Business & Money | Saturday 24 January, 2015 12:37 am |

Professionals from across the world will head online in their droves today as they put their career resolutions into practice, according to research released by LinkedIn. The insight, based on the behaviour of LinkedIn’s more than 300 million global members, (including more than 1 million in UAE) reveals that Wednesday, January 21st, is the busiest day for New Year career development on the world’s largest professional network.

To help people stand out from the crowd, the site today released a list of the ten most overused ‘buzzwords’ on LinkedIn profiles in 2014 - guaranteed to lose the interest of would-be employer.

Coming in at the top spot is “motivated” – a ‘catch all’ description that replaces 2013’s “responsible” as the UAE’s most worn-out career attribute - closely followed by “dynamic” and “creative”.

The 2014 buzzwords for UAE profiles are:



Buzzwords for professional from other sectors (full list available on request):

Marketing: Creative, Strategic, Motivated
Sales: Motivated, Track Record, Dynamic
HR/Talent: Strategic, Motivated, Organisational

To aid members in the UAE on their professional journey, Darain Faraz, LinkedIn Spokesperson, recommends taking some time to think about one’s professional brand and how ‘Brand You’ can benefit from giving up buzzwords. “January is typically a time for professionals to explore career opportunities, since that is a popular area of focus for new years’ resolutions. With these simple updates to your profile, you can set yourself apart, and help Brand YOU as the best candidate for your next opportunity.

Your Summary:  You’ve made the pledge to rid all buzzwords from your LinkedIn profile.  That’s a great start!  But don’t go to your trusty thesaurus and replace one buzzword with another buzzword.  Rather, include examples that illustrate how you’re motivated. Does your motivation drive results?  Has your motivation helped champion a program?  You can easily illustrate your motivation by uploading examples of your work in your summary that showcase the results you achieved.
Your profile photo:  Take a good look at your profile photo.  Does it reflect the professional image you want to portray? Your profile photo counts more than you may know – you’re 14 times more likely to have your profile viewed if you include a photo, so make sure the photo shows your best professional self.
Your headline:  Don’t bury the news! Write a strong headline that makes people want to learn more about you.  
Your good side:  What better way to show you are a 'motivated' person than by including your volunteer experience and causes you support. It can also help you get hired. Forty one percent of professionals surveyed by LinkedIn stated that when they evaluate candidates, they consider volunteer work equally as valuable as paid work experience
Your skills:  Listing your skills on your profile makes you 13 times more likely to be viewed on LinkedIn.  Your skills are a visual overview of your professional brand – an easy, digestible way to show what you can do. You’ll want to include a mix of high level and niche skills to ensure you show up in search results and show your range of talent.
Your champions: Let others vouch for you by asking for recommendations. To get the best recommendation possible, ask them to provide specific examples of your skills and talents.”