If you’re not currently on LinkedIn, do yourself a favor and create a profile. LinkedIn operates the world’s largest professional network on the internet, and currently has over 467 million members in over 200 countries and territories. This gives you tons of opportunity to network and leverage your connections, but if your profile isn’t optimized, it won’t be very effective. Part of creating a great LinkedIn profile is having a summary that pulls the reader in, so I’m sharing exactly how to write a killer LinkedIn summary that will get you noticed.
Write it in first person
Think of your summary as a personal bio that gives the reader more insight as to who you are. Part of writing a killer LinkedIn summary is sharing your voice. This is your opportunity to highlight your personality, so speak in first person and give the reader a window into how you talk to others. While LinkedIn is a professional network, your summary can be a little more laid back than a resume. This is where you can show your funny side or highlight a hobby. Your goal is to establish a connection with the reader, and speaking to them directly using first person is a great way to do that.
Share something that makes you unique
One of the keys to writing a killer LinkedIn summary is to create a connection with the reader, and one way to create a connection is to share something that makes you unique. This can be a personal detail about how you grew up and how this shaped your career, or it can be something about what you do in your free time. Sharing a piece of information about your helps the reader get to know you better and establishes an emotional connection. This makes them more likely to keep reading and to remember you. For example, in my LinkedIn summary I mention that I’m the 6th generation of my family born and raised in San Francisco, and because of growing up in the city, I thrive within organized chaos.
Share your goals
If you don’t clearly communicate your intentions, no one will know them except for you. It sounds silly to say it out loud, but it’s true. If you don’t clearly communicate your goals for LinkedIn and for your career, your summary won’t be very effective in helping you reach your goals.
People often get worried about upsetting or concerning a current employer by updating their LinkedIn profile or putting information about looking for a job online, however there are ways of conveying this information without putting up any red flags. For example, if you’re looking for a job but don’t want to notify your current employer, consider discussing that you’re excited about building relationships and further developing your professional network. An example of verbiage is below:
“I’m excited about the opportunity to utilize my expertise and cultivate relationships through strategic planning and collaboration with both internal and external partners…”
You can also say something like this in your summary:
“Offering five years of experience in the marketing field, I’ve perfected the art of dynamic consumer engagement, and I’m excited to use this knowledge to further develop my career and help companies develop their communication strategy.”
These statements can be adjusted and catered to meet your needs, but they both articulate that you’re interested in meeting people and connecting with others to further your career without blatantly saying that you want a new job.
Quantify your achievements
Similar to writing a resume, when you’re trying to write a killer LinkedIn summary, you want to show a potential employer or professional connection what you’ve accomplished and what you can do for them. Anyone can say they’re good at their job, but very few people can actually show it. Quantifying your achievements will give the reader concrete examples of what you can do and why you will be beneficial to hire. Ultimately you want to show others how you can be the solution to their problem.
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LinkedIn can be an extremely effective marketing and personal branding tool, but in order to use the platform to its full potential, you need to have an amazing LinkedIn summary. Your LinkedIn summary is your opportunity to show others who you are, highlight your personality, and share exactly why you’d be an asset to any company you work for. Do your best to talk directly to and connect with your reader to create your most effective and intriguing LinkedIn summary yet!