The descriptive blurb fits you like the suit you’ll be able to afford by the third paycheck.  The functions and responsibilities match your skills and interests.  Even the salary is consistent with your research.

Your resume’s been proofed up to wazoo. Half a dozen recruiters and hiring managers gave it the green flag . Only obstacle left now is your equally qualified pool of competitors.   Unfortunately, it is the one over which you have the least control–or is it?

Let’s focus on where you’ve got the most leverage now.  Namely, how will you noticeably distinguish yourself in a way that is significant enough to land you a highly coveted interview slot but convivial enough to reinforce rather than distract?  The answer is simple: words.  Words –your words– in fact, will give you more leverage and mobility during this phase of the process than the rest of the variables put together.  The words and phrases with which you describe yourself cannot be selected too carefully.
Here are some examples of words you might have chosen for your self descriptives:
1.      Creative
2.      Organizational
3.      Effective
4.      Extensive experience
5.      Track record
6.      Motivated
7.      Innovative
8.      Problem solving
9.      Communication skills
10.  Dynamic

Sound familiar? Like something you’ve come across before, perhaps?  There is a reason. According to the world’s largest professional online network, LinkedIn, the word list you just read were the most common terms used by job seekers in the United States in 2011. 
Now, count how many of those words show up in your in cover letter and resume.  Chances are, they will not be difficult to substitute. Take, for example, the most common term on the list, “creative.” The options offered by the reference aggregate, Thesaurus.com, include but are not limited to:

1.      Inventive
2.      Original
3.      Artistic
4.      Bright
5.      Imaginative
6.      Innovational

The very process of reflecting upon which of those words best characterizes your unique brand, might already be leading you to a new,  unexpected place. Contemplating the word “inventive” for example, could remind you of the recycling programs you developed as superintendent of the twenty unit multi-family residence you managed.  Perhaps “bright” characterizes the way you orchestrated overlapping doorman shifts in anticipation of snow. Replacing buzzwords with concrete descriptors that are specific and unique to your experiences will optimize your chances of creating a lasting impression on the person reading your resume and cover letter. They might end up inspiring new ways of highlighting your skills and experiences.