How to write a LinkedIn Profile Summary
LinkedIn is a place for you to connect with your current and past colleagues, talk to others in your field of work and make connections with people you may have not met but would really help to have in your network. LinkedIn is a great place to talk to new people and also for job seeking. You can make yourself seen to recruiters, join groups and even seminars and learning resources are available. So why is having an up-to-date profile summary so important?
What is a profile summary?
You can think of the profile summary as a digital personal statement. You introduce yourself, talk about your skills, passions and what makes you unique. It’s not so much about persuading an employer to hire you but getting the attention of readers and sparking an interest is definitely important.
It’s an opportunity to invite people to connect with you and when you connect with them, it gives them some background of who you are and how you can also help them in their network.
It’s a good idea to take advantage of key search terms, so when people search them, your profile is more likely to appear. This will be discussed later on in the article. Your summary is about taking the opportunity to make a good first impression and hopefully lead to a conversation.
How do you write it?
Let your personality shine through – I think one of the most important things about a summary on social media and a personal statement is to include a part of yourself. So many statements can be very generic, basic and although useful, don’t show much personality. Make it your own. Include information about your interests and passions.
Be honest – It’s important to grab the readers attention and ultimately the task is to get them to connect with you. However, there is no point in adding in interesting details if they’re dishonest. Kind of like adding in a skill to a CV that you just don’t have but think you can learn later.
Find your USP – We are all individual and have something different to offer. Our individuality is what allows us to stand out, learn and peruse the passions we have. Use this to start conversations on LinkedIn. You have a unique selling point, so think about it and talk about it! – Don’t hold back.
Try and target the audience you want to attract – There are going to be a lot of people that come across your profile, but you want to make sure that the right people are finding you and clicking that connect button. For example, if you are looking for a recruiter, talk about your skills and what you can offer to an employer.
What do you include?
Key words – Key words should be included throughout your profile. So, in your job descriptions, your summary and skills and endorsements section. You want to make sure these are completed so you can make the full use of the benefits. You want to include the key words throughout the narrative, not just as separate words themselves. Make sure they have been weaved into the paragraphs. You want to tell a story about your work and where you want to go. So, if you’re looking for an electrical engineer job. Use the term ‘electrical engineer’ use skills they would typically have and other synonyms. Once you get the hang of it, it will become something you naturally do.
Explain what you do – You want to keep it brief but tell them immediately what you do. What your role is and if you’re allowed to disclose this information, your current employer.
Core skills – Include skills that you think would be of interest to an employer or a person of interest you want to connect with.
What do you want to share? – Is there anything you want to share with people. What makes you a good engineer? Your experience? Anything else that you think is valuable, don’t hesitate to include.
How long should it be?
The summary on your page sits underneath your name and profile picture, so it is the first thing they read after seeing your picture. It should be kept short and easy to read, so around 250 words would work best. This keeps is short, punchy, and hopefully, the reader will read it all and not want to scroll down.
However, this is why it’s so important to have the rest of your profile completed. If they do scroll down., you want them to read your employment history, scroll through your skills and endorsements and not be left with blank page with very little information.
The good thing about writing this summary for LinkedIn is that you can use this for any professional social media pages. It’s easy to transfer and you can tailor it if you feel necessary. So take your time, make alterations over time and keep it up-to-date.