Your LinkedIn profile is one of the most important aspects of your professional online presence. With over 722 million members worldwide, LinkedIn is the world’s largest professional networking platform and a go-to place for recruiters and hiring managers to evaluate candidates.
An optimized LinkedIn profile allows you to showcase your skills, experience and accomplishments to potential employers and business contacts. It serves as your professional resume that recruiters can access at any time.
But crafting the perfect LinkedIn profile can be challenging. One of the most difficult parts is writing the bio and summary sections about yourself.
In this comprehensive guide, we’ll explore what you should (and should not) include when writing your LinkedIn bio and summary. We’ll also provide tips, examples and best practices to help you create an engaging, professional profile that makes a great first impression.
Why Your LinkedIn Bio & Summary Matter
Your LinkedIn bio and summary are often the first sections hiring managers and recruiters will look at when evaluating your profile. These two sections, which appear just below your name and photo, are your opportunity to make a strong first impression and get noticed.
According to LinkedIn, profiles with completed summaries are 40X more likely to receive opportunities through the platform.
So what should you write in these important sections? Here are some key tips:
Keep it Professional
Your LinkedIn profile represents your professional brand and identity. Therefore, the tone and content you include in your bio and summary should be professional. Avoid using informal language or including personal details unrelated to your career.
Tailor it to Your Audience
Understand that your profile will be viewed by a diverse audience including recruiters, hiring managers, colleagues, clients, and more. Craft your bio and summary to appeal to your target audience.
Focus on Accomplishments
Rather than basic duties, highlight measurable achievements, awards, skills and strengths that would impress recruiters. Quantify your accomplishments with facts and data when possible.
Communicate Your Value
Convey what makes you a strong candidate and how you can provide value to a company or role through your experience, knowledge and abilities. Help the reader understand within seconds why you’d be an asset.
What to Include in Your LinkedIn Bio
Your LinkedIn bio appears just below your name and photo on your profile. It has a strict character limit of 160 characters, including spaces.
Given the tight space, you’ll need to be concise and strategic with the details you include in your bio. Here are some recommendations:
Current Job Title & Company
Start with your current job title and company name. This gives the reader immediate context about your role and industry.
For example: Director of Marketing at ABC Company
Location (Optional)
You may choose to include your location (city and state) or country after your company name. This can help viewers quickly determine if you’re in their geographic area.
For example: Director of Marketing at ABC Company | Miami, FL
Industry Keywords
Incorporate relevant keywords related to your industry, functional areas of expertise, skills and more. This helps your profile come up in searches.
For example: Director of Marketing at ABC Company | Digital Marketing | Social Media | Campaign Strategy
Call To Action (Optional)
You may end your bio with a call to action to engage viewers and direct them to contact you. For example: “Let’s connect!”
What to Include in Your LinkedIn Summary
After your brief bio, your LinkedIn summary section gives you more space to elaborate on your background, qualifications and goals. You have up to 2,000 characters here.
Your summary should serve as a snapshot of your professional profile – almost like aelevator pitch of your career highlights and capabilities.
Here are some key elements to include:
Strong Opening
Grab the reader’s attention with a strong opening sentence that communicates your value. You might state your top strengths, accomplishments, or what makes you unique.
For example: Award-winning marketing leader with 10+ years driving business growth through data-driven digital campaigns.
Career Highlights
Briefly call out stand-out accomplishments, awards, certifications and career highlights that would impress recruiters. Quantify your achievements with numbers/data when possible.
For example:
– Grew social media following from 5,000 to 500,000 users within one year.
– Consistently maintain 5-star client satisfaction rating.
– Reduced cost-per-lead by 35% year-over-year through optimization campaigns.
Core Skills & Expertise
List out the key skills, capabilities and expertise you bring to the table. Include both hard and soft skills relevant to your target roles.
For example: Areas of expertise include digital marketing strategy, campaign management, social media marketing, SEM/SEO, content development, brand management and team leadership.
Industry Keywords
Incorporate strategic keywords and phrases that hiring managers search for when looking for candidates. This boosts your profile’s search visibility.
For example: marketing, integrated marketing, market research, branding, competitive analysis, Adobe Creative Suite, Google Analytics, project management, etc.
Goals/Objectives
Briefly summarize the type of role, industry and/or environment you’re seeking to convey your career ambitions and objectives.
