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CV buzzwords are powerful words to describe your soft skills and the work experience on your CV.

Using the right buzzwords in your CV is important because they make recruiting managers confident that you’re a pro and makes them more likely to offer you an interview.

There are a few types of CV buzzword:

  • CV action verbs: A ‘doing’ word that shows what your previous achievements involved
  • professional adjectives: a ‘describing’ word that shows the quality of your work
  • industry language: abbreviations or words used only in your sector that’ll show you know what you’re talking about
  • keywords: words and phrases from the job advert that’ll help you optimise your CV for AI recruitment software

Skills-based CV buzzwords

If you want to highlight a particular skill you’ve mastered, consider using one of these buzzwords on your CV.

Leadership

To emphasise your leadership skills, these are some good buzzwords to add to your CV:

LedCollaborated
StrategisedInfluential
EntrepreneurialInnovative
EmpoweredVisionary
StreamlinedMentored

Communication

To showcase your communication skills, here’s a strong collection of buzzwords that will convey them to employers:

ArticulatedConveyed
PresentedNegotiated
FacilitatedPersuasive
EngagedInformed
ClarifiedInfluenced

Creativity

Creativity is vital in industries from marketing to graphic design. Make sure hiring managers see you’re a creative professional by using one of these related CV buzzwords:

InnovatedDesigned
ConceptualisedCreated
InspiredVisualised
TransformedDeveloped
ImaginedPioneered

Flexibility & adaptability

If you have a growth mindset, you’ll be a valuable hire because you can adapt to new circumstances and situations. Here are some CV buzzwords that’ll advertise that aspect of your personality:

AdaptedEvolved
EmbracedOvercame
AdjustedResilient
LearntTransformed
ExpandedPivoted

Teamwork skills

Having strong teamwork skills makes it easy for you to work with the people around you to achieve your company’s goals.

CollaboratedPartnered
Co-ordinatedContributed
SupportedUnified
FacilitatedSynergised
Engaged Co-operated

Time management

Demonstrating good time management on your CV will show employers you’ll be able to achieve the tasks they set you. Here are a few good words to highlight this quality:

PrioritisationOrganised
EfficientPunctual
StructredDeadline-oriented
Co-ordinatedTime-sensitive
DisciplinedSystematic

CV buzzwords to avoid

We’ve covered words that look great on your CV, but there are also buzzwords you shouldn’t use — clichéd terms that make your CV dull and unprofessional.

Here are some overused buzzwords you should leave off your CV, and some more interesting terms to use instead:

Highly motivated/hard-working

These two terms, ‘highly motivated’ and ‘hard-working’, are so common that they make employers’ eyes glaze over. So here are 10 more effective ways of saying the same thing:

DrivenResults-oriented
Self-startedCommitted
DiligentDedicated
ReliableConsistent
PerseveringProactive

Passionate

If everyone claims to be passionate on their CV, how are employers supposed to know that you really are? Here are a few words and phrases to use instead:

EnthusiasticCommitted to
Deeply engaged inEager to contribute
Invested inStrong interest in
Dedicated toEnthralled by
Zealous aboutDriven by

Detail-oriented

Attention to detail is a key requirement for almost every job, but ‘detail-oriented’ is overused on CVs. Here are a few alternative phrasings for it:

MeticulousThorough
PreciseAccurate
ConscientiousAttentive
ExactingMethodical
RigorousQuality-focused

Go-getter

The term ‘go-getter’ might sound impressive, but it doesn’t tell employers how you’re proactive at work. Try one of these other descriptions to get the message across:

Self-starterProactive
Initiative-takerDriven
Results-focusedAmbitious
Action-orientedHigh-achieving
EnterprisingResourceful

Dynamic

‘Dynamic’ is another buzzword that will set employers’ eyes rolling. Here are some more descriptive adjectives:

VersatileAdaptable
EnergeticInnovative
EngagingAgile
ProactiveFast-paced
MultifacetedDriven

How to find CV buzzwords

The best place to find good buzzwords for your CV is the job posting you’re responding to. Review the job description and look for words that describe the following:

  • Ideal personality traits and soft skills
  • Key responsibilities

Here’s a job advert with highlighted buzzwords:

We’re seeking a dynamic Administrative Assistant to join our team and play a crucial role in ensuring the smooth and efficient operation of our organisation.

