Plus: NASA’s Comet Harpoon and (Lousy) Gift-Giving among Co-Workers.

Words to Avoid on Your LinkedIn Profile

If you want a potential employer to know how creative you are, don’t use “creative” or “innovative” on your LinkedIn profile, as these tired descriptors are so overplayed in professionals’ online profiles that they do little to distinguish job seekers.

Based on a recent analysis of its 135 million members’ profiles, the business networking site determined that the most overused words or phrases by United States-based professionals are:

1. Creative;
2. Organizational;
3. Effective;
4. Extensive experience;
5. Track record;
6. Motivated;
7. Innovative;
8. Problem solving;
9. Communication skills; and
10. Dynamic.

In LinkedIn’s 2010 study, words and phrases like “extensive experience,” “dynamic,” “motivated” and “innovative” topped the list of the most overused buzzwords in various countries.

One problem with such these buzzwords and phrases — like all gibberish business jargon — is that they have lost some of their meaning with overuse. Another problem is that they are not specific to one type of skill, and are in fact so vague that they can be used to describe anyone and everything — exactly what you don’t want when you’re applying for a job.

NASA’s Comet Harpoon

NASA scientists are in the early stages of working out the best design for a sample-collecting comet harpoon.

“In a lab the size of a large closet stands a metal ballista (large crossbow) nearly six feet tall, with a bow made from a pair of truck leaf springs and a bow string made of steel cable 1/2 inch thick,” according to an announcement from the space agency. “An electric winch mechanically pulls the bow string back to generate a precise level of force, up to 1,000 pounds, firing projectiles to velocities upwards of 100 feet per second.”

It’s the first phase of a long design project aimed at proving that harpooning a comet and returning the samples to Earth is feasible,” Popular Science explains. “It’s an ambitious project, and it starts with a huge ballista sitting in a closet at Goddard.”

You Shouldn’t Have. No, Really!

Approximately 30 percent of employers plan to give holiday gifts to employees this year, up from 29 percent in 2010, CareerBuilder.com forecasts. In fact, according to regulatory firm BNA, employer gift-giving is at a five-year high, with gifts to employees projected to increase for the second consecutive year.

Employees can also expect nice holiday gifts from colleagues this year, as the National Retail Federation projects celebrants will spend an average of $21.06 on co-workers.

“Holiday presents in the office aren’t just from corporate,” CareerBuilder explains. “Twenty-two percent of workers say they plan to buy holiday gifts for co-workers this year, with the same amount planning to buy their boss something. The majority (79 percent) of workers say they plan to spend $25 or less for each holiday gift they buy for the office. Thirty-eight percent plan to spend $10 or less and 12 percent plan to spend less than $5.”

When asked to share the most memorable gifts received from co-workers, respondents told the job-search site:

• A zombie figurine;
• A keychain that shouts expletives;
• Subscription to a “bacon of the month” club;
• A ceramic snake;
• A clock that meows three times on the hour;
• A hand-painted landscape on a toilet seat;
• A glass high-heel shoe filled with dish soap;
• Mustache scissors;
• A whip; and
• A 12-pack of soda.

Of course, while it is the thought that really counts, not all gifts are equal. And most recipients fail to make the best of a bad gift.

One-fifth of adults nationwide say they get stuck with a lousy holiday gift each year, according to a recent survey by Consumer Reports. Of the one-in-five adults nationwide who reported having received a crummy gift last year, 18 percent donated it to charity, 15 percent re-gifted it to an unsuspecting family member, friend or co-worker and 11 percent returned the item to the retailer for a refund or merchandise credit — the same percentage that elected to toss the gift in the trash. Six percent tried to resell their lousy gifts.

What is the oddest or worst gift you’ve ever received? Let us know in the comments below.

Cheers.