Member Article

Employers still using clichéd job ads

Almost 90% of job ads in the UK include a clichéd buzzword, a new survey has revealed.

The research from job search site Adzuna.co.uk reveals that ‘passionate’, ‘motivated’ and ‘communication skills’ are the the top most used phrases.

Over 500,000 UK job ads were surveyed across March to highlight the top 10 overused buzzwords by British employers.

Among the other most clichéd terms from employers were ‘innovative’, ‘results-orientated’ and ‘track record.’

Accenture, the NHS and Sainsbury’s were among the most jargon-heavy companies in the country, with 95% of their ads including at least 4 of the top 10 overused buzzwords.

The survey also noted increasing use of “stylistic superlatives,” particularly among tech companies such as Google, Apple and Facebook.

Currently 596 UK employers are looking for “Gurus”, over 70 “Ninjas” in hot demand and one employer even looking for a “Jedi.”

A wacky list was also devised, where the likes of Nando’s featured, as they want candidates of “legendary” status.

“Rockstars” and “Overlords” are paid on average £50,000 p.a, double average earnings, while “Superheros” and “Wizards” earn slightly more mortal salaries of £29 and £31k, much closer to the national average.

Doug Monro, Co-Founder of Adzuna, said “Because we list nearly every UK job ad in our search engine, we have a great overview of the language employers are using in their ads in the UK.

“It’s quite remarkable how many UK companies are determined to find the same thing: ‘passionate, motivated, proactive communicators who are enthusiastic, organised and have a dynamic track record of creativity and innovation’.

“Advertisers who can strike a vein of originality with their prose can definitely stand out from the noise in such a competitive job market.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Tom Keighley .