Practical Models for Technical Communication by Kelley Shannon;

Author:Kelley, Shannon;
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Chemeketa Press
Published: 2021-09-15T00:00:00+00:00

Avoid Clichés

A cliché is a sentence or phrase that is overused and shows a lack of originality. How many times can you hear someone tell you to “make lemonade out of lemons” or that they “love you to the moon and back?” It might be cute, but being cute is not the skill you’re marketing.

You might think employers want to hear that you’re a leader, excellent at interpersonal communication, and detail oriented, but everyone uses these phrases. Do your research and find the overused phrases in the specific job document you’re completing. Find a different way to convey that information without employing the clichés.

What you need, instead, are keywords. As mentioned earlier, these words are functional rather than descriptive. An example of functional keywords would be to say you are a “social media expert” instead of saying you have “excellent communication skills.” Employers use keywords to find matches, particularly when your materials are part of a database. Saying you are a “strong leader” will lump you in with a ton of other people. This table outlines phrases overused by job seekers (figure 6.18).

Figure 6.18. Effective Word Choice for Job Materials. If you want to stand out, don’t use tired phrases and buzz words.

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