Can you display your extensive experience which shows off your creative drive and your passionate motivation?

When you read the above question, did it resonate with you? Did you ask yourself how you can display your extensive experience? Did you wonder what your creative drive is? And what is your passionate motivation?

Or are you a little bit confused on how to answer those questions, like, you know what the words mean, and you kind of know what they’re trying to ask you, but how do you narrow it down to a great answer?

Well, I just managed to use the top 5 buzzwords of 2015, in the title of this article.

5. Extensive Experience

This is, again, something which is better shown rather than told. If you put into your profile that you have extensive experience, and then not show it, then this looks bad for you.

If you have had the same job for twenty years, it will come up as one job, in your profile and people may question if you really have extensive experience if you’ve been at the same place for so long. It certainly shows loyalty, but in this era of job-hopping, it may be seen as not very experienced.

This is where you list your major achievements. Where did you start twenty years ago? Where are you now, and what awesome things have you achieved and learned in that time? THAT is your experience, and THAT is what you’re going to be bringing with you, wherever you go.

If you want to point out your experience, words such as considerable. wide-ranging or comprehensive. But again, don’t use these words in isolation. Make sure there is something to back them up.

4. Driven

Anyone can be driven to greatness, to do the work if watched, or driven to try and get more money. The issue which surrounds this word is the lack of context when it is used. What are you driven by? What are you driving towards? And then, a lack of backup material to explain how and why you driven.

This word is so closely related to another word on this list, I am not surprised they are both on this list. Driven and motivated are often a one-two combination used to wow readers to show you’re great at, um, stuff. But, what is it you’re driven by?

I enjoy mentoring people to be writers, giving advice to those who come asking. I am driven to be an educator and get that wondrous sparkle in the eye when someone ‘gets it’. It makes me feel great inside. I am driven by the need to show people that yes, they can be a writer if they want to be, that it is okay to not write good, but you will get better.

I AM driven by the need to learn and grow, (more buzz words), to learn from authors who use words in ways I have not yet done, I am driven to work with people who are willing to use language in ways I haven’t yet.

There really aren’t too many words you could substitute here. Compelled, but that feels passive. Guided, directed, but again, these are passive words. Best to try and avoid this word if at all possible.

3. Creative

This is a word which is so widely used, that it often loses its effectiveness. What does it mean to be creative? What associations are made with this word, what assumptions? If you’re working in a call centre, for example, if you described yourself as a creative person, that does not sit well with the image of you working in the call centre. You may be a fantastic artist, a painter or sketcher, but that does not apply to your occupation as a call centre worker.

You need to be more specific about how you are creative at work. Words you could use instead would be innovative, original, inventive, perhaps productive and prolific.

This word is a difficult one for me, personally. I am a writer, I work in a creative space and consider myself a creative person. But, as a buzzword, telling you that I am a creative person, really has no impact. I like to be innovative, and bold. I like to think outside of the box, the square, or other shape you can think of.

2. Passionate

This word should describe Latin dancing, the look between lovers. It really shouldn’t be used to describe how you feel about your work. Yes, you can be passionate about a cause, you can find the passion, that which you truly believe you are good at. But be wary about how you use it. Everyone is passionate about something, but step lightly when using it.

I have read someone’s profile who was passionate about the homeless. I know that they felt the need to help the homeless, but taken literally, it was a little awkward. And if you are going to use the written word to describe yourself, you do need to be careful when you do, else someone on social media points it out to the rest of the world.

You can be impassioned by the plight of those less fortunate; you can have a spirited response to a situation; feel strongly; have a heartfelt desire to change the world for good. Yes, these things pretty much mean passionate, but they have a better feel to them.

This buzz word is one of the trickier ones to disarm. You want to show that you have strong feelings for, you have a lot of determination and energy to get things right, you have beliefs in a certain thing and feel vehemently about them. You are the best person at discussing widgets because you have loved widgets all your life. You can show this, through articles and a history of sharing content. A slower burn, but it is a way.

1. Motivated

What motivates you? WHY do you get off the couch and go outside? WHY do you get up out of bed each morning and face the world? TO say you are a motivated person, really says nothing at all. A swarm of bees over there motivates me to run that way, but does that make me a motivated person?

If you’re not motivated to do anything, then, well, you won’t do anything. You won’t have a complete LinkedIn profile, you won’t update your profile, you won’t get out there and try to tell the world how awesome you are.

Motivation is just a big word, it can be applied to so many things. What is better, perhaps, is narrowing down your sense of enthusiasm for what it is you want to tell other people.

Are you inspired to educate? Does the plight of the homeless provoke you to action? Does bad customer service trigger a response from you? Do you get the spark of life with every new book that you read or write? Are you prompted to do better by learning from the mistakes of others?

Whenever you see yourself using the word motivate or motivated, ask WHY. WHY are you motivated? What gets your energy rising, gets you fired up to take action? It doesn’t matter if it takes more words, these are important words.

Thank you for reading through my thoughts on the top ten buzzwords of LinkedIn profiles. I ask you not, to take action and read your LinkedIn profile summary. If you find any of these ten words or phrases, find a way to write them out of your summary.

If you discover that you don’t have a summary, and you’d like one which is not full of buzzwords, clichés and exaggerations, email me here – matthew@matthewfarmer.com.au