10 Buzzwords to Eliminate From Your LinkedIn Profile for, Like, Ever [infographic]

Gone are the days when listing cliche keywords — like motivated, passionate, and experienced — on your resume got you noticed by recruiters. Read on to see which buzzwords were most overused on LinkedIn last year, so that you don’t end up blending in with the rest of the crowd in the new year.

(Photo Credit: Tom Newby/Flickr)

LinkedIn recently released its Brand You Year infographic, which outlines tips on what you should and shouldn’t be doing on LinkedIn if you want 2015 to be a standout year for your career. For starters, you’ll want to comb through your profile and see if you’re using any or all of these following buzzwords that LinkedIn deemed the most overused by members last year, globally and in the U.S.:

Top 10 Most Overused LinkedIn Buzzwords – Global List:

1. Motivated

2. Passionate

3. Creative

4. Driven

5. Extensive experience

6. Responsible

7. Strategic

8. Track record

9. Organizational

10. Expert

Top 10 Most Overused LinkedIn Buzzwords – U.S. List:

1. Motivated

2. Creative

3. Passionate

4. Driven

5. Extensive experience

6. Organizational

7. Strategic

8. Track record

9. Responsible

10. Problem-solving

To see the top 10 global buzzwords broken down further by industry (specifically, Marketing, Sales, and Talent, respectively), see LinkedIn’s infographic, at the end of this post.

You’re probably wondering how to replace these buzzwords and still convey your skills and experience effectively. LinkedIn suggests to “use concrete examples of your accomplishment [and] upload examples of your work.”

Remember, actions speak louder than words, and since you can’t necessarily act out how you are a great problem-solver, for example, you’ll want to briefly explain a situation where you utilized your problem-solving skills successfully. Was there a positive outcome from this particular situation? Were other individuals or teams involved? Be as specific and concise as possible so that you properly convey your abilities but don’t bore the reader (aka the recruiter) to death from a novel-of-a-response. Tell your audience what they need to know — nothing more, nothing less.

For more tips on how to construct a knock-out LinkedIn profile, read this post.

Tell Us What You Think

What other buzzwords have you used or seen used on LinkedIn that you feel need to be nixed as well? Share your thoughts with our community on Twitter.