The LinkedIn social networking site sometimes gets overshadowed in the press by Facebook, but like the Energizer bunny, it keeps going and going. It currently has more than 90 million members in over 200 countries, with about half that number in the U.S. alone.
It’s proven to be a great resource for job seekers (I landed a part-time social media job from it myself last year). There’s just one teeny problem. Why, oh why, do so many Americans feel compelled to use the following words on their LinkedIn profile?
10 Most Overused LinkedIn Profile Buzzwords
1. Extensive experience
2. Innovative
3. Motivated
4. Results-oriented
5. Dynamic
6. Proven track record
7. Team player
8. Fast-paced
9. Problem solver
10. Entrepreneurial
Laziness? Lack of creativity? Whatever the reason, these were the most overused “buzzwords” used by U.S. professionals in 2010. Thesaurus, anyone?
It is important to use keywords in your LinkedIn profile, which I’ve talked about in this blog before. But why use the same boring words over and over?
Let’s take the word “innovative” for example. I searched the term on Thesaurus.com and came up with the following synonyms:
| avant-garde, breaking new ground, contemporary, cutting-edge, deviceful, ingenious, innovational, innovatory, inventive, just out, leading-edge, new, newfangled, original, originative, state-of-the-art |
Any of these would be more “original” than innovative. (Sorry, I just couldn’t help myself!) If you have a LinkedIn profile already, take a look at it, and make sure you’re not using any of these words. And if you don’t have a profile yet, look at the profiles of people in your industry for ideas, and make sure that what you write will stand out from the crowd.
Here’s an example of a LinkedIn profile I wrote for a client in the flooring industry. If you’d like something comparable, hire a professional copywriter to do the job. The price you pay can deliver big dividends if it gets you noticed by a prospective client or employer. Contact Gloria today for a free consultation.
Now this exactly what I was expected but provided me with a sense of direction in further exploring the subject.
Thanks for the feedback.
Thanks for the list Gloria. I had to go double check my LinkedIn account to make sure I wasn’t using any of these. I think I’m safe, but I might need to grab a thesaurus of my own and mix up some of the repetitive words I discovered.
Glad to be of help, Brad! Don’t forget to use keywords in your profile as well, so that people searching can find you! 🙂
Gloria
Very nice top you’ve got here. I’m saving it to my bookmarks. Please make some more. It’s really helpful
I’m glad you found the information useful. If you have any specific ideas for topics, please share them!
Gloria
“new fangled?” Using terms that frustrated 80-year-olds blurt out is not a good way to put new energy into your LinkedIn profile.
Good catch, Andrew! I missed that word in the Thesaurus listing. I agree, “newfangled” would not be a good word to use in LinkedIn.