LinkedIn is a business-focused social media network that is a great way to attract the attention of recruiters and head-hunters within your field. LinkedIn is the largest professional platform of its kind with over 875 million users from over 200 countries worldwide, meaning that there is no better online social networking site for recruitment. This means your LinkedIn profile is important, and first impressions count. But what should your LinkedIn About Summary include? What information should you add, and what details should you leave out? Here’s everything you need to know about how to write a LinkedIn About Summary:
Top Tips for Your LinkedIn About Summary
If you’re not familiar with the term ‘LinkedIn About Summary’ then you need to think about this section of your LinkedIn profile as being like the cover letter that sits at the top of your CV. Its aim is to highlight the best of your professional and academic achievements without being overwhelming and detailing everything you have ever done. Your About Summary should focus on your strengths, your motivations and your goals. The reason why your LinkedIn About Summary is so important? Because this is the first thing potential recruiters and head-hunters will read about you. And if they don’t like what they read, they are unlikely to go on to read the rest of your profile. For this reason, it is essential to grab their attention straight away and hold it for all the right reasons. Some top tips for achieving this goal include:
- Let your personality shine through. Your LinkedIn profile should sell your personal brand, so ensure that your About Summary reflects your personality: write with a voice that sounds like your own. This is the best way to ensure that potential recruiters really get to know you.
- Include focused keywords. Recruiters and head-hunters will often use keyword searches to find candidates who meet their criteria, so think carefully about the keywords you are using in your About Summary. If you are looking for a new job role as a Business Analyst, for example, be sure to use this term in your LinkedIn About Summary.
- Keep things concise. The LinkedIn About Summary is limited to just 2,000 characters. In real terms, this equates to between 350-400 words, although you are not obligated to fill this space. This word count gives you the freedom to be creative and to think carefully about the information you want to share to attract recruiters and head-hunters, without writing a thick block of text that will immediately turn them off.
- Start strong. Whilst you can include up to 400 words in your LinkedIn About Summary, the first two lines you write will be the most important. This is because when someone lands on your profile, they will only see the first two lines of your summary, and will have to click “show more” if they want to see the rest. Many experienced and busy recruiters will use the introduction to your summary to determine whether you will be a good candidate for them and whether they should read the rest of your profile.
- Include links where relevant. If you work in a creative industry where a picture will speak a thousand words then why not consider including links to examples of your work or your portfolio in your LinkedIn summary? This is a great way to provide visual proof of your skills and your credentials and is much more likely to help you land a creative, visual job role than your peers who do not clearly showcase their work.
Examples of Great LinkedIn About Summaries
When thinking about how to write a LinkedIn About Summary it can be useful to see other successful summaries that are considered to be attractive and appealing to recruiters and headhunters. Below are some examples that you can use as inspiration for your own LinkedIn About Summary:
These LinkedIn About Summaries work because they clearly outline the key achievements of each professional whilst also remaining true and authentic. They focus on the individual’s core values and then relate these to their professional lives. Whether those values focus on heritage, communication, or family, they are held at the forefront of the profile whilst not detracting from their academic and professional achievements.
Other elements of note that all professionals could benefit from including in their own LinkedIn About Summaries include:
- Short blocks of text that are broken up by either bullet-pointed lists or paragraph and line breaks. A large block of text can be overwhelming and difficult to read. The best LinkedIn profiles make reading them easy and guide the reader naturally down the page.
- Written in the first person. By writing your LinkedIn profile About Summary from your own point of view, it is much easier to inject your personality, and share clearly the values that are important to you, as well as the achievements that mean the most to you and why.
- Fun anecdotes. Do you have a fun story to share? Perhaps the reason you entered your chosen profession or demonstrate your core personality traits? Injecting these kinds of anecdotes into your About Summary will humanise you, allowing recruiters and headhunters to relate to you and your experiences.
Conclusion
A good LinkedIn About Summary is important if you want to get noticed, not only by recruiters and headhunters but also by your industry peers. It provides a valuable opportunity to inject your personality, share your skills and achievements, and attract attention for all the right reasons. When you’re looking to develop your career, you may feel that focusing on active job hunting is the most productive use of your time, but if you take the time to improve your LinkedIn About Summary, you’re likely to find that the right jobs will come looking for you. It’s one situation where time spent on social media isn’t time wasted!
