Words to Avoid on Your LinkedIn Profile
If you want a potential employer to know how creative you are, don’t use «creative» or «innovative» on your LinkedIn profile, as these tired descriptors are so overplayed in professionals’ online profiles that they do little to distinguish job seekers.
Based on a recent analysis of its 135 million members’ profiles, the business networking site determined that the most overused words or phrases by United States-based professionals are:
Creative;
Organizational;
Effective;
Extensive experience;
Track record;
Motivated;
Innovative;
Problem solving;
Communication skills; and
Dynamic.
In LinkedIn’s 2010 study, words and phrases like «extensive experience,» «dynamic,» «motivated» and «innovative» topped the list of the most overused buzzwords in various countries.
One problem with such these buzzwords and phrases — like all gibberish business jargon — is that they have lost some of their meaning with overuse. Another problem is that they are not specific to one type of skill, and are in fact so vague that they can be used to describe anyone and everything — exactly what you don’t want when you’re applying for a job.
