Professionals in UAE feel more ‘skilled’ than ‘successful’, reveals LinkedIn’s new research

Professionals in the UAE are highlighting skills and experience over personal strengths, according to new data. LinkedIn, the world’s largest professional network, analysed the most popular words in member profiles worldwide in 2017 and revealed the word ‘successful’ has dropped out of the top 10 for the first time since 2015. In contrast, ‘skilled’ entered the top ten for the first time.

LinkedIn’s 2017 Top 10 UAE Buzzwords are:

• Experienced
• Skilled
• Specialize
• Expert
• Leadership
• Motivated
• Excellent
• Responsible
• Passionate
• Successful

To help understand the change in language, and other findings in the data, LinkedIn partnered with clinical psychologist, Dr. Saliha Afridi from The LightHouse Center for Wellbeing, to explain what this means for the modern-day jobseeker.

• LinkedIn’s data shows a movement away from highlighting particular personal strengths such as ‘successful’ and ‘driven’; towards skills and abilities that can be more specifically categorized. Dr. Saliha Afridi comments, “The words from 2017 are an equal mix of performance related ‘hard skills’, as well as mindset related ‘soft skills’. This region is developing at a rapid pace, and governments and companies are looking for individuals who are not only strategic, experienced, and skilled but also are motivated, responsible and possess leadership qualities. This is not a mix of ‘nice to have ” qualities but rather ‘critical must haves’ for businesses to succeed. “

• ‘Expert’ re-enters the top ten in 2016 while ‘specialized’ topped the list in both 2016 and 2017, as professionals look to verify their expertise. “This region is looking for the top talent- people who are experts in their fields. They use the term in a broader sense to include individuals who not only have the right degree, but also the years of experience before they are hired. As an emerging market, companies have to cover a lot of ground in a short amount of time and having experts on the team reduces the time, money, and energy resources they have to spend on developing individuals for a particular position.”

• The Buzzwords data also reveals an increased use of ‘leadership’ in recent years, jumping in at number one in 2015’s list and maintaining a presence in the top five ever since. Dr. Saliha Afridi explains, “Because of the pace of change, micro-managing is not an option. Companies are looking for individuals who are self-driven, motivated, possess all the qualities of a good leader.”

Nada Enan, Senior Manager, Marketing & PR, LinkedIn MENA, said: “For many, a job is no longer for life; we continually look to move on, evolve ourselves and strive for new and better opportunities. This results in a language of optimisation; people ‘skill up’ and badge this on their profiles. With recruiters using keywords to identify the perfect candidates, we’re encouraging members to ensure they’re using the right words to land their dream job. There has never been a better time to ensure the words you choose are selling you as powerfully as they would do in an interview.”

To help members improve their profiles and stand out to recruiters, LinkedIn has the following advice:

Take pride in your online appearance. Help your ideal employer find you by ensuring your LinkedIn profile is complete and sells you in the best possible way, starting with the language you use. If you consider yourself a ‘specialist’, why not show this by tailoring your profile accordingly? List relevant skills which have been built up through your work experience.

Show character. While the words you choose say a lot about you, it’s also important to strike a professional tone; be assertive and direct when talking about your achievements. Don’t shy away from adding some personality to your language though – this is a great way to show your character.

Words don’t need to do all the talking. Instead of saying you’re ‘creative’, why not show recruiters by including presentations, video, design work and projects you take pride in? Remember, in a sea of potential candidates you want to stand out from the crowd; you’ve only got five to ten seconds to impress a potential employer.

Be active. It’s not just about what’s on your profile, proactivity is key when it comes to networking. Follow organisations that inspire you, or that you’d love to work for, make new connections, join groups and participate in discussions. This keeps your profile active and shows recruiters that you’re plugged in to what’s happening in your industry.

Voice your opinion. If you are an ‘expert’ on a given topic, why not tell the world by publishing a post on LinkedIn? By offering your opinions on industry matters, it demonstrates that you are knowledgeable and well informed.