Tell me a story. Draw me in. Compel me to want to read more. “Once upon a time” or “Measure twice, cut once” will grab my attention.
Your LinkedIn profile is a critical element in your professional profile. It is not your resume. It gives you ample opportunity to showcase your creativity, ability to use language and highlight your impact. I, personally, don’t want to see a resume bullet in a LinkedIn profile. I want to know that you understand
- Who you are and what makes you unique
- Who I (your customer) am through strategic keywords that reflect your interest in my industry
And I want to be left feeling like, “Wow. That’s someone I really want to talk to.”
Each component of your LinkedIn profile is important, but what leads me to stay on your page and not click away is your summary. This is where you begin your story – chock full of words that speak to me – and ensure that I will take the time to scroll down your page to the very bottom. If it’s good enough, I might even join the groups you are in!
This kind of profile will bore me. I may not even make it to the third sentence.
“Hi, I’m Kim, and I’m a junior accounting major. I enjoy being involved on my campus through clubs and learning about business in general. I have a GPA of 3.8 and completed an internship at KPMG last summer in audit. I hope to be an auditor someday. I’m currently a teaching assistant for Managerial Accounting where I assist the faculty and help students with homework while also grading exams. I’m building my teamwork as a VITA volunteer and enjoy mentoring others.”
Let’s break this down and see what I, a potential employer or recruiter or networking connection, is thinking:
“Hi, I’m Kim and I’m a junior accounting major. I enjoy being involved on my campus through clubs and learning about business in general. (Really? How has what you’ve learned so far in accounting excited you – or how does it link to some other business concept?) I have a GPA of 3.8 (Ok, that’s good!) and completed an internship at KPMG last summer in audit. (Fantastic! What was your biggest accomplishment in the internship? What insight did you gain?) I hope to be an auditor someday. (Wow, that’s a surprise! WHY – what’s so interesting about this to you because I’m recruiting engaged, smart future auditors.) I’m currently a teaching assistant for Managerial Accounting where I assist the faculty and help students with homework while also grading exams. I’m building my teamwork as a VITA volunteer and enjoy mentoring others. (Ok, this is good too, but ‘yawn.’ I think I’ll move on.)
This, unfortunately, is how many student LinkedIn summaries read. Bland. Not engaging, and many profiles that follow this kind of summary are also not well developed.
Now, let’s look at a profile that will keep me reading and wanting more.
Gather + Nurture + Ideate + Facilitate + Craft + Execute = Delighted Constituents (This is unique! The intentional use of keywords that reflect both the student’s brand AND what I might be seeking in a candidate.)
Legend has it (The story begins…) that as a pre-schooler, once a month, I would arrive early, eager to create an atmosphere that welcomed my classmates with a “pretend” breakfast, complete with menu, a cash register and currency. It was thrilling to watch the delight on the faces of my peers while executing this monthly event as well as ring up the cash register and handle the details. (You’ve GOT me.) It’s clear to me that this was the beginning of my business orientation, a direction that would eventually lead me to the choosing a top business school for my undergraduate studies.
I declared Management for my major as a default. Management was a chance to explore things that were interesting. HR? Project Management? Account Management? Sponsorship Development? There was no clear path. What I’ve learned is that relationships matter to me. Connecting others in everyday, social and inspirational settings brings me immense joy. (Now I want to meet this person. Genuine personality is very clear!)
My greatest achievement (Yes, tell me about this!) thus far and the effort that most reflects my passion is the launch and evolution of the Women in Business Conference. The success of this event and its growing brand recognition are the result of hard work, long nights, challenging conversations and ultimately, a vision to create something that brings delight to others.
Account management, working with clients and bringing ideas to life is where the next part of my journey is headed. How can I deliver strategically planned, client focused results for you? (Of course you can — let me connect in LinkedIn and get to know you better.)
Why this is excellent:
- It’s just plain fun!
- It’s written in first person.
- It uses emotion.
- It speaks of accomplishments.
- It’s loaded with event planning industry keywords.
- And, it has a call to action at the end.
Spend time to craft a unique LinkedIn summary. Forbes contributor, William Arruda, provides clear guidance on how to create a summary that will stand out, and for more insight into using advanced LinkedIn Strategies, www.LinkedInsights.com will provide terrific ideas to help ensure your profile doesn’t get passed over.
