Advertisement

We need your help now

Support from readers like you keeps The Journal open.

You are visiting us because we have something you value. Independent, unbiased news that tells the truth. Advertising revenue goes some way to support our mission, but this year it has not been enough.

If you've seen value in our reporting, please contribute what you can, so we can continue to produce accurate and meaningful journalism. For everyone who needs it.

Shutterstock/Ollyy

The meaningless buzzwords you should stop using on your CV right away

Step away from the thesaurus.

TODAY, THE FOLKS at LinkedIn would have us believe, is D-Day worldwide for tweaking that professional profile.

But when it comes to being original on what the business networking site says is the busiest day for people to update their listings, many Irish users are still getting bogged down in a quagmire of meaningless buzzwords.

LinkedIn has crunched the data on the most overused nothing-speak used on its site, crowning the word “motivated” the top offender for the second year in a row.

As careers expert Paul Mullan told us previously, the biggest problem with buzzwords is that they mean your profile ends up looking like everyone else’s – not what you want if you’re trying to catch the eye of a would-be employer.

Here’s the full list of the most common buzzwords or phrases for Irish LinkedIn members:

1. Motivated

2. Enthusiastic

3. Track record

4. Passionate

5. Creative

6. Driven

7. Extensive experience

8. Leadership

9. Ambitious

10. Responsible

Leadership rstrawser rstrawser

Little change

Keen-eyed observers might notice the list is little changed from last year’s buzzword hall of shame, suggesting all that profile updating every 21 January has been to little avail.

In a press release, LinkedIn’s Darain Faraz said people wouldn’t describe themselves as ‘driven’ or ‘strategic’ in real life – which was a good reason not to repeat the error online.

We’re encouraging our Irish members to show off achievements by sharing samples of their work like presentations or photos from events to demonstrate how they are actually ‘passionate’, ‘successful’ or ‘creative’, rather than use tired old buzzwords.

Shia Giphy Giphy

READ: This grinds school can teach you a thing or two about connecting with teens >

READ: Europe says it’s OK for the boss to snoop on your private messages at work >

Author
Peter Bodkin
View 30 comments
Close
30 Comments
    Submit a report
    Please help us understand how this comment violates our community guidelines.
    Thank you for the feedback
    Your feedback has been sent to our team for review.
    JournalTv
    News in 60 seconds