  

The most overused words on resumes

In the last 12 months, 19,633 job seekers describes themselves as “dynamic” on their resumes. “Dedicated” follows with 16,315 mentions, and “proven ability” completes the top three at 15,903.

Rank	Buzzword	Count of occurrence (last 12 months)	Percentage of resumes
1	Dynamic	19,633	46.9%
2	Dedicated	16,316	39%
3	Proven ability	15,903	38%
4	Track record	14,171	33.9%
5	Passionate	13,418	32.1%
6	Fast-paced (environment)	13,371	32%
7	Problem solver	12,739	30.4%
8	Motivated	12,680	30.3%
9	Extensive experience	12,120	29%
10	Proven track record	11,232	26.8%
11	Cross-functional	10,482	25.1%
12	Detail-oriented	9,858	23.6%
13	Reliable	8,070	19.3%
14	Results-driven	7,452	17.8%
15	Innovative	6,963	16.6%
16	Communication skills	6,568	15.7%
17	Attention to detail	5,679	13.6%
18	Hard-working	5,635	13.5%
19	Strong communication skills	5,054	12.1%
20	Data-driven	4,773	11.4%

Across the top buzzwords, around half are personality descriptors, such as dedicated, passionate, motivated, reliable, and hard-working, while the rest highlight experience or results without backing them up, like “proven ability”, “track record”, and “results-driven”.

The buzzwords most likely to lead to a hire

The analysis found that 19% of resumes went on to land a new role. Job seekers who describes themselves as “ambitious” were hired 24.4% of the time, the strongest buzzword measured, whereas candidate describing themselves as “dependable” landed a role just 7.2% of the time.

Buzzwords to keep	Share who were hired	Buzzwords to cut	Share who were hired
Ambitious	24.4%	Dependable	7.2%
Collaborative	24%	Compassionate	10.3%
Innovative	23.8%	Resourceful	10.8%
Strategic	23.6%	Organized	11.5%
Dynamic	22.6%	Proactive	12.1%
Creative	22.4%	Reliable	12.4%
Driven	22.2%	Hardworking	13.2%

Notably, two of the words least likely to lead to a hire, ‘reliable’ (12.4%) and ‘hardworking’ (13.2%) also rank among the 20 most used words on resumes, meaning thousands of job seekers are leading with language that performs poorly. At the other end of the table, ‘dynamic’ (22.6%) and ‘innovative’ (23.8%) are among the most common buzzwords and sit comfortably above the 19% average.

"Anyone can call themselves a great salesperson or claim they're adept at project management. It's the candidate whose resume explains how they consistently exceeded their sales quota, or delivered projects on time and on budget, who impresses employers," said Amanda Augustine, career expert and Certified Professional Resume Writer (CPRW) at Careerminds.

The full study can be found here.  

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Careerminds is a global workforce solutions provider delivering career transition, workforce design, and talent development to organizations worldwide. Our consumer career brands extend that reach, giving individuals AI-powered career tools and coaching at every stage of the career journey. Together, we combine technology, data, and human expertise to create a connected ecosystem that supports both workforce transformation and individual career success. Follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, X, and YouTube.

Amanda Augustine is the resident career expert for Careerminds, career.io, and its suite of brands: resume.io,  Jobrapido and others. As a Certified Professional Career Coach (CPCC) and a Certified Professional Resume Writer (CPRW), she has spent more than 20 years helping professionals improve their careers and land the right job sooner. Connect with Amanda on LinkedIn, X, Instagram, and Facebook.