It’s almost the end of 2012 (where has all the time gone?) – so the Top 10 lists of the year will be rolling in soon! LinkedIn have again compiled a list of the top 10 overused buzzwords on their profiles, and when compared to last year’s report – it shows some interesting results.
At the end of 2011, LinkedIn was home to 135 million members. Now, this number has reached over 187 million worldwide (with over 10 million in the UK alone) and still, the number one buzzword used on profiles globally is ‘creative‘. In 2010 (the first year in which this study was carried out), the number 1 buzzword was ‘extensive experience‘.
The words on your LinkedIn profile have to be exactly right to ensure you attract the right people on LinkedIn. If a word is being used too much, it can be seen as trying to hard, or not being original enough. LinkedIn suggest that users should choose simple language to show what skills they have and the projects they have worked on – so give examples, results and testimonials.
Here is a look at the Top 10 overused buzzwords on profiles in the US and worldwide.
The top 10 overused buzzwords on LinkedIn profiles in the United States in 2012 were:
Creative
Organizational
Effective
Motivated
Extensive experience
Track record
Innovative
Responsible
Analytical
Problem solving
Elsewhere in the world, these were the number 1 buzzwords in the countries where the study was carried out:
Australia: Creative
Brazil: Experimental
Canada: Creative
Egypt: Multinational
France: Responsible
Germany: Creative
India: Effective
Indonesia: Multinational
Italy: Responsible
Malaysia: Motivated
Netherlands: Creative
New Zealand: Creative
Saudi Arabia: Motivated
Singapore: Creative
South Africa: Motivated
Spain: Specialized
Sweden: Creative
Switzerland: Analytical
United Arab Emirates: Motivated
United Kingdom: Motivated
Similar to last year – ‘creative’, ‘organisational’ and ‘effective’ are all in the top 3. However, in 2012, more users are describing themselves as ‘responsible and ‘analytical’ – with ‘motivated’ overtaking ‘extensive experience’. What will make the list next year?
If your profile is filled with these buzzwords – you may need to do some changes. Here are some tips to help improve your profile and make it sparkle through 2013:
Become an Endorsement magnet
LinkedIn allows you to add Skills and Expertise to your profile – and your first-degree connections can endorse you for these. However, make sure you use the system correctly, and don’t become one of the ‘Bad’ that Stacy Zapar outlined earlier this year. Also, you can only add up to 50 – so be selective but don’t overdo it!
Make the most of the headline!
When searching in LinkedIn, one of the aspects of your profile which appears is your professional headline. By default, it is based on the title you entered for your most recent position, but you can edit it and you should. Getting your headline right is crucial – think of it being just like the headline of a news article. You want to draw people in and entice them (whether they are potential hiring managers, business partners or clients), so they click through to read the whole story – and in this case, this is your LinkedIn profile.
via Top 10 Words to Avoid on Your LinkedIn Profile.
Top 10 Words to Avoid on Your LinkedIn Profile
