Buzzwords – you know, the ones you hear and see online and on resumes all the time. They are also the words that fall on deaf ears and are glossed over by people because they have been overused and lost their meaning. As a recruiter or hiring manager, you likely come across these words and phrases all too often, especially on LinkedIn profiles.
While people use buzzwords to match job descriptions and hopefully gain the attention of recruiters, they can actually have the opposite effect.
Maria Ignatova from the LinkedIn Talent Blog shares the same sentiment:
“You are a recruiter. You talk to dozens of people every day, scan their resumes, hear all about their accomplishments. And your single biggest eye-roll moment (that also happens every day) is when candidates tell you how passionate, how strategic, and how driven they are. Like you haven’t heard these highly evocative and trustworthy descriptions before… ever.”
Recruiters Use Too Many Buzzwords
It’s not just candidates and job seekers who use too many buzzwords; recruiters are just as guilty of using them, as well. LinkedIn recently analyzed millions of profiles and company pages to identify the most commonly overused buzzwords.
Here are the 10 most overused buzzwords found on recruiters’ LinkedIn profiles:
- Specialized
- Leadership
- Experienced
- Focused
- Strategic
- Passionate
- Excellent
- Expert
- Generalist
- Successful
How many of these words look familiar? They are likely just as overused on job candidates’ LinkedIn profiles – creating a commonality between job seekers and recruiters.
How to Eliminate Buzzwords from Your LinkedIn Profile
Whether you are a recruiter or job hunter, ridding your LinkedIn profile of buzzwords will strengthen your profile. Here are some tips:
1. Audit your profile: When was the last time you reviewed your profile? Have you ever had someone else take a look and provide an assessment? Work through your profile, and delete common words and phrases and replace them with more accurate and concise text. This will help make your profile unique and better reflect who you are.
2. Make your profile summary more concise: Strong LinkedIn profile summaries get to the point, highlight your skills, experience, and abilities and get to the point. No need to be long-winded.
3. Write for your audience: For recruiters, write for the candidates you are looking to attract. For candidates, write for hiring managers, recruiters, and the companies you are hoping to work for.
4. Replace words with numbers: Use stats and numbers to show your experience and accomplishments. For example, if you are in sales, what is your closing percentage? What percentage of the quota did you close each month? Numbers help to paint the picture of who you are in a more succinct and direct way.
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