An excellent LinkedIn summary is essential as it is one of the most critical areas of your profile. Your LinkedIn summary sums up your professional history, personality, and qualification. Further, it gives viewers an idea of what they should do next – whether accepting your connection request, hiring you for a job opening, or reaching out for networking purposes. If you are looking for inspiration, check out how to create LinkedIn summaries, along with some examples and why they are essential.
What is a LinkedIn Summary?
The LinkedIn summary, also referred to as LinkedIn bio or LinkedIn about section, is a few paragraphs that appear right before your list of current and prior roles. Whether you are a job seeker starting your search on LinkedIn or a professional, your summary should speak about your skills, experience, and professional interests. LinkedIn gives a limit of 2000 words to write your summary.
Why is a Good LinkedIn summary important?
The LinkedIn summary is crucial for your career success. For salespeople, it can act as a social selling; for other professionals, it could be a gateway to a new career opportunity.
Here are some of the reasons you should write a LinkedIn summary:
- A LinkedIn summary will allow you to make a personal first impression and highlight your accomplishment and expertise.
- You can show your personality, which can help recruiters gauge culture fit and help prospects & potential clients get a sense of whether they can work with you.
- It can help you rank higher in search results as LinkedIn uses its about section in its algorithm apart from the headline, title, and other factors.
LinkedIn Profile Summary Formula:
Using the LinkedIn profile summary, you can impress other LinkedIn users and make yourself stand out in front of potential employers.
Here’s the 7-step formula to prepare your LinkedIn summary:
Step 1 – Introduction
Start your LinkedIn summary by introducing yourself. Use a conversational tone to tell the reader who you are.
Step 2 – Be Authentic
Being authentic makes you stand out from the millions of other LinkedIn users. Avoid generic phrases, ensure your summary is unique to you, and tell the reader what makes you stand out from the crowd.
Step 3 – Talk about your achievements.
Use bullet points to draw attention to your key achievements. Demonstrating your accomplishments is a great way to make yourself stand out on LinkedIn but don’t get into too much detail. Make the numbers and data to talk about achievements. They back your achievements by providing enough evidence of results.
Step 4 – Unique Value Proposition
The best LinkedIn summary is the one that demonstrates your unique value proposition. It’s the key benefit you offer and makes you an outstanding candidate. It helps employers know how you can add value to their company. Identify your unique value proposition and ensure it comes across in your profile summary.
Step 5 – Key Skills and Experiences
Your summary should touch up on your key skills and experience that are most relevant to your career objectives. You can provide examples of how you have utilized your skills to achieve positive outcomes.
Step 6 – Keyword Optimization
Your LinkedIn profile should be optimized with relevant keywords to help it appear in the search results. Along with the headline, your LinkedIn summary is one of the most important parts of your profile to consider while optimizing for search purposes. Additionally, include the specialties or skill section at the end of the summary. Here you can add the keywords that can help you rank higher.
Step 7 – Call to Action
End your summary with a clear call to action. Tell the reader what you want them to do, whether they should send you a message or check out your website.
LinkedIn Summary Example 1
Marketing Specialist
As the Director of one of London’s leading marketing agencies, I am passionate about enabling the business to grow. I am a marketing consultant who helps customers achieve exponential growth in their business.
In 2016, I founded Joyful Marketing, a digital marketing agency. We have worked with over 500 businesses across the UK and Ireland, ranging from major corporates to SMEs. We build marketing campaigns based on data and analytics that generate unprecedented growth.
Example of our recent successful campaigns:
– 800% increase in sales for a major sportswear retailer
– 400% increase in sales for a London-based retail outlet
I have a bachelor’s degree in marketing. I have also studied consumer psychology and the behavior behind customer decision-making. I love hiking through the Scottish highlands or wild camping across Europe when I am not developing marketing strategies. In 2019, I spent two weeks trekking through Poland and Germany.
Want to talk about marketing? Don’t hesitate to send me a direct message.
Specialties: Digital Marketing, marketing consultancy, strategy development, data science, data & analytics, client management, consumer psychology, and relationship management.
LinkedIn Summary Example 2
Sales Manager
I am a sales manager specializing in the sales of construction materials. Over the past 15 years, I have built a network of contacts with suppliers and customers across Europe.
Currently, I am a sales manager at IC2I Construction Europe Ltd. I build relationships with clients and suppliers while executing sales strategies to generate growth. I lead a team of six sales staff and source new materials across Europe. I have finalized the sale of over 100 million euros worth of construction materials.
My colleagues call me a go-getter person. I set challenging goals and make sure that my team has the capabilities to meet them. I have recently completed a 12-month contract in Russia, and now I am open to new opportunities in the UK or across Europe. Feel free to get in touch with me.
Conclusion
Your LinkedIn summary is one of the critical parts of your profile as it is your main pitch to potential leads, recruiters, or collaborators. It helps you build trust and authority with your connections and prospects. Use this comprehensive guide to curate the perfect LinkedIn summary for you.
