10 Words or terms that ruin a resume

By  Charles Purdy

Your resume needs an update -- that is, if your resume is like that of most people, it’s not as good as it could be. The problem is language: Most resumes are a thicket of deadwood words and phrases -- empty cliches, annoying jargon and recycled buzzwords. Recruiters, HR folks and hiring managers see these terms over and over again, and it makes them sad. 

 Wouldn’t you rather make them happy? It’s time to start raking out your resume, starting with these (and similar) terms.

1.       “Salary negotiable”

Yes, they know. If you’re wasting a precious line of your resume on this term, it looks as though you’re padding -- that you’ve run out of things to talk about. If your salary is not negotiable, that would be somewhat unusual. (Still, don’t put that on your resume either.

 2. “References available by request”

 See the preceding comment about unnecessary terms.

3. “Responsible for ______”

Reading this term, the recruiter can almost picture the C-average, uninspired employee mechanically fulfilling his job requirements -- no more, no less. Having been responsible for something isn’t something you did -- it’s something that happened to you. Turn phrases like “responsible for” into “managed,” “led” or other decisive, strong verbs.

 4. “Experience working in ______”

 Again, experience is something that happens to you -- not something you achieve. Describe your background in terms of achievements.

 5. “Problem-solving skills”

You know who else has problem-solving skills? Monkeys. Dogs. On your resume, stick to skills that require a human.

 6. “Detail-oriented”

 So, you pay attention to details. Well, so does everyone else. Don’t you have something unique to tell the hiring manager? Plus, putting this on your resume will make that accidental typo in your cover letter or resume all the more comical.

7. “Hardworking”

Have you ever heard the term “show -- don’t tell”? This is where that might apply. Anyone can call himself a hard worker. It’s a lot more convincing if you describe situations in concrete detail in which your hard work benefited an employer.

 8. “Team player”

See the preceding comment about showing instead of telling. There are very few jobs that don’t involve working with someone else. If you have relevant success stories about collaboration, put them on your resume. Talk about the kinds of teams you worked on, and how you succeeded.

9. “Proactive”

 This is a completely deflated buzzword. Again, show rather than tell.

10. “Objective”

 This term isn’t always verboten, but you should use it carefully. If your objective is to get the job you’ve applied for, there’s no need to spell that out on your resume with its own heading. A resume objective is usually better replaced by a career summary describing your background, achievements and what you have to offer an employer. An exception might be if you haven’t applied for a specific job and don’t have a lot of experience that speaks to the position you’d like to achieve.

Papa, you are the best!!!

 

By Sanjeev Himachali

"Papa, you are the best" is the second best one-liner and one of the sweetest one-liner; all males say all fathers like to listen to at one stage or another of their life. As a father one can give following to his kids:

1) Love and Care...to let them know that they are the best and most loveable person.
2) Confidence...to take their own decisions.
3) Courage...to face the world.
4) Excellent Education...to face the best of the best in the world and encourage them to do their best.
5) Options...to select their own way.
6) Guidance...to differentiate between good and bad
7) Strength...to take a stand and face failure and frustration boldly.

One is not a best papa, if he is
1) A dictator
2) Ignorant and
3) Imposes

Ignorant. Yes you are an ignorant father, if you are not aware of your kids’s
Strengths and weakness;
Likes and dislikes;
Positives and negatives,
Dreams and ambitions,
Values.

One should not take things for guaranteed. OK, they are your kids but still they are different individuals, have different views, perceptions and ideology.

As a father, one must be good listener, so listen to your kids, without threat and without any pre-conceived notions. Sometimes, it may happen that your kids don't like your suggestion and advice. They have different dreams and goals and like to follow them. At that time don't pass any judgment or comment but assure your kids that you are with them and will take care of them, just in case they fall short. You must be like a strong pillar from which your kids can take support if they are low in confidence, frustrated and low in spirits.

