Résumé words · Traits and self-description
Another word for “Go-getter”
What it is trying to claim: That you act without being pushed.
Why it underperforms
It is slang doing the work of evidence, and the informality is the specific problem here rather than the vagueness. It reads as language borrowed from a job advert, which puts the reader in mind of the advert rather than of you. It also describes a disposition toward starting things while saying nothing about whether any of them finished, and starting is the cheap half.
What to write instead
This one is not fixed by a better adjective. Each of these replaces the claim with evidence.
| Instead | Use it when |
|---|---|
| (name what you started) | Something that exists because you decided it should. |
| (name what you finished) | Starting is easy. Show the one you carried to the end. |
| (name the ask you made) | Asking for scope, budget or a move is initiative with a record. |
| (name the gap you filled) | Work nobody assigned that needed doing. |
A real bullet, fixed
Before
A go-getter who thrives in fast-paced environments.
After
Noticed we had no way to see refund reasons, built the tagging myself over two weekends, and it now drives the quarterly product review.
Unprompted, finished, and still in use. That is what the phrase was trying to claim and could not.
When “Go-getter” is the right word
Nowhere. Even in the most informal industries this is a phrase about you rather than a fact, and the fact is always available if the trait is real.
Common questions
- What can I say instead of "Go-getter" on a résumé?
- Replace the phrase with evidence rather than another adjective. Unprompted, finished, and still in use. That is what the phrase was trying to claim and could not.
- Is "Go-getter" bad on a résumé?
- It is slang doing the work of evidence, and the informality is the specific problem here rather than the vagueness. It reads as language borrowed from a job advert, which puts the reader in mind of the advert rather than of you. It also describes a disposition toward starting things while saying nothing about whether any of them finished, and starting is the cheap half.
- When is it fine to use "Go-getter"?
- Nowhere. Even in the most informal industries this is a phrase about you rather than a fact, and the fact is always available if the trait is real.
Fix these next
- Self-motivatedThat you work without supervision.
- Hard workerThat you will put in effort.
- ProactiveThat you act before you are asked, or before a problem arrives.
- Self-starterThat you do not need to be told what to do.
- Think outside the boxThat you approach problems unconventionally.
- MotivatedThat you want to do the work.
All 125 words are on the résumé words index. For the verbs grouped by what they claim, read résumé power verbs.
After the résumé
Fixing the words is the easy half. The applying is the slow half.
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