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Poll: Resume readers dislike 'go-getters'

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CHICAGO, March 13 (UPI) -- A CareerBuilder survey of U.S. hiring managers and human resource workers indicates "best of breed" and "go-getter" are poor terms to put on a resume.

The poll of 2,201 hiring managers and human resource professionals, conducted online by Harris Poll Nov. 6-Dec. 7, found 68 percent of respondents spend less than two minutes reading each resume and 17 percent spend less than 30 seconds on average, CareerBuilder said.

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The website said many respondents were turned off by certain words and phrases, with 38 percent saying "best of breed" is the worst term to put on a resume, 27 percent identifying "go-getter" as an unwelcome term and 26 percent saying they dislike seeing the phrase "think outside the box" on a resume.

Other phrases identified by respondents as resume turn-offs include "synergy," "go-to person," "thought leadership" and "value add."

Some terms identified by those polled as positive additions to resumes include "achieved," "improved," "trained/mentored," "managed," "created" and "resolved."

CareerBuilder said the poll had a margin of 2.09 percentage points with a 95 percent probability.

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