Buzzwords to avoid when updating online profiles
‘Passionate’ moved up one place to become the third most overused buzzword worldwide.
Are you passionate, specialised, experienced and expert? So is everyone else.
Linkedin has revealed the top 10 most overused words on its New Zealand profiles.
The most overused word, and completely new to the top 10 this year, is ‘‘specialised’’, replacing ‘‘leadership’’ which topped the 2016 list.
‘‘Passionate’’ moved up one place to become the third most overused buzzword worldwide.
‘‘While members are choosing to describe themselves as ‘specialised’ ironically, they are doing very little to communicate why they are ‘special’,’’ said Linkedin spokesman Shiva Kumar.
Kumar’s advice is timely, given the first week of February is typically the most popular time of year for profile updates.
Other words on the list to avoid are: experienced, strategic, focused, creative, excellent, expert, and successful.
‘‘Linkedin data shows you only have five to 10 seconds to impress a potential employer online, so it’s important to stand out from the crowd.
‘‘Using the right words and substantiating them with real examples of your work makes your profile more authentic.’’
Kumar recommended starting with an original job position under your name.
‘‘For example, account manager – that doesn’t mean anything to anyone, especially a recruiter,’’ he said.
‘‘You can personalise that and make it ‘building relationships’ or ‘driving sales successfully’.
‘‘It’s the first thing people look at when they view a Linkedin profile and something original shows more personality rather than a generic title from a company.’’
A clear, professional photo is also a must, with profiles with photos viewed 21 times more than those without one.
‘‘The third thing is your summary – don’t include buzzwords in your summary and make it authentic.
‘‘We live in a world of buzzwords so make it more credible by adding evidence of why you’re strategic or why you’re passionate.’’
For the sixth year running, the buzzwords were drawn from millions of profiles to compile the ten worst offenders from the past 12 months.