The About section is a key part of your LinkedIn profile – it’s where you can showcase your skills, experience and accomplishments to connections and potential employers or clients. With the About section, you have the opportunity to tell your professional story and stand out from other LinkedIn members. But to maximize its impact, you need to know where to find it and how to optimize it. Here’s a quick guide to locating and improving your LinkedIn About section.
Where is the About Section?
When you open your LinkedIn profile, the About section is immediately below your profile photo and headline. On desktop, it runs down the right side of your profile. On mobile, it takes up the top portion of your profile above your experience section.
To access your About section specifically:
- On desktop, click “About” in the menu near the top of your profile
- On mobile, tap the profile icon (your photo) and then “View profile”
- Scroll down below your photo and headline to see your About section
So in summary, your About section is always prominently featured near the top of your profile. LinkedIn wants to make sure visitors don’t miss this important personal summary.
Editing Your About Section
To make changes to your About section:
- Click the “Edit” pencil icon near your profile photo
- Scroll down to the About section and click “Edit intro”
- Make any desired changes to the content
- Click “Save” when finished
You have up to 2,000 characters to tell your professional story in the About section introduction. Take advantage of the space to include key achievements, skills, experience highlights and anything else that makes you stand out.
About Section Best Practices
Follow these tips to optimize your About section:
- Lead with a strong professional headline that summarizes who you are
- List your current job title and company
- Use keywords relevant to your industry or niche in natural-sounding sentences
- Highlight noteworthy projects, awards, certifications or press mentions
- Mention your specialized skills, software proficiencies or thought leadership
- Describe why you’re passionate about what you do
- Tailor your content based on who you want to connect with (recruiters, hiring managers, potential clients, etc)
- Include links to your website, blog, portfolio or publications for more details
An excellent About section quickly communicates why you’re an ideal candidate, connection or service provider. Treat it as a professional elevator pitch highlighting your biggest accomplishments and qualifications.
Customizing Your About Section
Beyond the introduction, LinkedIn provides additional sections in About for you to showcase your skills, endorsements, education, licenses, volunteer work and other details. Here are some ways to take advantage of these extra customization areas.
Featured and Background Photos
Add visual interest and personality to your About section using the featured and background photo areas. Your profile photo will appear in the featured photo spot. For the background photo:
- Upload an image representing your occupation, industry, company or interests
- Use a photo from an event, achievement or team you participated in
- Showcase a project you worked on or created
- Pick an abstract image reflecting your brand, style or personality
A background photo gives visitors a better idea of your professional focus and specialties at a glance.
Skills & Endorsements
Skills and endorsements act like visual keywords for your About section. Add skills to summarize your offerings – these should be niche-specific hard skills (e.g. SQL, project management) rather than soft skills (teamwork, communication).
- List around 10 skills that are relevant to the jobs or roles you want
- Prioritize skills mentioned in the job postings that appeal to you
- Include both current skills and those you want to develop
When connections endorse you for skills, it adds credibility. Don’t be afraid to endorse others in your network and politely ask them to return the favor.
Licenses & Certifications
Showcase professional licenses, advanced certifications or specialized training here. Certifications validate your expertise in a specific skill or industry. List any licenses or certs that:
- Required extensive studying and exams
- Demonstrate your commitment to your field
- Qualify you for employment opportunities or leadership roles
- Had a significant time/cost investment
Including these credentials highlights your dedication to your profession.
Courses
Online and offline courses demonstrate your commitment to continual learning and development. Mention any relevant courses here that:
- Relate to your current role or future career ambitions
- Developed key skills or knowledge
- Earned you an advanced certificate or designation
- Came from a prestigious university or institution
Listing courses shows you actively maintain and build your abilities.
Projects
Showcase important projects and their results in this section. Focus on a few projects that:
- Had measurable outcomes related to your goals
- Involved skills or experience you want to highlight
- Demonstrated leadership, initiative or teamwork
- Made an impact at your company or for clients
- Contributed to a cause or organization you care about
Well-chosen projects let hiring managers and potential partners understand what you can deliver. Quantify results when possible.
Honors & Awards
Earned honors and awards validate your achievements. Mention any prestigious awards or recognition that:
- Recognize excellence in your industry
- Demonstrate exceptional performance, service or leadership
- Show peer, customer or expert approval
- Indicate growth in your career
Honors make great conversation starters and let viewers appreciate your accomplishments.
Publications
If you have any published work, list it in this section with the title, publisher, publication date and a brief description. Relevant publications include:
- Books you authored or co-authored
- Articles published in trade journals, magazines or online
- Research papers, particularly in academic fields
- Blog posts on authoritative sites in your industry
Citing published work provides evidence of your knowledge and proficiency.
Patents
If you hold any patents related to your work, list the patent name, number, date and descriptors here. Patents demonstrate capacity for innovation and execution.
Test Scores
Standardized test scores like the SAT, GRE, GMAT etc are optional here. Only include test scores if:
- You earned exceptionally high scores
- They reinforce skills relevant to the roles you want
- They add prestigious credentials in fields like law or academia
- The rest of your profile lacks concrete metrics or validation
In most cases, test scores aren’t necessary unless you’re a new grad with few other achievements yet.
