Buzzwords make even the best of us sound bland. See the top buzzwords of the year and read advice from best-selling biographer Christopher Sandford on how to stand out by banishing them from your LinkedIn profile. Update your profile today https://lnkd.in/dzbisUq and learn more about buzzwords here: https://blog.linkedin.com/2017/january/25/better-than-buzzwords-2017-is-the-year-to-start-showing-it-linkedin

1. You’re better
than buzzwords
History’s heroes didn’t need
them and neither do you

2. It’s a brand new year.
The perfect time to start
taking steps towards the
career you want.

3. To help you stand out we’ve
analyzed millions of LinkedIn
profiles and unearthed the
buzzwords to avoid this year.

4. Here are the the top 10
buzzwords for 2017:
1. Specialized
2. Leadership
3. Passionate
4. Strategic
5. Experienced
6. Focused
7. Expert
8. Certified
9. Creative
10. Excellent

5. Cleopatra is a
tenacious leader who
remains agile in high-
pressure environments

6. These words don’t do you justice.
Even history’s heroes sound bland
when using buzzwords.

7. William Shakespeare is
a creative forward-thinker
with excellent written
communication skills

8. You deserve to stand out from more
than 1 million other people who also
describe themselves as excellent
when it comes to their work.

9. Leonardo Da Vinci
is a detail-oriented
self-starter with
experience in drawing

10. You’re better than buzzwords.
We worked with someone who knows how
to tell other people’s stories – best-selling
biographer Christopher Sandford shares
his advice on describing yourself and your
accomplishments without sounding like
everyone else. Here are his top tips...

11. 1. Mind your language
Your profile summary is one of the first things people look at,
so it’s important to get it right. You want the reader to want to
know more about you, so 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.’
Above all, you should always keep your reader, or
customer, firmly in mind.

12. LinkedIn data shows
you only have five to ten
seconds to impress a
potential employer online.
“
“

13. 2. Be direct
It’s often tempting to speak in the third person when it
comes to our working lives – don’t! 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. At the same time, don’t shy away
from adding some personality to your language – this is a
great way to show your character.

14. 3. Make the most of your experience
List out all your relevant previous roles and describe
the work you did there in everyday language.
This will help people understand the breadth of
your ‘work story’ – a complete profile reflects a
well-rounded person.

15. LinkedIn profiles are
12x more likely to be
viewed if they list at least
one previous role.
“
“

16. 4. Show, don’t just tell
While language is important, so is showing real
examples of your work. Instead of using buzzwords
like ‘strategic’, prove it by uploading presentations
or projects that bring this 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.

17. Queen Victoria is a
reliable monarch with
a proven track record
in governing empires

18. Banish the buzzwords.
Update your profile now