Three words procurement job CVs should never include

Don’t make your CV stand out for the wrong reasons! A supply chain marketing adviser has offered some key guidance for candidates applying for promising procurement jobs and supply chain jobs.

Bennett Glace, who writes for various online procurement news outlets, notes that candidates are spoilt for choice. With unemployment hitting record lows and job openings hitting record highs, there are plenty of opportunities for candidates hunting for prize opportunities in the procurement industry, whether as permanent staff or as procurement and supply chain interims. But while procurement and supply chain managers are trying their best to make their organisations a stand-out choice for the most stand-out candidates, there are some easily-made mistakes that can make CVs noticeable for all the wrong reasons and send them to the wrong destination: the wastebasket.

Glace singles three descriptors out that ought to be avoided at all costs when crafting a CV.

Length synonyms (e.g. “Utilised”)

Why not simply chose “use”? It’s plainer but the three-syllable alternative backfires and the same holds for other multi-syllable words. Supply chain recruitment consultants and hiring managers aren’t reading a CV to see whether the author has browsed through a thesaurus. They’re looking for evidence that a candidate has made a measurable difference in previous roles. Flowery synonyms just don’t cut it.

Adverbs (e.g., “Highly”)

The author Stephen King once shrewdly observed that “the road to hell is paved with adverbs.” Like flowery synonyms, they add nothing to a CV. Again, procurement recruitment consultants and hiring managers just find them irritating, they use up space without adding value and distract from the real content of the CV. Don’t abandon them completely, but do go on an adverb cull when you proof-read. Remember, less is more.

“Helped”

A good CV should portray an active, capable, confident professional. “Helped” lacks precision while undermining authority, making the candidate seem insipid. A hiring manager may well picture the candidate just making coffee or turning up for work on time. Always be specific about previous achievements.

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