Does your CV and LinkedIn Profile contain Gobbledygook Language?

For more than two decades I have been helping clients improve their CV and job hunting strategies. I have worked with royalty, diplomats, politicians, professors, engineers, designers in fact every type of profession.  However, in all this time I have never really got to grips with the gobbledygook language.  As an English graduate, I have studied Shakespeare, Chaucer and all the English classic writers and I am puzzled as to why so much gobbledygook language is now creeping into CVs.

How do people manage to translate good old plain business English into real gobbledygook? What do I mean by gobbledygook?

Let’s take these sentences for instance.

I used a more blue-sky approach to create three-dimensional third-generation projections.

I am a charismatic leader, able to demonstrate strong leadership and innovative solution design in achieving corporate and personal objectives and goals.

My clients really can’t fail with my ‘Outside the box’ management capability.

My exploratory research pointed to global monitored contingencies.

It was time to revamp and reboot the four-dimensional logistical paradigm shifts that the company needed.

Why are people choosing to present themselves in this way?  Who are they trying to impress after all?  Very often, when I ask a person to explain his gobbledygook term in a simple and professional way, he will simply stutter, struggle or mumble his answer.

The best CV and LinkedIn strategy is to sell your benefits and value and to write in clear, concise and simple business language.  If you feel that you would benefit from some professional and personal input into your CV or LinkedIn profile, then please contact me directly.

BY: Sarah Berry