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How To Write A Great LinkedIn Summary

Writing a LinkedIn Summary on your personal profile can be surprisingly difficult. Not sure where to even begin or what…
Writing a LinkedIn Summary on your personal profile can be surprisingly difficult. Not sure where to even begin or what to say, your photo and headline is enough, it’s not worth your time since you can attach your resume… we get it – it’s not at the top of your priority list. But the summary is an important section and is often underutilized and overlooked. Whether you are looking for a new job, updating your profile after graduation, or just looking to spruce up your profile, it’s helpful to know where to start. We hope this post will give you plenty of tips and tricks on how to write a great LinkedIn summary.

What is a LinkedIn summary? Well, it is a brief description of yourself that is found towards the top of your profile. It could also be referred to as your bio or your “about me” section. You have a max of 2,600 characters, but 300-600 words should be sufficient. You only have a few sentences before a visitor will need to click “see more.” Make sure these first few sentences capture the reader, so they want to learn more about you. This section should be a highlight reel of your professional life or if you are just graduating, an overview of your education, background, and extra curriculars. This section is important as it is one of the first things people will see when they view your profile. When your qualifications and experience are summarized and easy to find, you can generate a positive reaction that could lead to an introduction or a request for more information.

Your summary is a good place to define yourself, so you no longer have to let your last job represent you. It allows you to make a positive first impression on whoever is reading it, and you can use it to describe your career preferences, highlight your accomplishments, or simply demonstrate your personality. You can add a little flair and humor or keep it professional, keeping in mind the job you are looking for and what they would prefer to read. If you are in the market for a corporate level financial job, you might want to keep this section professional. But if you are looking for a copywriting job you could use this section to show off your skillset. Either way, your summary will give recruiters and other users an idea of what they can expect when they reach out to you. LinkedIn also uses the summary section in its algorithm. By writing a keyword-rich summary you could become more visible to potential prospects/recruiters in their search results.
Your summary is a good place to define yourself, so you no longer have to let your last job represent you. It allows you to make a positive first impression on whoever is reading it, and you can use it to describe your career preferences, highlight your accomplishments, or simply demonstrate your personality. You can add a little flair and humor or keep it professional, keeping in mind the job you are looking for and what they would prefer to read. If you are in the market for a corporate level financial job, you might want to keep this section professional. But if you are looking for a copywriting job you could use this section to show off your skillset. Either way, your summary will give recruiters and other users an idea of what they can expect when they reach out to you. LinkedIn also uses the summary section in its algorithm. By writing a keyword-rich summary you could become more visible to potential prospects/recruiters in their search results.

Here is a list of ideas and topics you might want to include in your summary:

Start with an introduction. The first sentence should capture the attention of the reader and make them want to learn more about you. A question to keep in mind when starting your summary is “What value can I bring to a company or organization?” Use those value propositions in your summary.

Speak about your industry experience. Use these next few sentences to highlight your background and qualifications. The more you can sell yourself as an asset to a company, the more they are going to want to interview you and hopefully hire you.

Show off your skills/accomplishments. This will help you stand out from your competition. Any awards or recognitions you achieved should be put on display. If you just graduated, list something you studied that stands out in the field you are interested in.

Our biggest tip! Add keywords from the job descriptions that you are interested in. Try to avoid overused keywords like “strategic, motivated, skilled, or experienced.” Recruiters search for a combination of job titles, skills, and other keywords to find the right candidate. Listing your specialties at the end of your summary is a fantastic way to pack in your keywords. Do your research, use job descriptions and other relevant profiles as a resource.

As a final takeaway, make your summary section personal, unique, and engaging –recruiters or potential employers will feel like they already know you when they decide to reach out!

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