LinkedIn reveals most overused buzzwords on LinkedIn profiles

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KUALA LUMPUR: On the day that most members worldwide would update their profiles, LinkedIn, the world’s largest professional network, announces the top most overused buzzwords on LinkedIn profiles. LinkedIn analysed the profile summaries of members worldwide to compile the list.

The list reveals “passionate”, “motivated” and “organisation” as the three most overused buzzwords in more than 2 million profiles in Malaysia. The top offender nationwide, “passionate”, seems to be a favourite for everyone across different sectors. From marketers and students, to sales and talent representatives, the word appears within the top two most common buzzword used in Malaysia.

The top ten buzzwords for 2016 are:

• Passionate
• Motivated
• Organisation
• Leadership
• Creative
• Responsible
• Dynamic
• Positive
• Driven
• Strategic

Roger Pua, LinkedIn’s Senior Director of Corporate Communication for Asia Pacific commented, “Actions speak louder than words. Instead of building their LinkedIn profiles with overused buzzwords, we encourage our members to think about how they can stand out from the crowd and differentiate themselves, such as substantiating their work and achievements with concrete examples like awards, presentations, research papers, etc. Remember too, that a picture speaks a thousand words, so let’s put an end to tired old buzzwords.”

LinkedIn is encouraging professionals to think about the terms and phrases they use in their profile summary, to banish the buzzwords and instead take the time to rejuvenate their LinkedIn profile. This can be done by adding statistics to demonstrate results, uploading presentations to show creativity or just uploading photos of work to bring a profile to life.

Joy Abdullah, Head of Strategic Planning & Corporate Affairs at INCEIF, The Global University of Islamic Finance who was recently named one of LinkedIn’s Most Engaged Marketer, advised users to be authentic and put down what their professional strengths and achievements are and how that has helped organisations.

“Buzzwords will probably get you shortlisted. But engaged? That’s a whole different ball game. Authenticity is the key here. Remember, each one of the seven billion humans have different fingerprints. Similarly so, we each have our individual stories. Bring that to life not the buzzwords,” he said.

David Toh, Marketing Director of APAC at AVEVA and another one of LinkedIn’s Most Engaged Marketers said that users should use unique words instead of generic buzzwords.

“Always remember to keep the language on your profile simple and real for readers to understand. Instead of using the word “passionate” repeatedly, try using words like “heartfelt” or “energetic” to interest the people visiting your profile,” he said.

Here are some LinkedIn lessons for those looking to perfect their profile:

1. Stand out from the crowd – Your summary is the first thing people look at after your profile picture. You may know you’re capable of demonstrating ‘leadership’ with a ‘great track record’ but too many buzzwords make it hard for your profile to stand out. Use examples of your experience, focus on how you’ve demonstrated leadership with specific examples and highlight those great results with real numbers.

2. A picture’s worth a thousand words: Instead of saying you’re ‘creative’, why not show people by including presentations, design work and projects you take pride in? Remember, you’ve only got five to ten seconds to impress.

3. Share views and news: So you have ‘extensive experience and great communication skills’? Tell the world by publishing a post on LinkedIn. By offering your opinions on industry matters, you’re positioning yourself as a thought leader and sharing your knowledge.

4. Get to know people like you: If you want to show you are ‘motivated’ about succeeding in your industry, join a group. Share your thoughts on news or articles to show you care about the sector and widen your network. Members who are active in groups get 15x more profile views than members who don’t take part.

5. Recommend a friend: If you think someone’s ‘exceptional’, why not say it? Spend time writing meaningful recommendations using specific examples. Not only does this show you really know them, it also means they are more likely to return the favour. A couple of glowing recommendations are worth a hundred buzzwords.

Join the conversation on LinkedIn, Twitter and Instagram with #nobuzzwords.