Your main responsibilities will include providing administrative support by handling tasks such as scheduling meetings, managing calendars, and co-ordinating travel arrangements. You’ll also collaborate with other administrative staff to ensure seamless office operations, including ordering supplies, managing office equipment, and co-ordinating maintenance when necessary.

If you have a knack for multitasking, excellent communication skills, and a proactive approach to problem solving, we’d love to hear from you.

These are the most important buzzwords to put on a CV targeting this job advert:

DynamicSupportCollaborateMultitasking
AdministrativeSchedulingSeamlessCommunication
SmoothManagingOperationsProactive
EfficientCoordinatingOrderingProblem solving

A second way to find good buzzwords is by looking at CV examples from your industry. These samples will include the most common terms used by job title.

How to put buzzwords on your CV

Knowing which buzzwords to use on your CV is essential. But you also need to know how to put these words on your CV:

1. Put the most relevant buzzwords in your intro

The buzzwords most likely to get the recruiting manager’s attention belong at the top of your CV. So start your CV by placing buzzwords in your personal statement where they’re most likely to be seen.

Here’s a personal statement from an administrative assistant CV with buzzwords bolded:

Multifaceted Administrative Assistant with 4 years of experience supporting smooth and efficient office operations. Adept at multitasking, scheduling, and coordinating events. Excited to apply my knowledge and abilities to the Administrator position at Sherwood Co.

These well-placed buzzwords will prove to employers that the applicant has the necessary experience, skills, and drive for the role.

2. Give your buzzwords context with examples and numbers

The top of your CV isn’t the only place to add buzzwords.

Place them throughout your CV, using them together with achievements backed up by hard numbers to show your successes.

The best place to add these number-based achievements with buzzwords is in your CV’s experience section. Putting CV buzzwords in your experience section shows employers that you’ve previously accomplished goals similar to their own.

Here’s how one applicant used buzzwords with examples and numbers in their work experience section:

  • Conducted exploratory data analysis on diverse datasets using Python and SQL, uncovering key insights that influenced strategic business decisions
  • Developed predictive models using machine learning techniques, contributing to a 15% improvement in customer churn prediction accuracy

3. Don’t overuse CV buzzwords

As important as buzzwords are, you don’t want to overuse them otherwise employers won’t be able to find your actual accomplishments.

Instead, sprinkle keywords naturally through the information you include in your CV to describe your experience.

There’s no rule for how many buzzwords to use in every sentence or bullet point, but here are examples of natural and unnatural buzzword usage to give you an idea of what you’re going for:

Natural CV buzzword usage

  • Implemented new sales strategies, increasing revenue by 80% within 6 months

Buzzwords used unnaturally in a CV

  • Brainstormed, developed, implemented, and evaluated sales strategies that increased and maximised revenue

Frequently asked questions

Here are answers to two of the most common questions about CV word choices:

1. How do you sound interesting on a CV?

You sound interesting on a CV by using descriptive language, specific examples, and data to show how you fit the role you’re applying for.

Also, you should write a cover letter for your CV that shows your personality to get the employer interested in hiring you.

2. What is a powerful sentence for a CV?

A powerful sentence for a CV:

  • is short
  • highlights your role-relevant experience, skills, or accomplishments
  • contains data or a hard number

This powerful sentence should go in your CV summary, at the top of the first page. And you should add powerful sentences to your work experience bullets too.

Here’s an example of a powerful sentence for a CV:

Set a company record by bringing in £2.3 million in one month.

 

Samuel Johns
Written by

Samuel Johns

Samuel Johns is a Certified Professional Resume Writer (CPRW) and Senior Editor on the CV Genius team, with 6+ years of experience in the careers space. He has helped countless job hunters craft high-quality CVs and cover letters, exceed expectations at interviews, and obtain their dream jobs. Born and raised in County Durham in the beautiful North East of England, he graduated with a BA (Hons) in French Language and Literature from the University of Bristol in 2013 and has worked in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, London, Paris, and Taipei as a French–English translator. He’s determined to use his native English and fluent French skills to help UK and French candidates get the jobs they deserve. In addition to the British and French versions of CV Genius, Samuel’s job-hunt advice has been published on numerous websites, including Careers.org, the University of Warwick, the Enterprisers Project, and HR.com. If you’d like to collaborate, please reach out to Samuel through LinkedIn. Please note, we don’t accept guest posts and won’t reply to such requests.