During a training I offer on personal branding, I ask everyone in the audience to stand up and think about their resumes.

Then I ask everyone who touts themselves as creative to sit down.

Anyone who writes on their resume that they are motivated also is asked to sit down.

This continues with a few more words that communicators usually use to describe themselves.

As you might expect, in short order no one is standing (sometimes a few individuals remain standing).

The problem is that many of us rely on buzzwords, which keeps us from standing out and properly branding ourselves.

According to Linkedin, the top 10 global buzzwords are

1. Motivated
2. Passionate
3. Creative
4. Driven
5. Extensive Experience
6. Responsible
7. Strategic
8. Track record
9. Organizational
10. Expert

How can you strengthen your brand?

Start by reviewing your resume (and Linkedin profile) and highlighting any of these buzzwords. (Highlighting will keep you honest!)

To eliminate the words, use concrete examples to describe your skills and achievements. (Don’t simply use a thesaurus!).

Once you do this, you will have strengthened your brand.