The image you project to a potential employer should be one of your best self. And in most cases, it’s projected as even better than that. So when you’re describing yourself on LinkedIn, shouldn’t you be using all the best words to do so? You want to paint a picture that gets them to take action. You want to be proud of what you present them with.

Well, upon browsing through some profiles, a few common phrases appeared over and over again. At first glance, they sound professional. But really, they say absolutely nothing. It’s all just filler to take away white space. What did white space ever do to you?

Quality over quantity — brevity is the soul of wit — refer to whatever saying you like best.

Let’s take a look at some examples so you know what to avoid. Leave these out. It’s worth the white space. Whether you’re unsure or confident, a prospective employer will follow suit. So take some time and make it better.

“Results-driven/highly motivated individual”

Aren’t we all? That couldn’t be more generic. If you weren’t motivated, you wouldn’t say so anyway. You’d make way more of an impact if you simply said, “I get results.” The people reading this are pressed for time. Why would you beat around the bush by overstuffing your description with business-speak and waste it?

“A passion for _______”

Is it just me, or does saying you have passion for something not sound very passionate? Saying it doesn’t make it true. It’s better to say something that proves it instead: I often forget whether I’m writing for business or pleasure. See how that works?

“Maintain an effective and professional environment”

Okay, what does this even mean? That work gets done? That there’s no goofing off? That a serious dress code is in effect? Your guess is as good as ours. Perhaps they want to say they take their job seriously. If you have to think about what it means, scrap it. Especially if you’re looking for a creative-type job, this is a sure way to get them to click the little “x” in the corner of the window. Be specific and tell them exactly what your strengths are.

“Discovering new opportunities”

Congratulations, you’re unemployed. Telling them that (in a lofty euphemism, no less) at the start reeks of desperation. If they smell that, you can say goodbye to the opportunity to negotiate anything. And it doesn’t say who you are or what you do. There’s more of their wasted time. Because then they have to click your profile to see what you can offer. Good luck with that.

“Create growth through unique competitive advantage”

Saying you’re unique doesn’t make you unique. Tell them what your competitive advantage is. Any buffoon can say they have a unique competitive advantage. Might as well say their competitive advantage is that their fingerprints are like no one else’s. (Come to think of it, that’s a pretty cheeky reason; we’d keep reading that description). Create growth? What kind of growth? Did you add a new section to the building? Did profits rise? Did you hire a lot of new people? Throw some numbers out. At least they never lie.

As we mentioned earlier, tell them something that impresses you, and they’ll be far more likely to be impressed.