The business-oriented social media platform LinkedIn can be an effective tool for professionals and entrepreneurs looking to advance their careers and promote their brands. Whether you’re conducting a job search, looking for partners, or simply trying to attract more business, LinkedIn may offer plenty of opportunities.
However, to gain the benefits of using LinkedIn for business or your career, you need to approach it effectively. That means avoiding overused buzzwords that convey little and serve only to make you blend in with the crowd. If you’re taking to LinkedIn you want to stand out, so avoid these buzzwords to make your profile appear unique and engaging.
10 Most Overused LinkedIn Buzzwords
Think about when you hear buzzwords like “synergy” or “circle back.” Do you tend to tune out and gloss over the broader context? Buzzwords come across as lazy and unoriginal, whether it’s intended or not, and the same is true when you’re creating a LinkedIn profile.
LinkedIn maintains a list of overused buzzwords that appear on countless profiles across the site. While these terms may accurately describe your career experience or personality, they don’t mean much when everyone else is using them too.
These are the 10 words that LinkedIn members overuse the most:
- Specialized
- Experienced
- Leadership
- Skilled
- Passionate
- Expert
- Motivated
- Creative
- Strategic
- Successful
Why You Should Avoid LinkedIn Buzzwords
Buzzwords may seem natural and easy to use, but as more people use these terms without giving them much thought they tend to lose their meaning. Instead, you should be deliberately crafting your LinkedIn profile to stand out from the crowd and impart your unique skills and characteristics to users who view it.
“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,” said Blair Heitmann, a career expert for LinkedIn. “All you have to do is get started.”
Christopher Sandford, a bestselling biographer who partnered with LinkedIn for the project, noted that the language we use says a lot about us.
“It’s important to choose your words carefully, especially in a professional context,” he told LinkedIn. “Too often we hide behind buzzwords which don’t mean anything, whether out of a desire to keep things simple or because we don’t feel confident talking about our work accomplishments. [Use] language which truly conveys what makes you great.”
Sandford provided advice for those unsure of where to begin improving their profiles: Make an impression with your summary.
“Your profile summary is one of the first things people look at, so it’s important to get it right,” he said. “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.’”
How to Avoid Using LinkedIn Buzzwords
Follow these tips to avoid LinkedIn buzzwords in favor of more direct, meaningful phrases:
- Be Direct: Sandford cautioned against describing your work life in the third person. “It’s impersonal and won’t draw the reader in. Take a professional tone, and be assertive and direct when you’re talking about your achievements; don’t hide behind buzzwords or jargon.”
- Use Plain (But Engaging) Language: “List out all your relevant previous roles and describe what you did in everyday language,” Sandford said. “This will help people understand the breadth of your ‘work story.’”
- Don’t Just Tell — Show: While your use of language is important, so is showing real examples of your work. Sandford advised uploading presentations or projects that bring your words to life. “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.”
How to Make Your LinkedIn Profile Stand Out
According to LinkedIn statistics, the platform has 930 million users worldwide. That’s a lot of competition! To set your profile apart from others, avoiding buzzwords is only the start.
LinkedIn advises a few more ways to make your profile more attractive to employers hiring in the digital age. Consider the following ideas.
- Include More Than Your Job Title in Your Headline: Your LinkedIn headline is displayed below your name when your profile appears in search results. This note is one of the first things employers will see of your profile. To get their attention, your headline should be more than just your job title.
- Personalize Your Summary: Your LinkedIn profile summary is where you provide a more in-depth description of your current position and career. You have 2,600 characters to explain what you do, how you got started, what you envision next and more about your overall story.
- Complete a Skill Assessment: LinkedIn allows users to demonstrate their proficiency in certain skill sets. The platform offers skill assessments in technical, business, and design categories for skills such as JavaScript, Adobe Photoshop, and Microsoft Excel.
Craft an online profile that cuts through the clutter There are many professionals and entrepreneurs on LinkedIn, each trying to capture the attention of other users. To succeed in doing so, you’ll need a profile that stands out from the crowd and cuts through the noise. One of the best ways to do this is by avoiding cliches and buzzwords that are common to other users’ profiles. Spend some time thinking about your LinkedIn profile and how you want to present yourself and your business. After all, first impressions matter, and you want to convey what it is that makes you special from the very first moment a user lands on your page.
