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I'm editing my CV and I'd like to let readers know that I love quality. Since these things tend to get too wordy already, I'm looking to cut down on clutter, and potentially impress the busy HR people by making them google an obscure word. I'm sure they'll love it.

So, is there a word (or short phrase) for love of/for quality?

Edit: Obscurity is not a requirement, I just imagined it would be so because I couldn't come up with one. Which is quite arrogant of me.

rath
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  • @FumbleFingers wow that's not really obscure... It doesn't fit in the context I had in mind, but definitely meets the requirements. Would you consider posting it as an answer? – rath Oct 20 '15 at 17:22
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    "potentially impress the busy HR people by making them google an obscure word" I feel like that could backfire; they might see that as a red flag of "unable to communicate comprehensibly". Is there a specific area of quality? If you loved high quality food, for example, you might go with "gourmet". – Parthian Shot Oct 20 '15 at 17:23
  • @ParthianShot It's likely that it would backfire if the word was too obscure, however that was intended as a joke. However I like being concise, and that often means using a single word in place of many, wherever possible. The context is the IT industry and "love for quality" is a desirable trait for a successful candidate according to their website. I'm trying to use a different word to make my plagiarism less obvious. – rath Oct 20 '15 at 17:29
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    That's fair. You might want to go with "meticulous", "detail-oriented", or "test-driven". Although I suppose those first two could be mistaken as meaning "takes forever to get anything done". – Parthian Shot Oct 20 '15 at 17:32
  • @ParthianShot Very good point. If a HR guy googles a word in any CV, he doesn't belong there. –  Oct 20 '15 at 17:34
  • I used however twice in a comment. In English.SE! Dear Lord forgive me. – rath Oct 20 '15 at 17:37
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    @rath You can never be forgiven! This curse will haunt you the rest of your mortal existence. As you lay on your deathbed, "however" will be your "rosebud". – Parthian Shot Oct 20 '15 at 17:41
  • The whole purpose of CV is to get HR guys interested in you, not to google any word. BTW, I didn't see your comment before I commented on Parthian Shot's comment. –  Oct 20 '15 at 17:44
  • Not to beat a dead horse since you were probably joking anyway, but a tip if seeking employment in a tech field where plain spoken or written communication can be "challenging" sometimes, the more clearly and readily understandable your CV is, the better your chances of standing out amongst your competitors. :-) – Kristina Lopez Oct 20 '15 at 20:20

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In the context of the tech industry (if it's about code quality or QA processes, for example), a candidate may be expected to be rigorous, meticulous, or even a perfectionist.

I've seen the word perfectionist (or healthy perfectionist) used in this context quite a number of times, without any negative connotations.

perfectionist: someone who is not satisfied with anything unless it is completely perfect

Mart Kenney was a perfectionist, and his high standards were an example to everyone else.

(Longman)

Although I wouldn't expect the HR people to google meticulousness, rigor, or perfectionism :)

A.P.
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    I can understand your point, but I would not use the word as it still can give a negative connotation. I would rather use "quality-oriented". But the problem is neither "perfectionist" nor "quality-oriented" will make any HR guy google them. –  Oct 20 '15 at 17:48
  • @Rathony I guess it depends on the style of the resume. In certain (more informal) contexts, a perfectionist could be a great choice. For example, a UI/UX expert or designer can be expected to be a perfectionist. It's a desirable trait. Or a mobile analyst. – A.P. Oct 20 '15 at 17:50
  • I agree 100%. But the word is not obsure enough for the OP. I am sure he will post a comment, though. –  Oct 20 '15 at 17:52
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    Agreed about not being obscure enough. – A.P. Oct 20 '15 at 17:53
  • healthy perfectionist acknowledges the negative connotation and distances itself from it. Yet it uses two words so nix on that! Obscurity is not a requirement, see my edit. I very much like rigorous though and I think we might have a winner here. – rath Oct 20 '15 at 18:04
  • I believe you deserve an upvote, which I did. –  Oct 20 '15 at 18:14
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    @rath I agree that healthy perfectionist acknowledges the negative connotations and serves as a qualifier. However, for certain tech jobs I've seen the word perfectionist used without any negative connotations implied. Take a look here: http://www.bobbleapp.me/senior-UX-UI-designer. We are looking for an experienced UI / UX engineer who is a perfectionist with detailing on design elements, aesthetics of the overall design and with a great sense on color and placements. I'm not advocating perfectionist necessarily, just clarifying. It's about the context of your job. – A.P. Oct 20 '15 at 18:57
  • The fundamental issue is that expedience can be positive, so meticulousness or rigor can be negative. You might just call it "design" or "planning." – stevesliva Oct 21 '15 at 04:11