Words That Make Your Resume Sound Like AI

Summary Openers

1. results-drivenCheck first

   Names a trait with no result attached. Anyone can write it.

   Before Results-driven professional with a passion for growth.

   After Account manager who kept 94% of a $2M book through two price increases.

2. proven track recordCheck first

   Says the proof exists and shows none of it.

   Before Proven track record of exceeding targets.

   After Hit quota 7 of the last 8 quarters.

3. fast-paced, dynamic environmentCheck first

   Describes the office, not your work.

   Before Thrives in fast-paced, dynamic environments.

   After Ran support through launch week, when tickets went from 200 to 640 a day.

4. passionate about

   A feeling the reader can't check.

   Before Passionate about customer experience.

   After Rewrote the 10 most-used help articles; related tickets fell by a third.

5. highly motivated self-starterCheck first

   Two stock labels stacked together.

   Before Highly motivated self-starter.

   After Built the onboarding wiki unasked; every new hire now uses it in week one.

6. detail-orientedCheck first

   Easy to claim. The line shows no proof.

   Before Detail-oriented team player.

   After Caught a duplicate vendor payment and recovered $40K.

7. in today's ever-evolving landscape

   Filler that adds words and no facts.

   Before Adapting to today's ever-evolving digital landscape.

   After Moved our reporting from spreadsheets to Looker in one quarter.

Inflated Verbs

1. spearheadedCheck first

   Gets used for any task, so it says little. It also overstates small work.

   Before Spearheaded the migration to a new CRM.

   After Led the CRM move for 12 reps: set up fields, trained the team, moved 4,000 records.

2. leveragedCheck first

   A long word for "used", usually with nothing concrete after it.

   Before Leveraged data analytics to optimize campaigns.

   After Used weekly click data to cut two ad sets and move the budget to the one that sold.

3. orchestrated

   Sounds grand and says nothing about what you did.

   Before Orchestrated cross-functional initiatives.

   After Ran the weekly launch meeting for product, sales and support.

4. championed

   Claims you pushed for something. Says nothing about the outcome.

   Before Championed process improvements.

   After Pushed for a simpler refund rule; it was approved in two weeks.

5. utilizedCheck first

   "Used", made longer.

   Before Utilized SQL to generate reports.

   After Wrote SQL reports the sales team now opens every Monday.

6. facilitated

   Hides whether you led, attended or booked the room.

   Before Facilitated stakeholder workshops.

   After Ran 6 workshops that set next year's product roadmap.

7. drove (growth, alignment, results)

   Takes credit for a result without naming it.

   Before Drove alignment across stakeholders.

   After Got sales and finance to agree on one discount rule.

8. fostered a culture of

   An abstract claim about a team's mood.

   Before Fostered a culture of collaboration.

   After Started a Friday demo slot; 3 cross-team projects came out of it.

9. navigated complex challenges

   Says it was hard, never says what the problem was.

   Before Navigated complex challenges in a matrixed organization.

   After Got a contract signed that needed approval from legal in two countries.

Empty Outcomes

1. cross-functional teamsCheck first

   Avoids naming who you worked with.

   Before Collaborated with cross-functional teams.

   After Worked with design and two engineers to ship the new checkout.

2. key stakeholders

   Same problem: no names, no roles.

   Before Managed relationships with key stakeholders.

   After Ran the monthly review with the CFO and three regional heads.

3. measurable / significant impact

   Promises a number and never gives one.

   Before Delivered significant impact on revenue.

   After Added $310K in renewals in Q3.

4. enhanced efficiency / streamlined operations

   Efficiency of what, and by how much?

   Before Streamlined operations to enhance efficiency.

   After Cut invoice processing from 5 days to 2.

5. best practices

   Sounds expert and names no practice.

   Before Implemented best practices for onboarding.

   After Added a day-3 check-in call; first-month churn dropped from 9% to 6%.

6. strategic initiatives

   Hides what the work was.

   Before Led strategic initiatives across the business.

   After Led the move to annual contracts for 400 accounts.

7. innovative solutions

   The reader can't tell what was built.

   Before Developed innovative solutions for clients.

   After Built a pricing calculator clients now use before every call.

8. robust / seamless

   Adjectives AI drafts lean on. They add no facts.

   Before Built a robust framework for seamless delivery.

   After Wrote the release checklist; missed deadlines went from 4 a quarter to 0.

9. various / multiple / a wide range of

   Vague counts. The reader wants the number.

   Before Managed various projects for multiple clients.

   After Ran 6 client projects at once, budgets $20K to $150K.

10. proficient in various tools and technologies

    A skills claim with no tools in it.

    Before Proficient in various tools and technologies.

    After Excel (pivot tables, XLOOKUP), HubSpot, Looker.

11. synergy / synergies

    Business filler with no fact inside.

    Before Created synergies between departments.

    After Merged two support queues into one; average reply time fell from 9 hours to 4.

Sentence Patterns

These are shapes, not single words. A bullet can avoid every word above and still read as generated.

1. Vague result tacked on the end (", resulting in", ", ensuring")Check first

   A generic outcome stapled to the end of a real task.

   Before Updated the training deck, resulting in enhanced team performance.

   After Updated the training deck; new reps closed their first deal a week sooner.

2. A goal instead of a result ("to drive", "to enhance")

   Explains the goal instead of the result.

   Before Implemented a new tool to enhance productivity.

   After Moved the team to one shared tracker; the status meeting went from 45 minutes to 15.

3. Round numbers with nothing around them: "by 50%", "by 100%", "2x"

   Measured results are usually less round. A bare round number can read as made up.

   Before Increased engagement by 50%.

   After Raised newsletter open rate from 22% to 31% in four months.