There’s tremendous benefit to using simplicity in writing when it comes to cover letters and resumes. What do I mean by simplicity in writing? Writing that reflects the way you would speak naturally, while remaining professional.

Turn-Off #1: Big Words

I prefer a common one-syllable word to a multi-syllable word (for example, “use” instead of “utilize”) because of its simplicity. With the smaller word, there’s no sense that the job seeker is trying to impress with a big mouthful that could easily have been stated with fewer and shorter words.

Of course I don’t mean you should never use words of more than one syllable. But when given a choice between a short or long word, it’s often best to use the shorter of the two.

Turn-Off #2: Thesaurus Overload

Another word-choice turn-off: obvious use of a thesaurus. Variety of words within a document is great (for example, “manage,” “supervise,” “oversee,” “coordinate”). But a resume or letter that reads like a thesaurus sounds bombastic when the variations on the word are not commonly used in the job seeker’s field and probably are not used by the job seeker himself.+

In other words, it’s a turn-off when the job seeker obviously looked through a thesaurus to find words to make himself look “smart and interesting.”

How To Avoid Poor Word Choices in Your Cover Letter and Resume

Here’s one way to see if a poor word-choice has slipped into your cover letter or resume:

Ask a friend to listen to you read your resume out loud. If your friend hears you hesitate or stumble on a word, then maybe that’s an indication that you’ve used a word that’s not in your natural vocabulary, and should be changed to something that rolls off your tongue more easily. After all, what if an employer asks you a question about that statement during an interview? You’ll need to be able to respond using similar language in a natural way.

So set yourself up for success by writing a resume and cover letter that “talks” the way you do — professionally, of course.