LinkedIn Summary: a missed opportunity
The LinkedIn summary is a truly different way of talking about and marketing yourself. Unfortunately, many people miss this opportunity. I see a lot of profiles which have no Summary at all. Others are very short and contain nothing interesting, while still others just make bland assertions and make no impact.
Remember, many people will be looking at your profile to check you out. This can include potential employers and recruiters who get your resume or have heard about you in other ways. It critical that you say something that will impress them.
Just so we're clear, the LinkedIn summary is a section of the profile that allows you space for a narrative about yourself. Here's a few tips to make it effective:
Tell Your Story Your Way
I really like the LinkedIn summary because it frees you from the shackles of the resume, which demands that you talk about your most recent job, the job before that, the job before that, and so on. Instead, you can talk about what's most important to you--and omit what's not important. You can also avoid things that are painful. If your last job was a clunker, you Don't have to mention it. If you have spent most of your career in one area and now you're in a different one, you can focus on your current activities.
Make your summary conversational
The LinkedIn summary also frees you from the formality of the resume. A conversational tone is most effective.
Use All the Space
This section allows you 2,000 characters--not 2,000 words - but characters. Best practice is to use all of them. While 2000 characters might sound like a lot of space, carefully craft your message so that you can talk about yourself powerfully without wasting words.
Convey Your Value
All your marketing materials should convey your value statement. Make sure that people understand what it is that you do and why they might want you, rather than someone else with similar credentials. A good example of this is the summary of a Sales Trainer named John Maxwell:
John helps owners and sales leaders who are frustrated with sales performance, concerned their people are not effective at opening up new opportunities, worried that they might be losing market share, and fed up with excuses about why sales are not growing.
Use Stories
Be sure to use stories to demonstrate how you've been effective. This is where the careful crafting of your text is most critical. Use PARs (problem-action-results stories) to demonstrate your effectiveness.
More on LinkedIn in future blog posts.
Remember, many people will be looking at your profile to check you out. This can include potential employers and recruiters who get your resume or have heard about you in other ways. It critical that you say something that will impress them.
Just so we're clear, the LinkedIn summary is a section of the profile that allows you space for a narrative about yourself. Here's a few tips to make it effective:
Tell Your Story Your Way
I really like the LinkedIn summary because it frees you from the shackles of the resume, which demands that you talk about your most recent job, the job before that, the job before that, and so on. Instead, you can talk about what's most important to you--and omit what's not important. You can also avoid things that are painful. If your last job was a clunker, you Don't have to mention it. If you have spent most of your career in one area and now you're in a different one, you can focus on your current activities.
Make your summary conversational
The LinkedIn summary also frees you from the formality of the resume. A conversational tone is most effective.
Use All the Space
This section allows you 2,000 characters--not 2,000 words - but characters. Best practice is to use all of them. While 2000 characters might sound like a lot of space, carefully craft your message so that you can talk about yourself powerfully without wasting words.
Convey Your Value
All your marketing materials should convey your value statement. Make sure that people understand what it is that you do and why they might want you, rather than someone else with similar credentials. A good example of this is the summary of a Sales Trainer named John Maxwell:
John helps owners and sales leaders who are frustrated with sales performance, concerned their people are not effective at opening up new opportunities, worried that they might be losing market share, and fed up with excuses about why sales are not growing.
Use Stories
Be sure to use stories to demonstrate how you've been effective. This is where the careful crafting of your text is most critical. Use PARs (problem-action-results stories) to demonstrate your effectiveness.
More on LinkedIn in future blog posts.
Oct 13, 2011 by
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