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Buzzword alert: Canadian job seekers describe themselves as "passionate," "motivated" individuals who will bring their "creative" ideas to your workplace.
LinkedIn has announced the top 10 buzzwords of 2014 and these three top the list of the most overused words favoured by Canadians on the professional networking website.
Though in chilly Canada, we describe ourselves as "passionate," the top buzzword around the world is decidedly less amorous: "motivated."
Here's the Canadian top 10 list for 2014:
1. passionate
2. motivated
3. creative
4. driven
5. extensive experience
6. organizational
7. strategic
8. problem-solving
9. analytical
10. communications skills
In 2013, the top buzzword was responsible, followed by strategic, effective, creative and organizational.
In 2012, creative topped the list, followed by effective, organizational, motivated and analytical.
In 2011, creative again topped the list, followed by effective, motivated, and extensive experience.
This is the fifth year LinkedIn published the most-used buzzwords on its site.
LinkedIn says users should try to bump such "meaningless buzzwords" from their online profiles, and instead provide examples of how you made a difference at your workplace. Also, outline any volunteer work you have done to let people know your full range of experience, and list your skills, too. In addition, make sure you have an appropriate, professional-looking profile photo.
LinkedIn also recommends you provide more than just your job category or title. "'Mary Smith: Solving complex technical problems through code' says so much more than 'Mary Smith: Software Engineer.' And if you're actively seeking a job, say it in your headline," the company said in a release.