Networking

Avoid These Hated Business Phrases On Your LinkedIn Profile

“The new head of customer experience is yet to move the needle.” This statement might not mean much to you unless you are familiar with business jargon. That’s the thing with buzzwords. They can streamline communication and strengthen team spirit, but they mean nothing to outsiders. 

Worse still, overused buzzwords can drive people away who stop by your profile, especially on professional platforms like LinkedIn. Here’s how to avoid the most despised business phrases and make your LinkedIn profile stand out. 

LinkedIn Profile Optimization Tips and Phrases to Avoid

Remove clichés from your LinkedIn summary

Too many people mess up their LinkedIn profiles by using technical jargon. While one guy boasts about being a “team player”, another can’t stop emphasizing how much he “pays attention to detail.” (Like, who doesn’t?)

Clichés like these feel safe on your profile or sales navigator descriptions. You’re more comfortable talking about yourself in vanilla or nondescript language rather than taking the risk of diving into personal and unique experiences that make your story truly unique. Here are other cliché phrases often misused and how to turn them into vibrant and engaging summary statements:

  • Leverage/Utilize: Just say “Use”
  • Detail-oriented/results-driven/deadline-driven: Give examples of your accomplishments
  • Highly: Sounds like hyperbole. Unneeded elaboration
  • Go-getter: “Avoid generalization.” says Patrice of Patrice & Associates. Recruiters want tangible results; for example, I increased revenue by 50%. 

Clarify ambiguous job titles

When someone first comes across your LinkedIn profile, they quickly skim through your professional experience, focusing only on crucial details like your job title. Therefore, if your job title is unclear (filled with jargon), the reader may lose interest in your profile and leave without further engagement.

A “Chief Everything Officer” title may sound slick, but it means nothing outside your workplace. You can clarify your title by adopting a dual-title that defines your area of expertise, like chief operations officer (Community Management and HR).

At first, you might feel uneasy about renaming your role, but remember that you are just providing more details about your job specification rather than changing the nature of your position. 

Be specific when requesting recommendations 

LinkedIn’s connection director Nicole Williams proposes asking for recommendations from former clients or managers to give people who visit your profile a better sense of you as a professional. When asking for LinkedIn endorsements, it’s necessary to provide the context as it helps the person understand the reasoning behind your request, she says.

For example, don’t just say, “Mike, please give me an endorsement.”  Say: Mike, I would appreciate it if you could endorse me on project XYZ, which I led and increased our revenue by 50%.

Visit the company’s website

LinkedIn, Nicole emphasizes visiting a potential employer’s website to learn about their most-loved phrases and how they describe themselves. You can then mirror this language when discussing employment prospects with this company. “Remember to provide specific examples and be descriptive to make a lasting impression,” She says.

Conclusion

While no one can state with certainty how keywords impact your LinkedIn profile ranking, stuffing your LinkedIn profile with buzzwords or phrases is a surefire way to get ignored. The bottom line is this: use similar words in your profile as the people you’re trying to target. You’ll leave a lasting impression!

Avoid These Hated Business Phrases On Your LinkedIn Profile
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Networking

Avoid These Hated Business Phrases On Your LinkedIn Profile

Avoid These Hated Business Phrases On Your LinkedIn Profile

“The new head of customer experience is yet to move the needle.” This statement might not mean much to you unless you are familiar with business jargon. That’s the thing with buzzwords. They can streamline communication and strengthen team spirit, but they mean nothing to outsiders. 

Worse still, overused buzzwords can drive people away who stop by your profile, especially on professional platforms like LinkedIn. Here’s how to avoid the most despised business phrases and make your LinkedIn profile stand out. 

LinkedIn Profile Optimization Tips and Phrases to Avoid

Remove clichés from your LinkedIn summary

Too many people mess up their LinkedIn profiles by using technical jargon. While one guy boasts about being a “team player”, another can’t stop emphasizing how much he “pays attention to detail.” (Like, who doesn’t?)

Clichés like these feel safe on your profile or sales navigator descriptions. You’re more comfortable talking about yourself in vanilla or nondescript language rather than taking the risk of diving into personal and unique experiences that make your story truly unique. Here are other cliché phrases often misused and how to turn them into vibrant and engaging summary statements:

  • Leverage/Utilize: Just say “Use”
  • Detail-oriented/results-driven/deadline-driven: Give examples of your accomplishments
  • Highly: Sounds like hyperbole. Unneeded elaboration
  • Go-getter: “Avoid generalization.” says Patrice of Patrice & Associates. Recruiters want tangible results; for example, I increased revenue by 50%. 

Clarify ambiguous job titles

When someone first comes across your LinkedIn profile, they quickly skim through your professional experience, focusing only on crucial details like your job title. Therefore, if your job title is unclear (filled with jargon), the reader may lose interest in your profile and leave without further engagement.

A “Chief Everything Officer” title may sound slick, but it means nothing outside your workplace. You can clarify your title by adopting a dual-title that defines your area of expertise, like chief operations officer (Community Management and HR).

At first, you might feel uneasy about renaming your role, but remember that you are just providing more details about your job specification rather than changing the nature of your position. 

Be specific when requesting recommendations 

LinkedIn’s connection director Nicole Williams proposes asking for recommendations from former clients or managers to give people who visit your profile a better sense of you as a professional. When asking for LinkedIn endorsements, it’s necessary to provide the context as it helps the person understand the reasoning behind your request, she says.

For example, don’t just say, “Mike, please give me an endorsement.”  Say: Mike, I would appreciate it if you could endorse me on project XYZ, which I led and increased our revenue by 50%.

Visit the company’s website

LinkedIn, Nicole emphasizes visiting a potential employer’s website to learn about their most-loved phrases and how they describe themselves. You can then mirror this language when discussing employment prospects with this company. “Remember to provide specific examples and be descriptive to make a lasting impression,” She says.

Conclusion

While no one can state with certainty how keywords impact your LinkedIn profile ranking, stuffing your LinkedIn profile with buzzwords or phrases is a surefire way to get ignored. The bottom line is this: use similar words in your profile as the people you’re trying to target. You’ll leave a lasting impression!

Subscribe to our newsletter to get expert insights
Thank you! Your submission has been received!
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.

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