“Proactive”, “dynamic” and “self-starter” are examples of jargon that dominate job adverts, and with many of us seeking new pastures this January, AdView sought out the most offending “Jargon Job” cities and which buzzwords plague our job-searching the most.
AdView analysed more than a million job listings across the UK and US, using 50 popular and common buzzwords to discover which cities and states are most guilty of using cliches in their adverts. Below I have outlined the key data points that emerge from the study.
Britain’s jargon hotspots
1. City of London, London
2. Woking, Surrey
3. Reading, Berkshire
4. Belfast, County Antrim / County Down
5. Leeds, West Yorkshire
6. Manchester, Greater Manchester
7. Brighton and Hove, East Sussex
8. Slough, Berkshire
9. Solihull, West Midlands
10. Glasgow, Scotland
The 10 most guilty places for job jargon
1. Seattle, Washington, US
2. San Francisco, California, US
3. Boston, Massachusetts, US
4. City of London, London, UK
5. Washington, District of Columbia, US
6. Irvine, California, US
7. Woking, Surrey, UK
8. Chicago, Illinois, US
9. Jersey City, New Jersey, US
10. Atlanta, Georgia, US
The 10 most popular buzzwords in UK job ads
1. Fast-paced
2. Dynamic
3. Team player
4. Proactive
5. Can-do attitude
6. Proven track-record
7. Go the extra mile
8. Self-starter
9. Maximising
10. Deliverables
Commenting on the research, careers expert, Susana Martinez-Denia said:
“Many of us, including recruiters and candidates, know job buzzwords on a vague intuitive level. However, it is a different story when we try to articulate them and put them in the context of the contribution companies want to see and candidates can make”.
“Ultimately, a company will be interested in a profile if the candidate has the potential to generate the results they are looking for, but a candidate will be much more engaged in the role if they understand the impact of their skills and actions”.
“I consider essential that these terms are discussed in the context of producing results. This can happen in the interview with questions such as: ‘What do you understand as “self-starter?'” ‘When have you been self-starter and what difference has this made?'”
“It can be beneficial for both sides if there is a clarification of what are the results that a company expects to see as a consequence of a candidate demonstrating this skills and attitudes”.
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