Ever Describe Yourself as “Innovative”? You Might Be Doing It All Wrong.
Let’s be real for a second.
When you’re in the middle of a career change—whether it’s a career pivot at 30, a career reboot at 40, or a full-on career reinvention at 50—the words you use to define yourself matter. Immensely.
They’re your introduction to the world: a handshake, a first impression, a personal brand statement wrapped in a résumé or LinkedIn headline.
But here’s the rub: most of the words people use to describe themselves don’t just fall flat—they make you sound like everyone else.
And that’s the fastest way to get overlooked when you’re trying to stand out.
At Finding Next, we work with people who are stuck, burned out, laid off, or simply done settling. We help them reboot, pivot, or persevere—but always by helping them see things others miss. And one of the first things we help them see?
Words that sabotage.
The Dangerous Allure of “Descriptive Clichés”
Let’s talk about some of the biggest offenders. You’ve seen these on countless profiles:
- “Innovative”
- “Passionate”
- “Strategic thinker”
- “Results-oriented”
- “Thought leader”
- “Team player”
- “Motivated self-starter”
They sound good. They feel impressive. But they’ve been used so much, they’ve turned to static.
These words are:
- Generic – They don’t communicate anything specific about your accomplishments or value.
- Unprovable – You can say you’re strategic, but who’s verifying that?
- Unoriginal – If everyone is “dynamic” and “passionate,” then no one really is.
- Unrelatable – Especially when we say them about ourselves. Would you ever say to a friend, “I’m a results-oriented visionary”? Probably not.
The Problem Isn’t the Word. It’s the Voice.
Many of these terms are fine—when someone else uses them about you.
If a former boss says, “Jasmine is incredibly innovative,” that’s gold. But if you say it about yourself? Cringe.
Self-description should never feel like a sales pitch on steroids. It should feel like a window into how you think, work, and create impact.
And this is where most people—especially those going through a career transformation—get it wrong.
They write what they think they should say.
What they forget is this:
Your value isn’t in your adjectives. It’s in your actions.
So, What Should You Say?
Glad you asked.
At Finding Next, we coach our clients to ditch the fluff and focus on real-world, observable impact. Here’s how:
1. Don’t say you’re strategic. Show your strategy.
❌ “Strategic thinker who drives growth.”
✅ “Developed and implemented a new onboarding program that cut turnover by 37% in 12 months.”
2. Don’t say you’re passionate. NEVER. Show your Purpose!
❌ “Passionate about helping teams thrive.”
✅ “I get fired up when I can help a struggling team find its rhythm again—like the time I led a cross-functional group through a 6-week culture reset that turned a toxic environment into a cohesive unit.”
3. Don’t say you’re a team player. Show the collaboration.
❌ “Collaborative leader.”
✅ “My favorite projects are the messy, complicated ones—where we have to figure it out together. Like when…”
You see the pattern, right?
Replace vague qualities with vivid stories.
Your story is what differentiates you. Especially during career changes when hiring managers are looking for reasons not to take a risk on you.
Words That Work Against You During Career Transitions
Here’s a list of terms to retire immediately—and what to use instead:
| ❌ Don’t Say | ✅ Try This Instead |
| Innovative | “Launched X, the first of its kind at Company Y” |
| World-class | “Rated #1 by Z industry reviewers” |
| Motivated | “Volunteered to lead when no one else would” |
| Creative | “Reimagined the onboarding experience to…” |
| Strategic | “Mapped a 12-month roadmap to solve X problem” |
| Thought Leader | “Wrote article read by 15K on Medium” |
Results Oriented “Helped increase retention by 24%”
Experienced “Over the last 10 years led 25+ projects”
Why This Matters More Than Ever
When you’re going through career adversity—after burnout, a layoff, or just years of feeling stuck—the temptation is to default to phrases that sound safe.
But in today’s market, safety is invisibility.
Whether you’re navigating a career change at 30, tackling a career shift at 40, or rebuilding confidence for a career comeback at 50, your language needs to make people lean in, not glaze over.
That means throwing out every overused word and replacing it with real, grounded, human examples.
But What If I Don’t Know How to Talk About Myself?
That’s what we’re here for.
At Finding Next, we’ve built a personalized process that helps you:
- Discover what makes you genuinely compelling.
- Learn how to overcome the fear of changing careers by reframing your narrative.
- Get clear on how to know when it’s time for a career change—and what to do next.
- Rebuild confidence after setbacks with resources for overcoming career challenges.
Whether you’re trying to find your passion when you’re lost, deal with burnout, or just figure out how to reboot your career after a break, we help you see the strengths and patterns in your story that you can’t always see yourself.
How to Start Talking Like You Again
Here’s a quick checklist of what to do next:
✔ Audit Your LinkedIn and Resume
Highlight every adjective or “buzzword.” If it’s not backed up by a concrete example, rewrite it.
✔ Reconnect With Your Wins
Write out 3–5 stories that show you at your best. Include the challenge, your action, and the result. These become your new language.
✔ Stop Selling. Start Showing.
Pretend you’re talking to a friend. Would you tell them you’re a “proven leader in strategic ideation”? Or would you say, “I figured out how to solve a big problem no one else could crack”?
Exactly.