We live in a competitive world and if you want to make an impact, you need to be in control of your online presence, personal brand, cultural fit and reputation. Failing to give adequate attention to your LinkedIn profile may not only result in you missing out on potential contacts, but you also run the risk of your competitors leaving you trailing behind. The LinkedIn summary section is also the most viewed section on LinkedIn
Importance of LinkedIn Summary section
Many people don’t realise the importance of a great summary section in your LinkedIn profile. More than any other section, this area, represents you, your business and your brand. It is also the most viewed section on LinkedIn. If you get this area right, you are well on the way to having one of the most viewed profiles on LinkedIn – and attracting more of your target audience.
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Here are a few of my top tips for creating a successful LinkedIn summary:
Be clear on your Objective
Before writing your summary, be clear on what you want to achieve from LinkedIn. Are you just using it to raise your credibility or are you looking to expand your network? Are you seeking new clients? Be clear on what you are trying to do and make sure this is clear in your summary.
Write a BOOM LinkedIn summary
By this I mean it meets the blend of key words and of your brand. This section is limited to only 2500 characters so I recommend the following layout:
1st paragraph:
This is your LinkedIn elevator speech and should cover your title, years’ experience and what you want to be doing. For example, “Professional Leadership Coach with over 15 years’ experience in Leadership, Consulting, Human Resources and Performance Management. Tertiary qualified with a wide variety of local and international experience.” These tasks also need to be the keywords you want to be found for.
2nd Paragraph:
“Some of the organisations I have worked for include………..” If these brands elevate your brand then list them here – even though they may already be in your career history. Ensure you put the most important information to the top of the page.
3rd Paragraph:
What some people have said…..this is a great spot to put your best quote from a testimonial or recommendation.
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4th Paragraph:
“Career achievements include…” and list your top 3-5 achievements. How have you assisted your clients? What issues have you resolved? Have you increased engagement or efficiency? Make sure there are numbers here that quantify what you’re saying.
Include Keywords and Key skills
Spend a few minute researching keywords which are being most sought after and then ensure those words are in in your summary – and in the rest of your profile. You can check this on the www.linkedin.com/skills page. It is important to cover all bases and the good news is that you can use up to 51 key skills.
Ensure your LinkedIn summary is congruent with who you are. It isn’t about what you have done or how successful you have been. The words in your summary are about making an emotional connection with the reader. The best way to do this is by emotive language and keywords. Research recently showed that people will actually make that decision of whether to contact you within a few seconds of reading your profile.
Importance of LinkedIn keywords
Ensure your title reflects the keywords that you want to be found for. If your title is “Director of XYZ Associates”, the likelihood of someone trying to find you is very low. Ensure your title reflects what you do, for example if you are the Director of XYZ Associates but you are actually a HR Director, ensure your title is “HR Director, Sydney”.
Jane Anderson
Jane is a professional and experienced certified career and business coach. She also assists businesses and individuals to explore their personal brand and get the best out of their LinkedIn profile. She is also the author of ‘How to use your LinkedIn profile for career purposes’. Jane is also a successful speaker and runs regular LinkedIn workshops. More details can be found at www.jane-anderson.com.au.
