People Hate These 10 Phrases Common in Job Posts — And Each Generation Has Its Own Lexical Dealbreaker Many applicants don't want to be a company's next "rockstar."
By Amanda Breen Edited by Jessica Thomas
Key Takeaways
- A lot of job-seekers are unwilling to settle for a position if it doesn't seem like the right fit — and it can all start with the employer's language.
- See which phrases members of each generation consider red flags and how hiring managers can pen more successful job posts.
Nowadays, it takes people about six months on average to find a job, and applicants seeking high-paying white-collar roles, which saw a post-pandemic boom and subsequent contraction, often find the hunt particularly difficult, The Wall Street Journal reported.
Despite the fact that most job applicants who've submitted countless resumes and undergone multi-round interviews are eager to land a position and quit the search, many of them aren't willing to settle for an opportunity that doesn't seem like the right fit.
Of course, a job post is often a candidate's first introduction to their next potential role, and as it turns out, the language hiring managers choose to include in it dissuades some people from applying altogether.
Related: Don't Expect to Get a New Job in 2025 If You Lack These 2 Skill Sets, New Report Reveals
A new study from Adobe Acrobat explores the job listing "red flag" phrases that deter applicants — and how the biggest turnoffs vary across generations.
According to the report, which compiled responses from 1,060 individuals, including 807 job-seekers and 253 hiring decision-makers, two unpopular phrases tied for first place, with 33% admitting that they'd make them reconsider a role: "customer-obsessed" and "wear many hats."
"Rockstar" (32%), "high sense of urgency" (29%) and "fast-paced environment" (25%) rounded out the rest of the top five phrases that turn off job-seekers, per the data.
The survey revealed the rest of the list as follows:
6. "High energy" (24%)
7. "Works well with ambiguity" (21%)
8. "Family" (20%)
9. "Entrepreneurial spirit" (18%)
10. "No task too small" (16%)
"Wearing many hats" is most likely to alarm Gen Z and Millennial respondents (38%), while "rockstar" particularly concerns Gen X and Baby Boomer respondents (37%).
Millennial and Gen Z applicants also have a different perspective on job listings that highlight a "fast-paced environment," per the research: Millennials are 29% more likely than Gen Z to consider those words a dealbreaker.
Although many hiring managers continue to lean on some of the most disliked phrases (one in seven still include "customer-obsessed"), the report notes that "swapping out clichés for straightforward descriptions not only sets better expectations but also lets a listing stand out for the right reasons."
