How to Write a Killer Linkedin Summary in 2021
LinkedIn is one of the best places to connect with professionals around the world. The website allows you to find the right people to help you grow in your career and opens doors to many new opportunities.
However, to stand out on the website, you will need to learn how to write a great summary. With an eye-catching page, people are more likely to reach out to you in hopes of networking.
Learning to write a great summary might be hard at first, but once you have understood the concepts behind it, it becomes easy as pie! Here are 5 ways to write a killer LinkedIn summary.
- Decide on Your Voice
Before you start writing your summary, think about how you want to address yourself. Think about…
- Do you want to speak in first person or third person?
- Will your summary be serious and authoritative, or will you be fun and approachable?
Go with whichever you are comfortable with, and which voice is the most appropriate for your career path. For example, if you are a designer or a writer, talking in a friendly first-person tone might be better for you. On the flip side, if you are in science or accounting, an authoritative third person tone would suit your profession much better.
- Know Your Purpose
Your LinkedIn summary will look quite different depending on what your motives are. For example, if you are actively job-seeking versus if you are looking to find new clients. Your purpose of being on LinkedIn will directly affect how you should write your summary.
When identifying your LinkedIn goals, ask yourself what is the purpose behind your account? Are you…?
- Job-seeking? Talk about yourself as an employee and your previous accomplishments.
- Looking for new clients? Promote your brand or your products and explain why customers should try it out.
- Looking to hire someone? Talk about your business and that you are currently hiring.
When you tailor your summary message to suit your goals, it is more likely that you will attract the right audience.
Related: 5 Essential Job-Seeking Skills
- Display Your Qualifications
Unlike showing people your resume, displaying your qualifications is talking about your previous achievements in eye-catching phrases.
For example, talk about your previous accomplishments, what you did, how you did it, and why you did it; and what the results were. You can also talk about your best traits, such as things that you can do better than most people can. You can also talk about your hobbies, passion and values which will give your audience a better understanding of you as a person.
By displaying your qualifications alongside your goals as mentioned in step 2, you are able to pull in the exact audience that you’re looking for!
- Come Up with An Opening That Hooks Readers
The first few sentences of your LinkedIn summary are extremely crucial when it comes to hooking readers in. If it is super interesting, people will be curious and want to read further. Likewise, if it is boring, people will just skim past it. So, make sure your opening is powerful, unique, memorable and engaging.
You do not have to be grammatically correct, here, either. In fact, you can use single-word sentences or phrases separated by pipes, like this:
Driven. Engaged. Committed.
Meticulous Workaholic | Data Driven | Overachiever
We personally prefer full sentences to these separated phrases – we think they are more professional – but it really is a personal choice and may depend on your industry.
No matter how you decide to write that first paragraph, make it count!
Related: 10 Tips for the Ultimate Linkedin Profile
- Show Do not Tell
LinkedIn allows you to upload images, videos and documents to your summary. Use this to your advantage and make your profile more engaging. This helps your audience understand you even better.
Are you an artist? Upload your art and show it to the world.
Are you a musician? Upload a couple of pieces that you have composed.
Are you a videographer? Upload some videos you have created.
Don’t Sleep On The Power Of A Great Summary
LinkedIn has a 2,000-character limit for your summary, but that is more than enough to tell a strong story about yourself to your ideal audience.
Ideally, you should take some time and plan out your LinkedIn summary carefully. Always remember to update it whenever necessary and ensure that every piece of info is accurate. This will ensure that you will reach the perfect audience and compel them to reach out to you!
To learn more about opening new doors for career opportunities, check out courses and diploma programs from Academy of Learning!