Did you use one of these 10 most overused buzzwords in your LinkedIn profile this year?

Wonder what really makes people cringe when they look at your LinkedIn Profile? It’s those clichéd words and phrases. You know what they are — those ambiguous ones that really don’t tell you anything.

As we head into 2011 our Analytics Team decided to take a crack at finding the most clichéd and overused phrases for the past year using over 85 million LinkedIn profiles. Here are our 2010 top 10 buzzwords used in the USA.

Top 10 overused buzzwords in LinkedIn Profiles in the USA – 2010

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

Given the broad reach of LinkedIn across the world we went a step further and took a look at how overused terms are reflected around the world. While members from the USA, Canada and Australia tend to emphasize their “extensive experience”, Brazilians, Indians and Spaniards identify themselves as “dynamic” professionals. Members in the UK call themselves more “motivated” and the French, the Germans, the Italians and the Dutch see themselves as “innovative”.

Here’s a chart we put together that shows you the #1 most overused LinkedIn profile buzzword in each of those countries. Not surprisingly, in most cases, the closer you are geographically the similar the most overused buzzword.

The most overused buzzword in LinkedIn Profiles in 11 countries – 2010

• Extensive Experience – USA, Canada, Australia
• Dynamic – Brazil, India, Spain
• Motivated – UK
• Innovative – France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands

Your LinkedIn profile is an extension of your brand, and with the New Year just around the corner, this is a perfect time to take a closer look your profile. Give your profile a makeover now by making your it more actionable, from start to finish and lose those clichéd terms.

Happy holidays from the LinkedIn Analytics Team!