Am I the only one who sees people messing up their cover letters with buzzwords?

I've been hiring for my landscaping crew for 3 years now and I see it all the time. People write stuff like 'I synergize team dynamics' when they could just say 'I work well with others.' Last month I got one that said 'I leverage my core competencies' and I couldn't tell what the guy actually did. Just use plain English and talk about a real time you solved a problem or learned something. Has anyone else noticed this trend of people using fancy words to hide having no real experience?

2 comments

2 Comments

susan_wells9d ago

Actually I see it a little different... sometimes those buzzwords are just people trying to sound professional in a world that expects it. A kid fresh out of school might not have years of landscaping experience, so they grab words they've heard work. I've read cover letters where someone said "I optimize workflows" but then gave a real example of rearranging a tool shed to save time... that's fine by me. Better to see a few buzzwords than a blank page or a list of job duties with no personality. The real problem isn't the words, it's when there's zero proof behind them.

james6729d ago

Sarcasm noted @susan_wells, just hope they don't "optimize" their way into my mail truck.