Don’t remove all those LinkedIn clichés just yet
After LinkedIn announced this year’s lists of the most overused words in its profiles yesterday morning, an array of people pulled theirs up to see whether they flaunted their “creative,” “effective” “track records” a bit too much.
A few tweeted that they had none of the 10 worn-out words in their LinkedIn profiles. Many others, including LinkedIn’s (LNKD) co-founder, couldn’t say their profiles were clear of clichéd terms.
“Creative” was the most overused term in the United States, Australia, Canada, Germany, the Netherlands, and the U.K., while in Singapore, professionals lean on “track record.” LinkedIn users in India are partial to the word “effective.” The U.S. list, drawn from the career site’s 135 million public profiles, also included shopworn phrases like “extensive experience” and “problem solving.”
While the survey may nudge some job seekers, consultants, and others to revise their profiles, before you eliminate all 10 words, it’s fair to consider whether any of them are going to be used by hiring managers or recruiters who may type these same words in LinkedIn searches when they’re looking for candidates.
