LinkedIn reveals most overused buzzwords of 2013

STILL waiting for that elusive promotion? You might be doing things all wrong. Here are the 10 buzzwords that could be killing your career.

Rather than telling people about your skills, use actual examples to show them. Picture: Thinkstock.

SO YOU'VE touted yourself as a "responsible, strategic and effective" leader but the job offers aren't flooding in?

You're doing things all wrong.

LinkedIn have named their annual list of the most overused business buzzwords of 2013.

It takes into account the most common labels used by the 259 million people across 14 countries on the professional networking site. They are:

1. Responsible

2. Strategic

3. Effective

4. Creative

5. Innovative

6. Expert

7. Positive

8. Passionate

9. Driven

10. Dynamic

Source: LinkedIn.

It's the fourth year the company has released the list, which has changed over the years.

"Extensive experience" was the most popular buzzword in 2010, followed by "creative" in 2011 and 2012.

Rather than telling people about your skills, use actual examples to show them. Picture: Thinkstock.

Nourish Coaching director Sally-Anne Blanshard said overused words like "responsible" and "strategic" won't do you any favours when it comes to getting hired.

"Think about what sets you apart, be it your experience, professional accomplishments or awards. Use specific, real examples of your work including presentations, photos and videos that demonstrate your skills and expertise. These will hold far more weight with recruiters and potential employers than a list of overused words."

Instead, LinkedIn said there are a series of things that can help you stand out from the crowd.

Consider the opposite: When deciding how to describe yourself, one of the quickest ways to decide what word to use is to think about the opposite. For example, you would never call yourself "ineffective" so "effective" is a given. The same goes for responsible.

Use results: When describing what you're good at, use an actual example. Rather than telling people you're creative, upload your latest presentation and let them see for themselves.

Use active language: Rather than saying what you are responsible for, show people how you delivered results. For example instead of saying "responsible for social media," tell them how many followers you gained in a period of time.

What is your most hated business buzzword? Continue the conversation on Twitter @newscomauHQ

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