A good LinkedIn summary can make a significant impact and help you achieve your professional goals. It is also known as LinkedIn About or LinkedIn Bio. It appears just before the prior and current roles of a LinkedIn user. Generally, you get a word limit of approximately 2000 words, but only the first three lines are visible to a visitor, who would have to click ‘See More’ to be able to read the entire content.
People who rely on networking for their professional jobs, such as marketers or people from the sales department, find it difficult to write a summary as their target viewers are potential customers. Moreover, they need to describe their work and professional background in a way that intrigues the reader.
Irrespective of whether you are a skilled professional or a fresher who is looking for a job, your summary is what will attract your potential employers, clients, customers, etc. It should highlight your experience, skills, professional interests, etc.
The LinkedIn summary is a gist of everything you are. It is a gateway to your professional success. Here is why you should create an impactful LinkedIn Summary:
Your prior professional roles in a company are not the only things that people may want to know. Your past accomplishments, expertise in various things, and similar information presented in a succinct way are also a few things that you should present to the viewers.
Each one can have their own special way of letting others know about their personality. You can either keep it professional or add a touch of humour to your summary. It allows employers to understand whether or not you would fit in their work culture before they can approach you for an interview.
LinkedIn uses the current title, headline, about section, and a few more things from your profile while displaying the results. Using keywords in your LinkedIn summary will give your profile the exposure that you want. Words like – analysis, management, content, etc., are known to get more views.
Now that you know the importance of a summary, you would definitely want to know how to make your summary a good one. Here are some important points to remember when writing a LinkedIn Summary.
An unclear progression will only make your summary uninteresting. Stick to a structure, and it will allow easy communication of your thoughts.
Here is a format that you can consider:
Hook: Remember that initially, the viewer can see just the first three lines. These are the three lines that will determine whether or not the viewer clicks on the ‘See More’ choice. Hence, make these lines interesting. This is a hook that will allow the viewer to engage in your content.
Mission: Explain to the reader what you do and why you do it.
Expertise and Skills: Tell the readers what you are gifted with and how good you are at it.
Accomplishments: Reveal to the readers how your expertise has helped in getting results in the past and how it has benefitted previous business projects etc.
Call to Action: Tell the reader what they should do once they have completed reading your summary.
The approach taken to pique your readers’ interest and draw them to continue reading your LinkedIn Summary is known as ‘hook’. Here is an example of a ‘hook’.
“It took me approximately A sales demonstration to learn the secret about Z, but after that, something unpredictable has happened.”
Stories and values are something that readers easily grasp. Instead of being upfront about your job roles, let them know what you do and why you do it. Let them know what attracted you to the profession and what it is that you want to achieve while being associated with your career. This helps in making a LinkedIn profile emotionally resonant.
Here is an example of letting others know what you do and why:
“I grew up beside River Smith, and as the manufacturing standards bettered, I watched it get clearer with time. Since then, I knew I wanted others to be aware of sustainability in business environments.”
You must describe your expertise in two or three lines and how you can prove beneficial to others.
Here is an example:
“I have 5+ years of sales experience in both account manager and SDR roles.”
When you have highlighted your expertise, speak about what your skills are. For instance, if you are a digital marketer, then what are the areas that you focus on – content marketing, mobile marketing or social media, etc. If you have just completed your studies, then is there something special in your field that you have learnt?
Here is an example:
“I’m a digital marketer with experience in SEO and affiliate marketing.”
You don’t need to add your accomplishments in this section; instead, add some data points for your employers.
Here is an example:
“Over the past eight years, I have made it into the Leadership Club four times, and my closed-won sales have seen less than 4{6271e0783bd2aaaff7e385ab207ba14cb8afa1c0a6f930d25d757c961410cc10} churn during the first six months.”
It is not necessary that you show proof of what you mention in this section because these are simply your interests. You can show the viewers that you are dedicatedly pursuing them.
Here is an example:
“I am a sales instructor who is interested in supporting small teams to optimize their time and workflows so businesses accomplish their goals without increasing the headcount and representatives can grow in their careers.”
Adding a Call-to-Action along with your contact number is significant for any LinkedIn profile. This allows the reader to understand how to get in touch with you easily.
Having a long summary is not bad as long as it is interesting and engaging. However, if you find there are sections that have too much text, then try to break them so they are easy to read. Notable highlights may easily be lost in long paragraphs, so keep the paragraphs short. Your summary should be easy to read.
What Can You Put in a LinkedIn Summary?
What Not to Add in a LinkedIn Summary?
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