According to LinkedIn, junior Recruiters spend up to 23 hours weekly on LinkedIn, while more experienced Recruiters can spend up to 15 hours. With over 20 years of recruitment and staffing experience under my belt, I can tell you these statistics are pretty accurate.
Our team is on LinkedIn every day, scrutinising the LinkedIn profiles of prospective job seekers – and our clients are too!
So, here’s my hot tip for those who want to create or update their LinkedIn profile: the most overlooked but valuable section on your LinkedIn profile is your summary (i.e., the ‘About’ section).
Writing a unique summary is one of the best ways to make your LinkedIn profile stand out. You can quickly alert prospective recruiters and employers of your key skills, experience, and any area of specialisation. And if you write it well, you can add a human touch and your personality to your profile.
If writing about yourself makes you nervous, don’t stress. I will provide you with a simple breakdown that will help you create an impressive summary – you can thank me later.
First, start with why
Your LinkedIn profile summary aims to share your career story using a relatable, human, and smart-casual tone. Reading it aloud is easy to check if you’ve achieved this. Does it sound like how you would talk?
Hook them in with your opener
As outlined in our advice about creating a strong LinkedIn profile, after the first 65 words or so, what you write is cut off, and anyone reading your profile must choose if they want to continue.
That’s why it is essential to hook your audience with a strong opener.
Here are some ideas for your opener:
- Showcase your personality or passion
- Outline your why – what motivates you? Why do you do the work you do?
- Share your origin story or relevant anecdote
Showcase your skills and experience
Don’t be afraid to show off and indulge in a bit of a humble brag. It’s one of the few occasions where it’s OK to make it all about you.
- Highlight who you work with and how you can add value.
- Include any niche industries you’ve worked in or areas of specialisation.
- Consider your audience: what will interest prospective employers you wish to work with?
- Share your accomplishments, skills, talents, qualifications, and training.
- Consider providing data to back up your results and prove your expertise.
Don’t forget to include keywords
Include keywords relevant to your industry so you can be found. You could have a separate section dedicated to keywords (see below example).
Finish with a call to action
Be specific about what you wish to achieve. For example, are you available and want to be contacted about new job opportunities? Or are you interested in growing your network and connecting with individuals who share your professional interests?
Make it easy to read
A simple way to improve readability is to break up large blocks of text with line and paragraph breaks. You can also use bullet points.
There you have it! A simple structure to write a standout LinkedIn summary. I’ve outlined mine below as an example for you to review. Now have a crack yourself.
Chief Operating Officer
Clicks is an award-winning IT recruitment specialist. As Australia’s favourite recruiters, we help candidates in Melbourne, Brisbane, Canberra, and Sydney find great opportunities each day.
