The 10 Most Overused Buzzwords on LinkedIn (Infographic) Want to stand out on LinkedIn? Avoid describing yourself as "responsible," "strategic," or "creative."
By Laura Entis
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
For the fourth year in a row, LinkedIn has released a list of the top 10 overused buzzwords in its members' profiles. We've changed a lot in a year, apparently. While "creative" was the most prolific adjective for the past two years, it's been overwhelmingly usurped by "responsible" (which was used twice as many times as "strategic," the second word on the list).
Globally, the results varied from country to country. "Sustainable" was among the top 10 buzzwords in the Netherlands, while Brits were particularly fond of describing themselves as "enthusiastic." "Patient" may have made the worldwide top 10 but (despite what I see on my morning commute) 50 percent of the usage came from U.S. profiles alone.
Related: How to Stand Out by Keeping It Simple
To create the list, LinkedIn says it analyzed English-language profiles worldwide, and determined that most overused buzzwords and phrases on the site for 2013 were:
1) Responsible
2) Strategic
3) Creative
4) Effective
5) Patient
6) Expert
7) Organizational
8) Driven
9) Innovative
10) Analytical
"Providing concrete examples to demonstrate how you are responsible or strategic is always better than just simply using the words," Nicole Williams, LinkedIn's career expert, said in a press release.
For more details on the breakdown of most overused words by country, check out LinkedIn's infographic below.
Click to Enlarge+
