Your Progress
Week 2: Be the Popular Kid
How to Write a Summary that Sparkles & Shazams
Video Time: 6 Minutes Action Time: 30 – 60 Minutes
Video Time: 6 Minutes
Action Time: 30 – 60 Minutes
Just like people, summaries are not “one-size-fits-all.” You want to make yours unique to you and your dream job. So, determine your audience and utilize the personal brand that you’ve been creating from Week 01! Your summary should be around 3 short paragraphs.
The first paragraph should be your purpose/expanded elevator pitch. The second paragraph focuses on your career/experience. The third paragraph can be more personal, you can expand on your interests and hobbies outside of your career goals.
Just like people, summaries are not “one-size-fits-all.” You want to make yours unique to you and your dream job. So, determine your audience and utilize the personal brand that you’ve been creating from Week 01! Your summary should be around 3 short paragraphs.
The first paragraph should be your purpose/expanded elevator pitch. The second paragraph focuses on your career/experience. The third paragraph can be more personal, you can expand on your interests and hobbies outside of your career goals.
For example, you might say, “Having part-time positions in both philosophy and mathematics, I’m the modern-day Descartes that your team has been missing! I understand the important connection between geometry and “I think, therefore I am.” I use my dual perspective to solve problems in ways that others may not have considered. I’m also the proud dog mom to Sadie the terrier mix. To talk philosophy or share best dog hacks, please connect with me on LinkedIn!”
When writing your summary make sure to research and
insert keywords. Keywords are what you type into Google (or other search engines) when you are looking for pizza! “Pizza near me” is something I type in at least once a month! When I type that into the search bar, millions of options will pop up. Do you know which one I notice first? The ones on the first page of Google! As we mentioned earlier, LinkedIn is a search engine just like Google! A keyword can be industry-specific and may contain terms about degrees, certifications, skills, or languages you speak. It also could be industry-specific acronyms.
For example, you might say, “Having part-time positions in both philosophy and mathematics, I’m the modern-day Descartes that your team has been missing! I understand the important connection between geometry and “I think, therefore I am.” I use my dual perspective to solve problems in ways that others may not have considered. I’m also the proud dog mom to Sadie the terrier mix. To talk philosophy or share best dog hacks, please connect with me on LinkedIn!”
When writing your summary make sure to research and insert keywords. Keywords are what you type into Google (or other search engines) when you are looking for pizza! “Pizza near me” is something I type in at least once a month! When I type that into the search bar, millions of options will pop up. Do you know which one I notice first? The ones on the first page of Google! As we mentioned earlier, LinkedIn is a search engine just like Google! A keyword can be industry-specific and may contain terms about degrees, certifications, skills, or languages you speak. It also could be industry-specific acronyms.
Writing Time!
Your LinkedIn Summary should come out to about three short paragraphs:
1
The first paragraph should be your purpose/expanded elevator pitch.
Use this space to give meaning to why you are in your career as well as what you do! Here is Superb Porpoise’s first paragraph.
I have been in the water for as long as I can remember, and one of the most important and prevalent issues I have faced as a water-dwelling professional is the cleanliness of my environment. Let’s face it: Humans are messy creatures, and pollution has become a big, dirty, stinky problem. There’s nothing worse, after all, than biting into a trash bag, thinking it’s a fish! That is why I am a Water Engineer, with a special focus on making sure our water–and the infrastructure that surrounds its use–is reliably clean.”
2
The second paragraph focuses on career and/or experience.
This is where the meat and potatoes of your summary happen. Here you focus on the skills you bring to the table! Here’s where Superb Porpoise stands:
“With over 10 years of experience as an engineer and even more as a water tester, I have designed and reworked many water treatment facilities and processes, built flood defense structures around the world, managed skilled water cleanliness teams, and brought life to advanced water sewerage infrastructure with the ease that others of my kind might bounce a ball upon their nose. Managing budgets and ensuring my projects are completed in accordance to their timescales is also within my purview, and you might say I have a solid radar for current environmental issues that affect my field.”
3
The third paragraph can be more personal!
You can expand on your characteristics, hobbies, and personality traits.
“As a member of the porpoise family, I love to swim and practice water acrobatics. I volunteer coach for Deepsea University’s water polo team, make a mean clam chowder, and my favorite phrase is “holy mackerel!” If you’d like to have a chat about the differences between porpoises and dolphins, learn how to become a Water Engineer or Water Quality Tester, or just want to test out a good joke, connect with me on LinkedIn and I’d be happy to talk to you!”
Examples
“As a lifelong gamer, I love to go to championship gaming competitions to strut my stuff, paddle board on sunny Mississippi River days, and practice my guitar. If you are interested in sharing sheet music or want to know more about my expertise, please connect with me on LinkedIn!”
When Writing Your Summary
DONT
- Use unnecessary detail (such as names of family members).
Ex. “… in my spare time I brew toilet wine with my brother-cousin, Jebediah.”
- Use inflammatory phrases.
Ex. “… and I believe the south will rise again!”
- Advertise activities that will paint you in a negative light.
- Ex. “… and I will bring the same attitudes to your company because after all, insider trading really is the future…”
Examples
“As a lifelong gamer, I love to go to championship gaming competitions to strut my stuff, paddle board on sunny Mississippi River days, and practice my guitar. If you are interested in sharing sheet music or want to know more about my expertise, please connect with me on LinkedIn!”
When Writing Your Summary
DONT
- Use unnecessary detail (such as names of family members).
Ex. “… in my spare time I brew toilet wine with my brother-cousin, Jebediah.”
- Use inflammatory phrases.
Ex. “… and I believe the south will rise again!”
- Advertise activities that will paint you in a negative light.
- Ex. “… and I will bring the same attitudes to your company because after all, insider trading really is the future…”
Don't Forget Those Keywords!
Pepper the keywords that you want to be known for throughout your profile and you’ll get the attention of others who want your talents on their team.
Check out the next episode on more info about how to present your experience. This is getting really exciting! See you there.
Remember!
LinkedIn is a search engine just like Google! Research and insert keywords. Keywords are what you type into Google (or other search engines) when you are looking for something specific. It may contain terms about degrees, certifications, skills or languages you speak. It could also be industry-specific acronyms.
Putting Your New Summary In Your LinkedIn Profile
Now that you’ve written that summary, it’s time to actually put it in your profile! Here are the steps to take to get it in there:
1
From your dashboard, click on either your potrait on the left-hand side of the screen or the “View Profile” option under the “Me” menu on the top bar.
1
From your dashboard, click on either your potrait on the left-hand side of the screen or the “View Profile” option under the “Me” menu on the top bar.
2
Click on Add Profile Section, and then in the dropdown under About, click the plus sign next to Summary.
You may have to expand the About section by clicking on it to reveal the Summary option!
2
Click on Add Profile Section, and then in the dropdown under About, click the plus sign next to Summary.
You may have to expand the About section by clicking on it to reveal the Summary option!
3
In the window that pops up, copy and paste your whole summary into the text field.
3
In the window that pops up, copy and paste your whole summary into the text field.
4
Click Save.
4
Click Save.
5
Check out your sweet new summary!
It’ll now be on your profile near the top!
5
Check out your sweet new summary!
It’ll now be on your profile near the top!