LinkedIn summary is the “About” section right under your profile photo. You have 2,000 words to play with to capture readers’ attention. Having a captivating summary is a part of making a good first impression, it can also help with your discoverability when employers are searching for candidates.
A LinkedIn summary is not a replication of your resume. It is something that you can play around with and be creative. At the end of the day, LinkedIn is a social networking platform, it is not a formal document so you can be creative and show your personality.
What to include in your summary?
A LinkedIn summary is where you tell people who you are and why they should care about you. It is something that is both professional and personal that is unique to you. Before writing a summary, ask yourself the following questions.
- What type of career do you have or want to pursue?
- What drives you the most?
- What is your area of expertise?
- What is your personal interest?
- What awards & achievements do you have?
How to write a LinkedIn summary
After you answer these questions, you now have to structure your story and plan your paragraphs. A good summary should have around 3 – 4 paragraphs. Each paragraph should speak to a specific point such as your career aspirations, your past experience, and your interest for example. Break down your paragraphs into something like this.
Para 1: Your personal story of what got you here. This can include your childhood story, your motivation, your belief, and cultural background.
Para 2: Draw a connection between your personal story and your professional experience. Mention the type of work you have done in the past and skills you demonstrated.
Para 3: Outside of your professional life, work experience, mention other interests, extracurricular involvement. This will help set you apart!
Para 4: This is where you make your next move known! If you are looking for a new opportunity, business connection, me
Golden rules of LinkedIn summary
Keep it personal and show your personality. Focus on using keywords in your LinkedIn summary as when recruiters search up job candidates, they search using keywords.
