Most overused job hunting ‘buzzwords’ for recruiters to avoid
Employers looking to take advantage of the great January job hunt can look to a recent survey by LinkedIn that reveals the key ‘buzzwords’ job seekers use.
According to a study of LinkedIn’s 17 million UK members, 21st January is typically the busiest day for New Year career development, when there is a peak in professionals updating their LinkedIn profiles post-Christmas.
To help organsations recruit the best talent, LinkedIn today releases a list of the ten most overused ‘buzzwords’ on LinkedIn profiles in 2014 – the words and phrases that companies should take with a pinch of salt when assessing potential candidates.
At the top of the list is ‘motivated’ – a ‘catch-all’ description that replaces 2013’s ‘responsible’ as the UK’s most well-worn career cliché – closely followed by ‘creative’, ‘enthusiastic’, and ‘passionate’.
In 2014, the most overused words and phrases by professionals on LinkedIn were:
- Motivated
- Creative
- Enthusiastic
- Passionate
- Track record
- Driven
- Extensive experience
- Wide range
- Responsible
- Strategic
LinkedIn spokesperson Richard George commented, “This January peak in career development activity is great news for organisations looking to increase headcount in 2015, but it’s important that companies read between the lines and know which words to treat with a pinch of salt when they look to hire.”
Avoidable staff turnover costs UK businesses more than £30 million every year, so it’s also vital that businesses take steps to retain their best and brightest at this time of year, as well as focusing on external hires.
George added, “Companies can tend to have ‘blind spots’ when it comes to their own talent. There might be a perfect candidate for a new role sitting just down the corridor, or in an overseas office. Hiring from within can be a great way to fill positions and hold on to your top performers; this should be a priority for UK businesses as thousands of professionals consider their next career move at this time of year.”
