Currently, the unemployment rate in the US is at 4.1%, which means employers need to do everything they can to attract good candidates for their openings. In 2018, buzzwords such as ‘flexible’, ‘qualified’, and ‘innovative’ all appear on job listings so often, people are not as interested when they see these descriptors. Roughly seventy-five percent of all US employers are posting job listings using nondescript buzzwords that could fit any candidate. By doing so, they risk missing out or alienating the skilled workers who would truly be qualified for the roles, according to data here at Adzuna.
Listings across all industries, from technology to education, are primarily using these top ten, broad buzzwords to describe their most desired candidate:
Lily Valentin, US Country Manager at Adzuna, comments: “This repetitive use of generic buzzwords reduces an employer’s chances of finding top candidates – how can you find outstanding talent when every job seeker could identify with those traits? Given that the US is experiencing low unemployment, employers need to differentiate themselves to compete for the smaller pool of candidates. The findings suggest that recruiting teams should adjust their listings to attract the brightest and most relevant candidates with more creative and better targeted criteria and qualities.”
To attract attention and break through the noise, some industries are using unusual buzzwords in their job listings. IT, an industry that was responsible for 20% of the sector-specific job growth in Q1 according to Adzuna data, uses the most wacky words, topping the list for ‘ground-breaking’, ‘guru’, ‘ninja’, ‘wizard’, and ‘assassin’. Healthcare and Sales also use many unconventional descriptors in their job listings.
With the official Star Wars Day just passing on May 4, would-be Jedis are in luck as the term is gaining traction in more creative job listings.
Some of the top bizarre buzzwords that are garnering attention and their average salary include:
Valentin continues: “Employers should delete the generic descriptions and simply say what they want in a fun, creative way that will stick out in applicants’ minds. This, in turn, will improve the quality of applicants, resumes and cover letters in their inboxes.”
When it comes to job postings, getting lost in the shuffle will not result in the best people applying for the job. Standing out, making the job seem fun and exciting, and being honest with the criteria needed for a position is the best way to land a great employee. Buzzwords are a tool that can be used to increase the amount of people who look at a listing, just as long as it is not among thousands of other listings trying to do the same.
For more insight into the job market in the US, check out Adzuna!