FORTUNE — After LinkedIn announced this year’s lists of the most overused words in its profiles yesterday morning, an array of people pulled theirs up to see whether they flaunted their “creative,” “effective” “track records” a bit too much.
A few tweeted that they had none of the 10worn-outwords in their LinkedIn profiles. Many others, including LinkedIn’s (LNKD) co-founder, couldn’t say their profiles were clear of clichéd terms. . . .
“Instead of using adjectives to describe yourself, you want to illustrate it,” says Donna Schilder, a career and leadership coach who has a video series on how to use LinkedIn to give your career a boost. If you want to show you’re a “team player,” talk about the times you’ve led the team or supported the team. Use the word “we,” which is a good indicator that you are collaborative.
Schilder recommends that applicants include numbers when possible to show the size of their impact. If you don’t have specifics, you can often come up with a solid estimate of your impact.
One way to get to the specifics that grab a recruiter’s attention, Schilder says, is to answer questions such as “What impact did I have on the customer?” or “How have I helped increase sales or retain customers?”
“People don’t know their accomplishments until someone’s interviewing them,” she says.
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