Résumé words · Traits and self-description
Another word for “Synergy”
What it is trying to claim: That combining two things produced more than the sum.
Why it underperforms
It is the most parodied word in business writing, which means it carries a cost no other entry here carries: a proportion of readers will find it faintly funny, and being faintly funny on a résumé is expensive. Underneath the reputation it also describes a claim that is almost never quantified, since the whole point is a gain that would not have occurred separately and nobody ever states what it was.
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 the two things) | What was combined, specifically. |
| (name the gain) | The figure that would not have existed separately. |
| Merged | If you combined two teams or systems, say so. |
| Partnered | If it was two organizations, name them. |
A real bullet, fixed
Before
Created synergy between the sales and marketing functions.
After
Put one shared pipeline number in front of both sales and marketing weekly; disputed lead attribution dropped from a standing agenda item to nothing within a quarter.
The disappearance of the argument is the measurable version of the thing the word was pointing at.
When “Synergy” is the right word
Nowhere on a résumé. In a merger memo it has a defined financial meaning with a number beside it, and that is the only context where it earns its place.
Common questions
- What can I say instead of "Synergy" on a résumé?
- Merged, Partnered. Pick the one that matches what you actually did, then follow it with a number. The disappearance of the argument is the measurable version of the thing the word was pointing at.
- Is "Synergy" bad on a résumé?
- It is the most parodied word in business writing, which means it carries a cost no other entry here carries: a proportion of readers will find it faintly funny, and being faintly funny on a résumé is expensive. Underneath the reputation it also describes a claim that is almost never quantified, since the whole point is a gain that would not have occurred separately and nobody ever states what it was.
- When is it fine to use "Synergy"?
- Nowhere on a résumé. In a merger memo it has a defined financial meaning with a number beside it, and that is the only context where it earns its place.
Fix these next
- Team playerThat you work well with other people.
- CollaboratedThat you worked jointly with others.
- AlignedThat you brought people or plans into agreement.
- PartneredThat you worked with somebody as an equal toward a shared outcome.
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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