Celebrate all the achievements, big or small. You wanted your daughter to score 97% in Chemistry but she scored 67% in Chemistry but 88% in mathematics (her favorite subject) still celebrate.

Among all the celebrities and well-known people, my all time favorite is actor, producer, social worker, politician and former Cabinet Minister (Sports), yes; I am talking about the late Shri Sunil Dutt. Success or failure, Good times or Bad times, Happy times or Struggling times, Achievement or Non-performance, he always stood by his son, actor Shri Sanjay Dutt.

Conclusion: I am sure then one day, your kids will come to you...will hold your hand and will say, "Papa, you are the BEST". I understand that bringing-up kid and inculcating good values is not an easy task and varies as they grow older but you are expected to put in lots of hard work and undergo lots of hardship to give your best to your kids. But friends, don't sell your love, care and affection; never ever tell your kids all that you have done for them to give them your best or else it may appear as if you are asking for "payment" for all that you have done. Let's here give our unconditional love…without expecting anything in return.

The Ripples

Author Unknown

A man was sitting by a lake. He was throwing small pebbles into it from time to time. A young boy happened to cross by. He was intrigued to see that after every few minutes or so, the man would toss a pebble into the lake.

The boy went up to the man and said, "Good pastime, this stone throwing, he?" "Hmmm," said the man. He seemed to be deep in thought and obviously did not wish to be disturbed.

Sometime later, the man said softly, "Look at the water, it is absolutely still."

The boy said, "Yeah, it is."

The man tossed a pebble into the water and continued, "Only till I toss a pebble into it now do you see the ripples?"

"Yeah," said the boy, "they spread further and further."

"And soon, the water is still again," offered the man.

The boy said, "Sure, it becomes quiet, after a while."

The man continued, "What if we want to stop the ripples? The root cause of the ripples is the stone. Let's take the stone out. Go ahead and look for it." The boy put his hand into the water and tried to take the stone out.

But he only succeeded in making more ripples. He was able to take the stone out, but the number of ripples that were made in the process were a lot more than before.

The wise man said, "It is not possible to stop the movement of the water once a pebble has been thrown into it. But if we can stop ourselves from throwing the pebble in the first place, the ripples can be avoided altogether! So too, it is with our minds. If a thought enters into it, it creates ripples. The only way to save the mind from getting disturbed is to block and ban the entry of every superfluous thought that could be a potential cause for disturbance. If a disturbance has entered into the mind, it will take its own time to die down. Too many conflicting thoughts just cause more and more disturbances. Once the disturbance has been caused it takes time to ebb out. Even trying to forcibly remove the thought may further increase the turmoil in the mind. Time surely is a great healer, but prevention is always better than cure."

Before you allow a thought or a piece of information to enter your mind, put it through the triple filter test of authenticity, goodness and value.

God's Coffee

Author unknown

A group of alumni, highly established in their careers, got together to visit their old university professor. Conversation soon turned into complaints about stress in work and life.
 
Offering his guests coffee, the professor went to the kitchen and returned with a large pot of coffee and an assortment of cups - porcelain, plastic, glass, crystal, some plain looking, some
expensive, some exquisite - telling them to help themselves to the coffee.
 
When all the students had a cup of coffee in hand, the professor said:
 
"If you noticed, all the nice looking expensive cups were taken up, leaving behind the plain and cheap ones. While it is normal for you to want only the best for yourselves, that is the source of your problems and stress.
 
Be assured that the cup itself adds no quality to the coffee. In most cases it is just more expensive and in some cases even hides what we drink.
 
What all of you really wanted was coffee, not the cup, but you consciously went for the best cups... And then you began eyeing each other's cups.
 
Now consider this: Life is the coffee; the jobs, money and position in society are the cups. They are just tools to hold and contain Life, and the type of cup we have does not define, nor change the quality of Life we live.
 
Sometimes, by concentrating only on the cup, we fail to enjoy the coffee God has provided us."
 
God brews the coffee, not the cups.......... Enjoy your coffee!