Crafting a LinkedIn summary might not be high on your list of priorities but it’s a worthwhile addition to your profile. While everyone can write one the real question becomes how do you write a great LinkedIn summary?
A LinkedIn summary isn’t too dissimilar to a cover letter, that’s why it should highlight your skills, attributes, experience and outline your professional objectives. It should tell any potential future employers who you are as a person, candidate and employee. These elements make for a great LinkedIn summary.
That’s a lot to convey with a limited amount of characters…
But as something that acts as a snapshot of your work history, it really needs to tell a compelling story. You want to be sure you’re using that limited space effectively by telling your readers directly why you should be considered as their employee or as a member of their professional network. This focus is crucial for a great LinkedIn summary.
Tone, Style and More
But this doesn’t mean you have to be lacking personality.
Instead, you should adopt a more conversational tone to convey the type of person you are. This enables the reader to envisage you in a role and gauge your suitability with the potential team. Using a conversational tone effectively can enhance a great LinkedIn summary.
This conversational style will also contrast the more professional tone and feel of the remainder of your profile, where you can be more concise and factual, making this a great way to show the duality of your personality.
Keywords
Keywords are about to become your best friend.
Using these throughout your LinkedIn summary ensures that your profile stands out and appears in the relevant LinkedIn searches recruiters might make. You could even appear in Google results, which underscores the impact of a great LinkedIn summary!
This makes choosing the right keywords all the more crucial. You want to select ones that feel specific to the roles you’re seeking, as this increases your chances of visibility.
However, you don’t want to overdo it. Cramming in as many keywords as you can will feel unnatural and forced so be sure to try incorporating them naturally into your sentences.
Consistency Is Key
While you want an element of cohesion you also want your summary to stand out from your headline and work experience sections. It’s the most personal section which means that you need to be showing off all your talents, that includes everything from being an asset to a team to your skillset. Consistency will contribute to a great LinkedIn summary.
Making it Count
Of course, it’s important to remember that while you might have a wealth of experience, skills and more to draw upon there is a character limit. It equates to around 350-400 words.
This gives you the creative freedom to write, like we said, in a slightly more conversational way, showing who you are beyond the basic facts of your work and education history.
However, you need to be mindful that you should be concise in what you say because the first two lines of your summary are the most impactful. They need to draw the reader in and encourage them to click “show more”. A great LinkedIn summary captures attention right away.
You need to be compelling and have that clickability so be sure to stick to shorter paragraphs, opt for the first person and there’s no harm in using sections and subheadings to signpost your topics.
Essentially the easier your summary is to navigate the more likely the reader is to engage.
So, don’t be afraid to tell a story and describe what drives you professionally. Particularly if you’re hoping to use this in a bid to find your next role. Making each section informative and engaging is what defines a great LinkedIn summary.
With that in mind you can always highlight your employable skills to ensure they stand out and while this can feel like an influx of information it’s all documented here to help you on your journey to crafting the perfect LinkedIn profile.
If you take anything from this let it be the importance of writing something in your summary section. It’s a strategic piece of content, so don’t miss the opportunity to have it work for you and provide you with opportunities. Therefore, crafting a great LinkedIn summary is essential.
