Why is a Good LinkedIn Summary Important and How to Write One

Struggling to write a good LinkedIn summary? This blog is a guide to help you with practical examples of well-written summaries and insights to help you stand out and make a lasting impression on potential employers and professional connections. These include highlighting your key skills and accomplishments and showcasing personal values and goals, among other things.  

Why a Good LinkedIn Summary is Important

First Impression: This is the first thing a visitor to your LinkedIn profile will notice. It gives them a brief overview of your background, activities, and potential contributions to the organizations.

Showcasing Strengths: Your summary helps highlight your strengths, abilities, and experiences to set you apart from the competition.

Search Engine Optimization: A well-written summary with pertinent keywords can boost your ranking in search results.

Networking: Using your summary to introduce yourself to potential contacts and connect with other experts in your field makes for a great networking strategy.

Differentiation: A well-written summary can highlight your particular value to a field or industry.

Hence, having a good LinkedIn summary creates a favorable first impression, helps showcase your brand, increases your visibility in search results, and helps you stand out from the competition.

How to Write a Good LinkedIn Summary

Start with a Purposeful Approach

Establish the goal of your summary: What do you want your audience to take away from this? Are you attempting to highlight your knowledge or expertise? Are you trying to connect with other businesspeople in your field? Be specific with your goals.

Activate Their Interest

Start with an attention-grabbing headline or opening paragraph that compels the reader to continue reading.

Define Your Special Selling Point

Describe your Unique Selling Proposition (USP) or how you differ from competitors in your industry. Declare your area of expertise and highlight your strengths, abilities, and experience.

Write in the First Person

Write a summary using the first-person narrative to establish a more intimate connection with your readers.

Use Concise Language

Avoid industry jargon or buzzwords that might be confusing or off-putting to your readers; use clear, concise language instead.

Show, Don’t Tell

Use examples and stories to illustrate your achievements and demonstrate your skills and experience.

Use Keywords

Incorporate relevant keywords into your summary to optimize it for search engines; this makes your profile more visible to recruiters and potential employers.

Add Multimedia

To make your summary more exciting and visually appealing, consider including multimedia components like images, videos, or links to your portfolio.

Keep it Current

Update your summary frequently to reflect any changes to your professional aspirations.

End with a CTA

A clear Call to Action (CTA) after your summary will entice readers to contact you, visit your website, or proceed to the next professional development phase.

What Should You Put in the LinkedIn Summary Section

A succinct and interesting overview of who you are, what you do, and what you can offer should be included in your LinkedIn summary. These include:

• Professional Headline: Begin with a compelling headline that briefly describes your current position or area of specialization

• Special Selling Point: Describe your special qualities and why a potential employer should get to know you or hire you. Pay attention to your abilities, accomplishments, and experiences that set you apart from other professionals in your field

• Education and Prior Experience: Give a succinct overview of your professional background; mention your training, previous employment, certifications, or honors

• Personal Brand: Describe your work style, personality, and values in order to highlight your personal brand

• Aspirations and Objectives: Give the readers a sense of your direction and your desired outcomes by sharing your professional aspirations

• Industry Insights: Share knowledge, advice, and trends related to your industry to show that you are well versed in your field

• Multimedia Content: To make your summary more interesting and visually appealing, consider including multimedia components like images, videos, or links to your portfolio or personal website

ALSO READ: How to Present Your Job Change Reasons in Your Resume: Top Tips

LinkedIn Summary Examples

Since we now have a rudimentary understanding of how to write a good LinkedIn summary, let’s look at some good and bad LinkedIn summary examples:

Example of a Poor LinkedIn Summary

A proven track record of high accomplishments in a variety of areas, as well as the ability to drive change. I am a highly organized person who believes in empowerment and teamwork. Also, I am highly adaptable, have a strong business sense, am a good communicator, am results-oriented, and am optimistic. I worked as a Software Engineer in India and am now looking for new opportunities.

Example of a Good LinkedIn Summary:

I am a Software Engineer at XYZ company and have 5+ years of experience managing teams of 50–100 people, overseeing more than 30 projects with budgets ranging from $100,000 to $1.7 million. I worked as a Machine Learning Engineer at ABC company and on projects that used IBM Lotus Notes Domino, IBM WebSphere, and Microsoft.NET technologies. Please contact me if any new opportunities arise.

What Makes the Above Summary Effective?

1. The candidate has supported each skill with facts and figures to demonstrate their accomplishment.
2. In a few lines, the candidate has covered information about their current and previous work experience.
3. The summary includes their areas of expertise and skills, so that if a recruiter searches LinkedIn for candidates with these skills, their profiles will appear higher in the search results.

We’ve also provided two examples of sound LinkedIn summaries from professionals at different points in their careers: 

LinkedIn Summary for Beginners

As a recent computer science graduate with expertise in Java, Python, and C++, I am driven to create innovative software solutions that address real-world issues. I am a collaborative team player with excellent problem-solving skills who has experience developing mobile apps and web-based systems. My personal values of integrity, accountability, and transparency guide me in all of my work, and I am driven to deliver results on time and within budget. While continuing to learn and grow as a professional, I am looking for new opportunities to apply my skills and contribute to the technology industry.

LinkedIn Summary for Experienced Professionals

I have a proven track record of delivering high-quality software solutions for complex projects as an experienced computer science professional with six years of experience at Amazon and Facebook. My knowledge of Java, Python, and C++ has enabled me to excel in developing web-based systems and mobile applications. I am a team player with strong communication skills who thrives in collaborative settings. My personal values of integrity, excellence, and innovation drive me to improve and surpass expectations constantly. I am now looking for new opportunities to advance my skills and experience and make a significant contribution to the industry.

A good LinkedIn summary is a great way to introduce yourself and your skills to potential employers or clients. By including relevant information and proofreading it, a well-written summary can help you stand out from other applicants. Do explore Emeritus’ course page to learn more about various learning opportunities to fast-track your career. 

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