LinkedIn, whether you are trying to sell an established product or service, or whether you are currently looking for a career, is one of your most powerful tools. Your summary is the first impression that you make on just about everyone who comes to your profile. This makes it just as, if not more important, than the first impression that you make on people in person.
They’ll have already read this summary and made judgement about you, even if they do meet you in person. Don’t just list your experience (this is not the place for that). You have 2000 characters.
Here’s how to use them:
Your victories.
Have you ever taken a course that is designed to help you with job interviews? The instructor probable told you to focus on your victories and taught you how to bring them up naturally in discussion with a recruiter.
You can easily bring them up in your LinkedIn summary. Talk not just about your best job experiences (a mistake many people make), but about your most significant accomplishments, focusing specifically on value.
Your passions and values.
LinkedIn is for businesses, but this doesn’t mean this isn’t a good place to talk about what you are passionate about and what you value.
If you value creativity and problem-solving over all this, include a few sentences not just about what those values and passions are, but why you believe in those things.
Your superpower.
What do you do so much better than anyone else?
What makes you valuable?
What makes you a better option than anyone else they might pick?
While you might not want to call it a “superpower” per se, this is your opportunity to talk about what makes you great.
If you’re a better listener, a better manager, if you’re great at making meetings both productive and fun, if you are great at making sure everyone in the group feels value and involved, talk about that in your summary!
Your stats.
If you can cite specific numbers, do it. For example, if one of your projects made or saved a company a specific amount of money, mention it. If you’ve had several similar jobs in the same industry, list them all and talk about how having that many jobs in the same industry has made you a master of that industry.
If you have interesting facts and figures to share about yourself and specifically about your successes, do it!
Your quirks.
People want to work with people who are interesting. If you love to get up early and get all of your work done before two in the afternoon, you are an outlier. You should talk about what makes you so productive, what makes you different.
If you love watching commercials and infomercials, if you enjoy holding or attending meetings, if you’ve found a unique way to solidify your team, share it. The things that make you different are what make you valuable to another company.
Your awards.
If you’ve won awards or specific commendations, in your summary is a great place to mention them.
For example, if you graduated at the top of your class, if you were awarded a particular grant during your schooling, if your business has been given awards, etc., etc. talk about them.
Now is the time to talk yourself up!
LinkedIn, whether you are trying to sell an established product or service, or whether you are currently looking for a career, is one of your most powerful tools. Your summary is the first impression that you make on just about everyone who comes to your profile. This makes it just as, if not more important, than the first impression that you make on people in person.
They’ll have already read this summary and made judgement about you, even if they do meet you in person. Don’t just list your experience (this is not the place for that). You have 2000 characters.
Here’s how to use them:
Your victories.
Have you ever taken a course that is designed to help you with job interviews? The instructor probable told you to focus on your victories and taught you how to bring them up naturally in discussion with a recruiter.
You can easily bring them up in your LinkedIn summary. Talk not just about your best job experiences (a mistake many people make), but about your most significant accomplishments, focusing specifically on value.
Your passions and values.
LinkedIn is for businesses, but this doesn’t mean this isn’t a good place to talk about what you are passionate about and what you value.
If you value creativity and problem-solving over all this, include a few sentences not just about what those values and passions are, but why you believe in those things.
Your superpower.
What do you do so much better than anyone else?
What makes you valuable?
What makes you a better option than anyone else they might pick?
While you might not want to call it a “superpower” per se, this is your opportunity to talk about what makes you great.
If you’re a better listener, a better manager, if you’re great at making meetings both productive and fun, if you are great at making sure everyone in the group feels value and involved, talk about that in your summary!
Your stats.
If you can cite specific numbers, do it. For example, if one of your projects made or saved a company a specific amount of money, mention it. If you’ve had several similar jobs in the same industry, list them all and talk about how having that many jobs in the same industry has made you a master of that industry.
If you have interesting facts and figures to share about yourself and specifically about your successes, do it!
Your quirks.
People want to work with people who are interesting. If you love to get up early and get all of your work done before two in the afternoon, you are an outlier. You should talk about what makes you so productive, what makes you different.
If you love watching commercials and infomercials, if you enjoy holding or attending meetings, if you’ve found a unique way to solidify your team, share it. The things that make you different are what make you valuable to another company.
Your awards.
If you’ve won awards or specific commendations, in your summary is a great place to mention them.
For example, if you graduated at the top of your class, if you were awarded a particular grant during your schooling, if your business has been given awards, etc., etc. talk about them.
Now is the time to talk yourself up!