What not to say in an application

Never say "never" but always mention your "achievement", is the advice for job hunters trying to fill in application forms.

Admissions advisers and psychologists at the University of Hertfordshire have drawn up a list of the 10 top words to make a good impression in applications.

They have also listed the 10 worst words, including "hate" and "nothing".

This advice also tells applicants not to say "mistakes" but to mention their "valuable lessons".

If applicants are worried about having too many valuable lessons, the Hertfordshire academics also recommend avoiding other less than positive words, such as "panic", "problems" and "awful".

None of these words are good ways of selling your skills to employers.

If you want to push more positive buttons, there is a list of feel-good words for applications, which will produce a more appreciative reaction.

These good words include "experience", "involved", "planning" and "developed".

The advisers say companies or universities will see many similar application letters - and that the choice of language generates a positive or negative impression.

For instance, over-emphatic words such as "never" and "always" could give a negative impression that "the applicant is making an exaggeration which is seldom true".

"Every recruiter and admissions officer will have to assess hundreds if not thousands of personal statements from hopeful applicants and will make their decisions based on what they can see on paper.

"Choosing the right words is therefore vitally important if your application is to stand out from the rest," says Karen Pine, a psychologist at the University of Hertfordshire.

永远不要说“从未”，要经常提起自己曾经取得的成就，这是专家们给填写应聘申请表的求职者的忠告。

赫特福德大学招生顾问和心理学家列出应聘表中能给人留下好印象的前10个单词。

同时，他们还列出了10个最差的单词，其中包括“憎恨，讨厌”和“什么也没有”。

忠告还提醒求职者不要说自己曾经犯过什么“错误”，而要说自己曾有过“宝贵的经验教训”。

如果求职者担心自己“宝贵教训”太多的话，赫特福德大学的研究者们还建议大家尽量不要使用那些不太积极的单词，例如：恐慌、问题和可怕的。

这些单词都不是向招聘人员显示自己技能的好办法。

如果你想更积极主动一点的话，一些求职中让人感觉良好的单词会使你的应聘材料更吸引人。

这些单词包括：“经验”、“参与”、“计划”和“开发”。

赫特福德大学的招生顾问说公司和大学都会收到很多类似的求职信，语言的选择会产生积极或消极的印象。

例如，一些过分强调的单词，如“从未”和“始终”会给人一种消极的印象，感觉“应聘者有点夸张，不够真实”。

“每一个招聘专员和负责招聘的工作人员都会接触到少说也有几百份求职者的自荐信，多的有几千份，他们往往根据自荐信上看到的内容来做决定。”

“因此，如果你的应聘材料想要脱颖而出的话，选择适当的单词非常重要，”赫特福德大学的心理学家卡伦·佩恩说。