Writing a LinkedIn "About" Section
The About section on your LinkedIn profile is one of the most important ways to demonstrate what makes you, as a professional, unique. Think of it as your virtual “elevator pitch” to those who have come to your profile to learn about you. The empty white box can be intimidating when you’re trying to write out your summary. It can be one of the main reasons people don’t have an About section–they just didn’t know what to write! Writing a great summary doesn’t have to be difficult once you know how to get started. We put together a few tips to get your About summary started.
1 -“Above the Fold”
The first couple of sentences that appear before someone viewing your profile clicks the “see more” button is critical. If your LinkedIn summary is your virtual elevator pitch, think of this as the elevator pitch for your elevator pitch. The person reading these sentences should learn everything they need to know about you, even if they don’t click “see more”. If they really want to know more about you it should pique their interest enough that they click to keep reading. I often write this part last, once I have the rest of the story mapped out. It makes condensing all the essential info much easier.
2 - Telling your story
After your brief intro, it’s time to expand on your story. But before laying out your skills and experience, take time to consider your desired audience (employers, workers, connections) and what you want them to take away from reading about you. Once you’ve established your audience and goal, you can structure your story in various ways. You could list a few of your skills and explain how you developed them, or layout your experience chronologically. Some people start by describing their current work, then explain how their past contributes to their present.
3 - Expand on your goals
This is the part where you specify what you’re looking for and why/how you are the ideal candidate, employer, or service provider. If you’re looking for a new job, describe the skills and job functions for which you would make a great fit. If you’re a business or staffing professional looking for talent, outline your ideal candidate and their role in the organization. If you’re a contractor or vendor, catalog your products and services for your prospective clients.
4 -Show a little personality (optional)
We often think of who we are as a professional and who we are “off-the-clock” as separate people. There can be a great benefit in offering a bit of your personality in your professional life, however. It gives prospective workers/employers/partners an idea of who you are as a person, as well as reminds them that you are a real person behind that LinkedIn page. An easy way to do this is to include a fun fact. You could think of it as small talk before or after an interview. People reading your LinkedIn profile are likely going to work with you in one capacity or another, so why not show them what they’re getting into?
In short, you want your About summary to paint a complete, yet concise picture of you and your professional value. Even a few sentences outlining who you are and your background are better than blank space since LinkedIn users with complete profiles get 5x more views than incomplete profiles.
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