For example: Passionate about leading high-performing marketing teams in fast-paced consumer tech companies. Eager to leverage nearly a decade of Fortune 500 experience to drive growth for an innovative industry disruptor.
Call To Action
End your summary with a call to action inviting the reader to contact you to further discuss your experience and qualifications.
For example: Please reach out to explore working together! I’m excited to bring my proven expertise to your team.
Key Things to Avoid in Your LinkedIn Bio & Summary
Now that we’ve covered what to include in your LinkedIn bio and summary, let’s also look at some key things to avoid:
Typos/Grammatical Errors
Proofread thoroughly to eliminate typos and grammatical errors. These mistakes give the impression of carelessness.
Generic Statements
Vague claims like “Results-driven leader” are cliché and forgettable. Back up your statements with specific examples and metrics.
Overused Adjectives
Avoid overusing superlative descriptions like “exceptional,” “world-class,” or “passionate.” Show why you’re exceptional through concrete evidence.
Exaggerations
Be truthful. Don’t exaggerate accomplishments or make misleading claims you can’t backup.
Technical Jargon
Avoid industry jargon or technical details irrelevant to those outside your field. Keep language simple and clear.
Personal Information
Skip personal hobbies/interests unless highly relevant. Keep the focus on professional qualifications.
| What to Include | What to Avoid |
|---|---|
| Core skills & expertise | Irrelevant personal hobbies |
| Career highlights & achievements | Overused adjectives like “exceptional” |
| Concise job title & company | Typos and grammar errors |
| Strategic keywords | Generic, cliché statements |
| Quantified accomplishments | Exaggerations or misleading claims |
LinkedIn Bio & Summary Examples
Below are two strong examples of LinkedIn bios and summaries showcasing best practices:
LinkedIn Bio Example
Digital Marketing Manager | Google Ads | Social Media | Email Marketing
LinkedIn Summary Example
Results-driven digital marketing manager with 5+ years experience driving growth through social media, SEO and Google/Facebook ad campaigns. Core expertise includes:
– Digital strategy: Developed and executed digital marketing strategies leading to 32% increase in lead conversion rate.
– Campaign management: Managed campaign budgeting, targeting, segmentation and testing using Google Analytics and Facebook Insights data.
– Social media marketing: Grew Instagram followers by 15K and engagement by 48% through influencer collaborations and visual branding strategy.
– Data analysis: A/B tested landing pages and ad variations; analyzed performance data to optimize spend and strategy.
Passionate about leveraging data and platform insights to create targeted campaigns. Eager to take on a leadership role managing integrated digital marketing initiatives from strategy through execution.
Tips for Writing an Impactful LinkedIn Bio & Summary
Follow these best practices to craft an appealing, impactful bio and summary for your LinkedIn profile:
Highlight Relevant Skills & Experiences
Tailor content to the target roles you’re pursuing. Emphasize skills, achievements and expertise most valued by your target companies and recruiters.
Focus on The Reader
Explain how you can add value and solve challenges rather than boasting about achievements. Adopt the reader’s perspective.
Use Strategic Keywords
Research terms and phrases recruiters search for. Work them organically into your bio and summary.
Quantify Achievements
Include facts and figures to showcase your impact, such as percentage increases you delivered.
Proofread Thoroughly
Check for typos, grammar issues and unclear language that could present the wrong impression.
Be Concise
Edit ruthlessly. Tighten wordy sentences and remove extraneous details to use space wisely.
Solicit Feedback
Ask professional connections to review your drafts and provide honest input on areas to improve.
Update Regularly
Revisit your bio and summary quarterly. Add new skills, achievements and goals as your career progresses.
Conclusion
Your LinkedIn bio and summary offer a prime opportunity to make a strong impression on recruiters as they evaluate you for job opportunities. By following the strategies outlined in this guide, you can craft compelling sections that showcase your professional brand and value proposition.
Focus on concise, benefit-driven content that communicates how your qualifications, experience and expertise can benefit a company. Quantify achievements and incorporate strategic keywords. Maintain an engaging, professional tone that gives recruiters confidence in you.
With a fully optimized LinkedIn profile, you’ll be well-positioned to achieve your career goals and connect with the right people and opportunities in any industry.
