FollowIf you read my rants regularly you’ll know that I am always alert for good weasel words. Then, the other day, I stumbled across this.
One of my articles had made it into the weasel word forum.
How excited was I? Fame at last! Woo Hoo! (OK – I’m easily excited).
This brings me to my next point – weasel words in LinkedIn profiles.
Please don’t copy your position description into your LinkedIn profile.
Don’t copy slabs of text from your company’s website either.
I know that you need to use the language that your audience relates to, and sadly we all seem to relate to jargon.
However jargon makes you sound like the next person, and the next person, then the person after that. It’s colorless and quite often meaningless.
If you’re lost for words here, think about why you are proud of what you do, and how you would describe what you do to your grandparents – without patronising them, of course.
Karalyn is the Founder of InterviewIQ and chief champion for all her clients. Get personal coaching to make 2023 your most successful year yet. Check out our job search booster services here>>Give me smarter ways to find a job .
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What I really don’t understand is how people can just outright lie on their profiles and experience or blend short term failures in jobs be amalgamating dates.
Also there are so many creamy sweet comments but no criticisms – unlike real life.
Is Linked in a sincere place?
Hi Mike, That is actually a great question and I am going to write a blog post as reply – in my next post. Karalyn
From Karalyn Brown, LinkedIn’s most connected career blogger: Weasel words in LinkedIn profiles http://t.co/uC6CXec
Dear Karalyn,
Hope it’s not too late for this question. i need to know how to diffrentiate between key words and jargons.
i’ve just started my online career and i’ve made lots of common mistakes and avoiding lots of them by my own instinct. reading posts like yours and others are helpful while a bit complicated. how can i avoid jargons and use keywords same time.
i’ve learned English as Second Language and in a non English speeking coutnry which leads me to use it as an instrument and jargons were the keys.
thanks
Hi Samira,
Great question.
The difference between jargon and key words is sometimes difficult to distinguish.
Context may help.
I would say a key words for a project manager is something like “agile scrum” ie it’s a term that actually describes a technique. But “facilitate optimised performance outcomes through flexible development” is more weasely and unclear.
Hope that helps in some way.
Karalyn
Weasel words in LinkedIn profiles http://t.co/ACc54U9Qi3 #Linkedin
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