Job Hunting? Cut These 3 Overused Words From Your Resume Now

Today’s job market is competitive, and hunting for a new role can feel like a slog. The last thing you want is for your resume to be working against you.

A simple way to stand out is to tailor your resume by avoiding overused words. A recent analysis by the career website ResumeCoach found that millions of resumes posted on Indeed include the same handful of nondescript buzzwords.

The No. 1 most-used word in the analysis was “managed,” which appeared on 9.1 million resumes out of 111 million scrutinized. In second place, “organized” was mentioned on 7.1 million resumes. “Accurate” showed up on 5.3 million.

So what's the problem? According to ResumeCoach, these words simply describe a job role instead of demonstrating your effectiveness, and the latter is what hiring managers are truly looking for.

For example, the phrase “managed a team of five employees” doesn’t say anything about how well you actually did in your previous role. Instead, you can reword it to something like “led a five-person team that increased conversions by 150%.”

“Employers don’t just want to know what you did,” Keith Spencer, a career expert at FlexJobs, said in Money’s 2026 resume guide. “They want to understand how you did it and what results you achieved.”

The most overused words on resumes

ResumeCoach’s analysis tracked the usage of 110 popular resume buzzwords using Indeed’s database of nearly 111 million resumes nationwide.

Here are the words that showed up most often.

• Managed: appeared on 9.1 million resumes (8.2% of all resumes inspected)
• Organized: 7.1 million (6.4%)
• Accurate: 5.3 million (4.8%)
• Collaborated: 4.4 million (4%)
• Trained: 4.3 million (3.9%)
• Efficient: 4.1 million (3.7%)
• Skilled: 4 million (3.6%)
• Implemented: 3.6 million (3.3%)
• Supported: 3.4 million (3.1%)
• Delivered: 3.1 million (2.8%)
• Monitored: 2.9 million (2.6%)
• Strategic: 2.6 million (2.3%)
• Established: 2.4 million (2.2%)
• Supervised: 2.4 million (2.2%)
• Detail-oriented: 2.3 million (2.1%)
• Resolved: 2.2 million (2%)
• Reliable: 2.2 million (2%)

Other ways to improve your resume

Resume experts told Money that one of the most important things to keep in mind when applying is that employers often use applicant-tracking system (ATS) software — and increasingly AI — to scan resumes before a human ever sees it.

That means you need to design a resume that’s easy for ATS programs to read.

“A clean, simple format that maximizes readability is critical,” Spencer said.

It’s often a good idea to avoid complex design elements like tables and graphics. Instead, opt for clear section labels with predictable formats.

As for the content of your resume, using phrases from the job listing is one of the best ways to ensure an ATS puts you in the “yes” pile. When in doubt, Lauren Mastroni, a career expert and digital content writer at Resume Genius, recommended using near-exact phrasing.

"If a job description for a role says 'project lifecycle management' and you write 'oversaw end-to-end project execution' on your resume, the company’s screening software might miss it,” she told Money, “even though the meanings are similar.”

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