According to Harvard Career Experts, two elements make up a powerful Linkedin profile summary: your professional headline and the ‘about you’ section.
Your headline is the first thing people see and is displayed on google. While the about you section shares more about your experiences and expertise.
In other words, a solid Linkedin summary is like the backbone of your professional identity – perhaps your only shot at making a great first impression in this fast-paced business world.
In this blog, we’ll share an example of a perfect profile summary according to HB. Together, we will break it down into pieces so you can write your professional-level summaries for Linkedin and beyond.
NAME: Jessica Yan
PROFESSIONAL HEADLINE:
Research Scientist | Ph.D. Candidate | Data Analytics, Biotech, Pharma
“ABOUT” SECTION:
I’m a research scientist working to better understand how neural activity motivates and shapes human behavior.
My expertise includes project design and management, data analysis and interpretation, and the development and implementation of research tools.
I enjoy generating new ideas and devising feasible solutions to broadly relevant problems.
My colleagues would describe me as a driven, resourceful individual who maintains a positive, proactive attitude when faced with adversity.
Currently, I’m seeking opportunities that will allow me to develop and promote technologies that benefit human health.
Specific fields of interest include data analytics, biotechnology, and pharmaceuticals.
Here’s what makes it a strong profile summary:
1 – You can read this in 60 seconds or less
While autobiographies are lovely, your LinkedIn bio is not the place for them.
When prospects scan through your profile looking for relevant information, you want those points to pop out at them right away—not buried in a sea of personal details.
Learning from Harvard’s example above, keep your summary short and precise so it can be read in 60 seconds or less. If it’s longer than that, trim the fluff out and break up larger blocks of text to make it easy to read and easier to digest.
2 – Professionally written headline highlighting career focus
It’s critical to highlight your career focus in the headline. For example, If you are a digital marketer, do you focus on SEO or Social Media? Do you work with B2B or E-commerce brands?
The more specific you are, the easier it is for the right prospects to hire you. Therefore, call out the things you do well and can back up with outstanding results to prove your expertise.
Here’s another example from Harvard,
BEFORE
Claire Galand
Research fellow at Boston Children’s Hospital
AFTER
Claire Galand
Immunologist specialized in the characterization of immune responses in inflamed tissues | Research Fellow | Boston Children’s Hospital
3 – Includes industry-specific keywords
Among other factors, Linkedin uses your headline, title, and about section in its algorithm.
So to become more visible to your potential prospects, sprinkle industry-specific keywords all over your profile
Don’t overdo it, though. Incorporate them naturally by using popular search terms to describe your skills. If you need help finding the right keywords, check out this video here:
https://www.linkedin.com/learning/learning-linkedin-2022/find-the-right-keywords?autoplay=true
4 – Adds personality into the mix
You don’t walk around like a buttoned-up professional all the time, do you? Briefly share your hobbies or interests so that people can get a fuller sense of who you are
Answer questions about yourself, such as: What makes you unique? How would others describe you? Where is your career headed? Be creative, and feel free to use these sample answers as inspiration.
Helping businesses make their internal and external comms more memorable with video. Son of a beverage distributor and kosher caterer. Always grilling
A Cope Codder since I was a kid, I can find you the right house, bank, builder, school, auto mechanic, and yes, even the right oyster guy.
My colleagues would describe me as a driven, resourceful individual who maintains a positive, proactive attitude when faced with adversity.
Pro Tip: Relate your outside passions to your work if you can
When not working as a content manager, I love to hunt new marketing ideas that make brands millions and share them on my blog.
It’s fun, helps me stay on top of my game, and wins me extra points when speaking with potential clients. Win-Win 😉
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