Dear Cindy – A Healthcare Recruiter Driven Crazy By Jargon

I work as a healthcare recruiter. I get very discouraged when young graduates use clichés and meaningless general phrases to describe their interests and work skills.

Just yesterday, I struggled to get some information from a recent university graduate who was applying for a position as an administrative assistant. When I asked her what she considered to be her strongest skills, she said "multi-tasking" and "I'm a people person." When I asked about her long-term career aspirations, she said, "working with people." At least she didn't say that she was "thinking outside the box."

Could you please print the recommendation that applicants should answer questions in a way that shows the real skills they will offer as an employee, and if they must use clichés, to back them up with examples. (For example, my question to the "people persons" always is: "How do you know you're a people person?")

Sincerely,

More Than Half Crazed

Amen, sister (or brother)!

Unfortunately, I can't enlighten you about why people use such meaningless jargon and clichés in their résumés, cover letters, or telephone calls. Is there some wicked person, or some ill-conceived how-to book, recommending this to people looking for work?

Aside from the pointlessness of the phrases, job seekers should keep in mind that while a recruiter might do keyword searches for words like "RRT," or "paramedic," or "transcriptionist," or "Registered Nurse," or "ICU," no recruiter is going to do a keyword search for "paradigm shifters," or "people persons," or "outside the box thinkers."

(If you're confused about to put in a résumé or cover letter, please see: Write the Right Résumé and Write an Effective Cover Letter.)