Five Words and Phrases You Should Never Use on Your CV

There are certain words and phrases which really jump out at recruiters, and for all the wrong reasons. If you're polishing up your CV, here are five you might want to remove.

Ninja – nobody should claim to be a 'ninja' at anything. You might have those lightning-fast skills and talents, but this is one word which should be ditched at all costs, and those skills should speak for themselves in concrete examples. Being a 'marketing ninja' might sound trendy and light-hearted, but you don't want to be either of those things on your CV.

Guru – similar to ninja, people who claim to be business 'gurus' seldom are. Yes, it implies wisdom, calmness and being at the top of your game, but it's a word taken out of context and one which recruiters say they hate. Instead, you could say that you've 'gained a deep knowledge of' your subject, or have 'developed your expertise over the course of time'.

Results-driven – isn't everyone? Nobody serious about their job and serious about a vacancy goes to work hoping to achieve as little as possible. Every candidate before them will be driven to get results. Instead of pointing out the obvious, provide them with fantastic examples of when you've actually achieved results. They'll get the picture.

Think outside the box – a terrible cliché on any CV. There is no box. You have to prove you can find your way around problems and pinpoint solutions. Again, you need to prove your skill and ability to adapt by quantifying your claims with examples from your recent career.

Unemployed – this is a serious one. If you have had a little time out of the workplace, why draw attention to it? CV scanning algorithms can pick up on dates and spot a gap in employment history, as can recruiters carefully studying your CV. Even if it's to tell them about how productively you spent your unemployment, don't make it any more obvious than it is.