10 Worthless Words to Delete From Your LinkedIn Profile

10 most overused LinkedIn buzzwords

Think about when you hear buzzwords like “synergy” or “circle back.” Do you tend to tune out and gloss over the broader context? Buzzwords come across as lazy and unoriginal, whether it’s intended or not, and the same is true when you’re creating a LinkedIn profile.

LinkedIn maintains a list of overused buzzwords that appear on countless profiles across the site. While these terms may accurately describe your career experience or personality, they don’t mean much when everyone else is using them too.

These are the 10 words that LinkedIn members overuse the most: 

1. Specialized
2. Experienced
3. Leadership
4. Skilled
5. Passionate
6. Expert
7. Motivated
8. Creative
9. Strategic
10. Successful

Why you should avoid LinkedIn buzzwords

Buzzwords may seem natural and easy to use, but as more people use these terms without giving them much thought they tend to lose their meaning. Instead, you should be deliberately crafting your LinkedIn profile to stand out from the crowd and impart your unique skills and characteristics to users who view it.

“Like most things in life, if you’re willing to put a little time and effort into making simple changes to your profile, you’re going to get a whole lot in return,” said Blair Heitmann, a career expert for LinkedIn. “All you have to do is get started.” 

Christopher Sandford, a bestselling biographer who partnered with LinkedIn for the project, noted that the language we use says a lot about us.

“It’s important to choose your words carefully, especially in a professional context,” he told LinkedIn. “Too often we hide behind buzzwords which don’t mean anything, whether out of a desire to keep things simple or because we don’t feel confident talking about our work accomplishments. [Use] language which truly conveys what makes you great.”

Sandford provided advice for those unsure of where to begin improving their profiles: Make an impression with your summary. 

“Your profile summary is one of the first things people look at, so it’s important to get it right,” he said. “Start with something punchy. You can do this through specific phrases, storytelling, or even clever use of punctuation. Don’t be afraid to lead with a short sentence, such as, ‘Music is my first love.’”

How to avoid using LinkedIn buzzwords

Follow these tips to avoid LinkedIn buzzwords in favor of more direct, meaningful phrases:

1. Be direct. Sandford cautioned against describing your work life in the third person. “It’s impersonal and won’t draw the reader in. Take a professional tone, and be assertive and direct when you’re talking about your achievements; don’t hide behind buzzwords or jargon.”
2. Use plain (but engaging) language. “List out all your relevant previous roles and describe what you did in everyday language,” Sandford said. “This will help people understand the breadth of your ‘work story.’” 
3. Don’t just tell — show. While your use of language is important, so is showing real examples of your work. Sandford advised uploading presentations or projects that bring your words to life. “These are individual to you and help paint the picture of your special skills and unique background, whether that’s an image from a launch of a big campaign or the blog you write in your spare time.”

How to make your LinkedIn profile stand out

According to LinkedIn statistics, the platform has 930 million users worldwide. That’s a lot of competition! To set your profile apart from others, avoiding buzzwords is only the start. 

LinkedIn advises a few more ways to make your profile more attractive to employers hiring in the digital age. Consider the following ideas.

1. Include more than your job title in your headline.

Your LinkedIn headline is displayed below your name when your profile appears in search results. This note is one of the first things employers will see of your profile. To get their attention, your headline should be more than just your job title.

While you should describe your current position, you should also note a significant achievement, distinguishing title, or specialization. This way, a recruiter gets an overview of your professional experience without having to view your entire profile.

For example, an accountant might write this headline: “Environmental accountant of 10 years specializing in insurance fraud investigations and prevention practices.” This gives a clear picture of their specialty and an idea of what their complete profile might contain.

2. Personalize your summary.

Your LinkedIn profile summary is where you provide a more in-depth description of your current position and career. You have 2,600 characters to explain what you do, how you got started, what you envision next and more about your overall story. 

Don’t just pull lines from your resume. Use this section to insert your personality into your profile. Identify your career highlights to date, tie them together, and create a unique story that gives other professionals a portrayal of your best self. To captivate your readers, try starting your summary with an emotionally appealing sentence.

3. Complete a skill assessment.

LinkedIn allows users to demonstrate their proficiency in certain skill sets. The platform offers skill assessments in technical, business, and design categories for skills such as JavaScript, Adobe Photoshop, and Microsoft Excel.

To take a LinkedIn skill assessment, go to the Skills section of your profile and click “Take skill quiz.” Then, choose one of the available assessments. If you pass an assessment, you’ll receive a badge for that skill to post on your profile. 

To give you an idea of what to expect, LinkedIn has sample questions for many of its skill assessments. You can view these samples by selecting a skill within one of the categories and clicking “Practice” on the bottom right.

Data from LinkedIn suggests candidates who list verified skills on their profiles have a 30% higher chance of getting hired.

Craft an online profile that cuts through the clutter

There are many professionals and entrepreneurs on LinkedIn, each trying to capture the attention of other users. To succeed in doing so, you’ll need a profile that stands out from the crowd and cuts through the noise. One of the best ways to do this is by avoiding cliches and buzzwords that are common to other users’ profiles. Spend some time thinking about your LinkedIn profile and how you want to present yourself and your business. After all, first impressions matter, and you want to convey what it is that makes you special from the very first moment a user lands on your page. 

Tejas Vemparala and Shayna Waltower contributed to this article.