Words NOT to Live By

Are you “dynamic”? “Innovative”? “Motivated?” Yeah, so is everyone else. As we’ve pointed out here before, buzzwords like “career-driven” and “conscientious” might sound great, but this type of MBA-speak doesn’t help your Maven profile. Your “extensive experience” as a “problem solver” with a “proven track record” is actually a big turnoff to the Client viewing your profile.

Want to guarantee you never get invited to consult with a Client? Tell us how “results-oriented” you are without bothering to tell us what you actually do for a living, or the things you know about. Think about it- who uses “entrepreneurial” as a search term? Maybe somebody, but we guarantee you that cardiologist, accountant, structural engineer, and apparel designer are searched for a LOT more often.

Back in December our friends over at LinkedIn took a look at this and came up with a list of the Top 10 Overused Buzzwords in LinkedIn profiles. And guess what… they are almost exactly the same words we see all too often in Maven profiles! So take a moment to cull these empty terms from your Knowledge Summary and replace them with words that describe your occupation, background, experience, and key focus areas.

Here are Words NOT to Live By:

1. Extensive experience
2. Innovative
3. Motivated
4. Results-oriented
5. Dynamic
6. Proven track record
7. Team player
8. Fast-paced
9. Problem solver
10. Entrepreneurial