Résumé words · Traits and self-description
Another word for “Hard worker”
What it is trying to claim: That you will put in effort.
Why it underperforms
Nobody describes themselves as a moderate worker, so the claim carries no information and everyone makes it. It also describes input rather than output, and employers buy output. Worse, it is often the line people write when they cannot think of an accomplishment, which is exactly the impression it creates.
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 |
|---|---|
| (show volume) | A workload figure a reader can weigh: cases, shifts, accounts. |
| (show duration) | Sustained results over years are the honest proof of persistence. |
| (show the hard thing) | Name the difficult task you finished and let it speak. |
| (show the extra) | Something you did beyond the role: a tool you built, a process you fixed. |
A real bullet, fixed
Before
Hard worker who is willing to go the extra mile.
After
Covered a vacant territory alongside my own for seven months, and both regions finished the year above quota.
Carrying two territories for seven months is what "hard worker" was trying to say, and it cannot be doubted the way the adjective can.
When “Hard worker” is the right word
Never as a stated trait. Effort is proved by what the effort produced, and there is always a way to show it instead.
Common questions
- What can I say instead of "Hard worker" on a résumé?
- Replace the phrase with evidence rather than another adjective. Carrying two territories for seven months is what "hard worker" was trying to say, and it cannot be doubted the way the adjective can.
- Is "Hard worker" bad on a résumé?
- Nobody describes themselves as a moderate worker, so the claim carries no information and everyone makes it. It also describes input rather than output, and employers buy output. Worse, it is often the line people write when they cannot think of an accomplishment, which is exactly the impression it creates.
- When is it fine to use "Hard worker"?
- Never as a stated trait. Effort is proved by what the effort produced, and there is always a way to show it instead.
Fix these next
- Team playerThat you work well with other people.
- Self-motivatedThat you work without supervision.
- Detail-orientedThat you are careful and catch mistakes.
- PassionateThat you care about the field and are motivated by more than pay.
All 72 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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