The Infographic of the Day series visually expresses important stories from Asia and the world of technology.
Motivated. Dynamic. Innovative. Three much-used – indeed, overused – adjectives on many people’s CVs. There are other resumé regulars, too – such as “interpersonal skills,” “track record” – that have become cliché and tiresome, used unthinkingly, and which are blasts from the past that really ought to be avoided like the plague and used few and far between. D’oh!
LinkedIn (NYSE:LNKD), the business-oriented social network, has picked through the buzzwords on the profiles of its 135 million users worldwide and found which words and phrases and most overused in each region. Users in Singapore seem most fond of the term “track record” in a presumed bid to show that they are long-serving experts in their fields.
Before looking at the infographic, LinkedIn got Chan Ngee Key, a career Coach and strategist at YourOwn360, to give some advice to users on avoiding such trite turns of phrase:
Competition for opportunities can be fierce, so craft your LinkedIn profile to stand out from the professional pack. Some objectives you should keep in mind are: Banish buzzwords from your profile. Use language that illustrates your unique professional accomplishments and experiences. Give concrete examples of results you’ve achieved whenever possible and reference attributes that are specific to you.
Singapore’s top ten trotted-out buzzwords are:
- Track record
- Motivated
- Effective
- Creative
- Dynamic
- Innovative
- Problem solving
- Communication skills
- Extensive experience
- Interpersonal skills
