In 2018, LinkedIn published a list of worn out buzzwords. Although these words describe accurately career experiences and personality, their impact on the recruiter is reduced because everyone else is using them.
Buzzwords are easy to use which makes them common, for this reason they bury your profile in the sea of competition from fellow job seekers and professionals.
They diminish the quality of your profile. To keep recruiters interested and engaging with your profile, use direct language that accurately shows your professional credentials and adds your personality to the summary.
- Skilled
- Passionate
- Expert
- Motivated
- Specialized
- Experienced
- Leadership
- Creative
- Strategic
- Successful
According to Blair Heitmann, a career expert for LinkedIn, polishing on the details of your profile can improve recruitment performance.
“Like most things in life, if you’re willing to put a little time and effort into making simple changes to your profile, you’re going to get a whole lot in return. All you have to do is get started,” he says.
Christopher Sandford, a bestselling biographer who partnered with LinkedIn, says that buzzwords give the impression that you are not confident in your experience.
“It’s important to choose your words carefully, especially in a professional context. Too often we hide behind buzzwords which don’t mean anything, because we don’t feel confident talking about our work accomplishments. Use language which truly conveys what makes you great,” he says.
In addition to using direct language in the profile, aim to make an impression with your summary.
“Start with something punchy. You can do this through specific phrases, storytelling, or even clever use of punctuation. Don’t be afraid to lead with a short sentence, such as, ‘Music is my first love,” Sandford says.
How to avoid using LinkedIn buzzwords
Be direct. Do not describe your professional life in the third person. Use a professional tone and be assertive when talking about your career experience and achievements.
“List out all your relevant previous roles and describe what you did in everyday language. This will help people understand the breadth of your ‘work story.‘” he says.
Show, don’t just tell. Give examples that portray your abilities. Upload presentations and projects you have worked on that add life to your profile.
“These are individual to you and help paint the picture of your special skills and unique background, whether that’s an image from a launch of a big campaign or the blog you write in your spare time,” Sandford adds.
Use LinkedIn to boost visuals
To boost your profile complete a skill assessment
According to data from LinkedIn, candidates who completed an assessment got a list of verified skills which gave them a 30% chance of landing a job.
The platform offers a skill assessment exercise which gives users an opportunity to demonstrate their proficiency in business, design, technical, among others.
To take the skill assessment exercise, go to the ‘Skills’ section on your profile and click on ‘Take a skill quiz’ and choose available assessments. For each assessment passed, you are given a badge for the specific skill to display on your profile.
Select a skill within a category and click on ‘Practice’ on the bottom right of the page.
