Writing a WOW LinkedIn Summary

Writing a WOW LinkedIn Summary
by Megan Koehler, CARW
Your LinkedIn profile isn’t going to do you any good if you can’t get people to read it. So, how do you do that? With a powerful opening summary that whets their appetite and makes them want more. LinkedIn gives you the opportunity to market yourself in a broader sense and is so much more than a traditional resume so take advantage of it by letting some of your personality show through. There are 2,000 characters available to you for your summary so choose them wisely! Not enough for a life story but plenty of space to promote your brand, highlight your value and market yourself. To start off you need something that will get your readers attention and make them to want to keep reading. You don’t want to sound like everyone else so bring attention to the attributes that set you apart. Here are just a few examples: My sales success is directly related to the invigorating, inspiring and vigorous approach I apply to every endeavor. I’m an expert in marketing and project management but what sets me apart from the masses is my unique ability to see things from both a creative standpoint as well as a business perspective. I consider myself a citizen of the World, having lived and worked in Spain, Nigeria, Portugal, Italy, Germany, Belgium, UK, France and the United States. While many others describe themselves as persistent, tenacious and determined I would guess that few can back up those claims with the solutions driven expertise that I have become known for. Your summary is a great place to talk about career accomplishments; you might not have room for all of them, but a few select accomplishments that show what you’ve done and what you can replicate for potential employers will have an impact on your reader. Look at other profiles of individuals in similar positions. This will give you a good idea of what’s out there and how to make your profile stand out. See what they’ve done, what you like and what you don’t like. Make sure you use industry specific keywords. This will increase your chances of showing up in a search. Keep an eye on the statistics of your page that show how often you have turned up in search results. Play with your profile and monitor those results until you hit a winning combination. ----------------------------------------------------------- Megan Koehler is the owner and lead writer at ContempoResume. As a Certified Advanced Resume Writer and personal branding strategist, she enjoys collaborating with clients to leverage their value proposition and promote their personal brand through powerful, strategic and customized resumes and social networking profiles. Megan has worked with clients throughout the world in all industries and career levels to help them achieve their professional goals.

Your LinkedIn profile isn’t going to do you any good if you can’t get people to read it. So, how do you do that? With a powerful opening summary that whets their appetite and makes them want more. LinkedIn gives you the opportunity to market yourself in a broader sense and is so much more than a traditional resume so take advantage of it by letting some of your personality show through.

There are 2,000 characters available to you for your summary so choose them wisely! Not enough for a life story but plenty of space to promote your brand, highlight your value and market yourself. To start off you need something that will get your readers attention and make them to want to keep reading. You don’t want to sound like everyone else so bring attention to the attributes that set you apart.

Here are just a few examples:

My sales success is directly related to the invigorating, inspiring and vigorous approach I apply to every endeavor.
I’m an expert in marketing and project management but what sets me apart from the masses is my unique ability to see things from both a creative standpoint as well as a business perspective.
I consider myself a citizen of the World, having lived and worked in Spain, Nigeria, Portugal, Italy, Germany, Belgium, UK, France and the United States.
While many others describe themselves as persistent, tenacious and determined I would guess that few can back up those claims with the solutions driven expertise that I have become known for.

Your summary is a great place to talk about career accomplishments; you might not have room for all of them, but a few select accomplishments that show what you’ve done and what you can replicate for potential employers will have an impact on your reader.

Look at other profiles of individuals in similar positions. This will give you a good idea of what’s out there and how to make your profile stand out. See what they’ve done, what you like and what you don’t like. Make sure you use industry specific keywords. This will increase your chances of showing up in a search.

Keep an eye on the statistics of your page that show how often you have turned up in search results. Play with your profile and monitor those results until you hit a winning combination.

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Megan Koehler is the owner and lead writer at ContempoResume. As a Certified Advanced Resume Writer and personal branding strategist, she enjoys collaborating with clients to leverage their value proposition and promote their personal brand through powerful, strategic and customized resumes and social networking profiles. Megan has worked with clients throughout the world in all industries and career levels to help them achieve their professional goals.