Some phrases have been copied between CVs so many times that they no longer carry meaning. They fill the most valuable space on the page while telling a recruiter nothing. Here are five to cut, and what to write instead.
1. "Hard-working team player"
Every candidate claims this, which is exactly why it persuades nobody. Nothing in it can be verified, and a recruiter reading it learns only that you had nothing specific to say.
Instead: show it. "Covered two colleagues' workloads during a six-week absence without missing a deadline" makes the same claim, with evidence attached.
2. "Responsible for..."
This describes what you were assigned, not what you achieved. A job description already says what the role was responsible for; your CV should say what changed because you were the one doing it.
Instead: open with a verb and finish with a result. Not "responsible for handling customer complaints" but "resolved around 40 complaints a week and introduced a follow-up step that cut repeat cases."
3. "Excellent communication skills"
A claim about communication, written in the vaguest language available, quietly undermines itself. It is also unfalsifiable, so it carries no weight in a decision.
Instead: name the communication you actually did. "Presented monthly figures to the regional board" or "wrote the onboarding guide now used by all new starters" demonstrates the skill rather than asserting it.
4. "References available on request"
Of course they are. Everyone knows references come later, so this line spends a row of the page confirming something universally assumed. On a one-page CV that space is expensive.
Instead: delete it and use the line for an achievement. Keep your referees ready in a separate document for when they are actually requested.
5. "Seeking a challenging opportunity to utilise my skills"
This usually sits at the very top, in the few lines a recruiter reads most carefully, and it says only that you would like a job. It is entirely about you and mentions nothing about the role you are applying for.
Instead: use those lines to state what you are, how long you have done it, and your strongest area. "Accountant with four years in retail finance, focused on receivables and monthly closing" tells a recruiter your level and specialism in one line.
The pattern behind all five
Each of these phrases makes a claim without evidence, and each occupies space where evidence could sit. The fix is always the same: replace the adjective with the thing that earned it.
Open your CV now and search for these five. Deleting them takes two minutes. Replacing them with something specific takes twenty, and it is the highest-value twenty minutes you will spend on your application this week.
