Are you a team player? Photo: Depositphotos.com

‘Social’, ‘independent’ and ‘team player’ are the words most frequently used in Dutch CVs, according to new international research.

The most favoured descriptions would-be employees think will get them the job popped up in an analysis of tens of thousands of CVs by CVster, an online job application service.

‘Eager to learn’, ‘challenge’, ‘flexible’ and ‘driven’ are also buzz words in Dutch CV’s. ‘People often turn to online templates of application letters when they create a CV and that is where you will find those words,’ researcher Laurène Roos told DutchNews.nl.

Roos said it is not a good idea for prospective employees to limit themselves to what everyone else is writing. ‘You have to distinguish yourself from others. My advice it to be honest and not say things just because you think an employer likes to hear them. You will be found out later.’

‘Team player’ is an international favourite as well, with ‘client-focused’ and ‘professional’ following close behind, both terms that are not in the Dutch top 10.

In Germany ‘independent’ comes in at 15^th place. Such discrepancies are probably down to ‘cultural differences, Roos said. ‘Employers in different countries have different priorities.’