Drawing from its millions of English-language profiles, LinkedIn – the work-focused social networking site -- has produced a list of this year's most commonly used buzzwords.
According to the company, the top ten words users describe themselves with are:
- Responsible
- Strategic
- Creative
- Effective
- Patient
- Expert
- Organizational
- Driven
- Innovative
- Analytical
While Canadians were most inclined to use "responsible,""strategic" and "effective" on their profiles, there were certain buzzwords that only found popularity in certain countries.
"Sustainable" only cracked the top 10 in the Netherlands, while "enthusiastic" was popular in the U.K. Meanwhile, only Australia and New Zealand saw "passionate" making the cut.
Rather than relying on common buzzwords, LinkedIn career expert Nicole Williams suggests taking a different approach with your profile.
"Differentiate yourself by uniquely describing what you have accomplished in your career and back it up with concrete examples of your work by adding photos, videos and presentations to your profile that demonstrate your best work," she said in a statement. "Providing concrete examples to demonstrate how you are responsible or strategic is always better than just simply using the words.”
In advice that could apply to old fashioned resume-writing as much as social media, LinkedIn also suggests differentiating yourself by using active language to show how you delivered results. Rather than saying you were "responsible" for something, the company suggests saying you "accomplished" a goal that demonstrates your responsibility.
Highlighting a key feature of its website, LinkedIn also suggests soliciting endorsements or recommendations from a reputable source who can attest to the quality of your work.