Languages
Knowing additional languages expands your career possibilities and shows intellectual curiosity. List any languages you’re fluent or proficient in. Include your skill level and certifications to substantiate when possible.
Recommendations
Quality recommendations from managers, colleagues, clients or teachers carry significant weight. Proactively request recommendations highlighting:
- Skills and achievements in past roles
- Positive qualities and performance on projects
- Specific experiences demonstrating your capabilities
- Ways you contributed to initiatives or helped the recommender
Authentic, thoughtful recommendations give credible support for your talents and work ethic.
Organizations
Listing relevant professional associations, societies and groups you belong to shows engagement in your field. Include any organizations you contribute to that:
- Offer valuable networking and development in your industry
- Allow you to support peers or give back
- Enable you to showcase expertise through presentations or leadership roles
- Align with your professional interests and aspirations
Organization memberships highlight your commitment and involvement in your community.
Volunteer Experiences
Share any volunteer work for causes important to you – this conveys your values and service. Describe your role, organization, period and accomplishments. Include experiences that:
- Demonstrate leadership, character or teamwork abilities
- Show dedication to a cause aligned with your principles
- Highlight skills and successes that translate to the workplace
- Exhibit your ability to contribute expertise
Volunteer experience says a lot about what drives you as a person and professional.
Optimizing Your About Section for Recruiters and Hiring Managers
If your goal is connecting with recruiters and getting hired, optimize your About section to showcase your fit and value as an employee.
Emphasize Relevant Skills
Based on the job description, identify the most desirable hard and soft skills for the role. Feature those prominently in your About section using keywords. Back up claims with certifications, projects and endorsements.
Demonstrate Culture Fit
Research the company culture and values. Reflect those qualities and personality traits in your About content. This shows you’re a strong match beyond just skills.
Showcase Relevant Achievements
Pick projects and accomplishments that prove you can excel in the responsibilities of the target job. Quantify results using metrics like percentage growth.
Communicate Why You’re Passionate
Briefly explain what excites you about your work and why you’re pursuing this career direction. This passion and purpose comes across in interviews.
List Transferable Skills
Many of your skills apply across roles and industries. Don’t underestimate experiential skills like communication, analysis and problem solving.
Optimizing Your About Section for Sales Prospecting
If your objective is sales prospecting and thought leadership, craft your About section to effectively engage your target clients and prospects.
Demonstrate Value
Explain how you deliver measurable value to clients based on past results and unique differentiators. Build credibility.
Share Your Niche Focus
Communicate your specific specialty, audience and solutions. A compelling niche attracts perfect-fit prospective clients.
Flaunt Subject Matter Expertise
Use keywords and descriptions reflecting deep industry/topic mastery. Cite related publications, presentations and certifications.
List Client Wins and Testimonials
Social proof builds trust. Mention impressive company clients and highlight positive testimonials from past projects.
Explain Why You’re Passionate
Convey genuine excitement for what you do. Passion attracts people who share your vision and values.
Optimizing Your About Section as a Job Seeker
Crafting your About section strategically is vital for job seekers who want to stand out. Follow these tips:
Lead with a Compelling Headline
Summarize who you are professionally in your headline. Include your current or preferred job title and specialty area.
Showcase Only Relevant Experience
Curate your experience section to feature roles most applicable to the work you want. Omit irrelevant or dated positions.
Demonstrate Up-to-Date Skills
Include a Skills section listing the most in-demand hard and soft skills for your target career path. Get endorsements.
Highlight Transferable Abilities
Soft skills like leadership, analysis and communication translate across many roles. Emphasize these.
Convey Professional Personality
Let your About section reflect positive traits employers seek like self-motivation, positivity and adaptability.
Quantify Key Achievements
Use data to convey the scope of projects you led or participated in. Metrics demonstrate value.
Show You’re a Continuous Learner
Listing recent courses and certifications makes you attractive to employers who value upskilling.
Explain Your Motivations
Briefly describing what energizes you about your next career move builds personal connections.
Check for Typos and Errors
Grammarly is your friend. Don’t let obvious errors undermine your professionalism.
Customize for Each Application
Tweak your About section highlights to match each new job description’s preferred qualifications.
With a strategic About section optimized for your goals, you can maximize your LinkedIn profile’s impact for networking and job hunting. Treat your About as your 30-second pitch to put your best foot forward online.
Frequently Asked Questions
What should you put in your LinkedIn About section?
Your LinkedIn About section should highlight your professional self-summary, experience, skills, education and accomplishments. Include details relevant to the audience you want to connect with – hiring managers, potential clients etc.
How do you write a good About section on LinkedIn?
An effective LinkedIn About introduces who you are, spotlights key career achievements and skills, conveys your personality and aims to attract your ideal connections. Use keywords, data, links and multimedia.
How do you optimize your LinkedIn profile for recruiters?
To optimize for recruiters, highlight transferable skills, emphasize related experience, convey passion for your work, quantify achievements, showcase leadership and proactively connect with recruiters in your target roles or companies.
What should you not include in LinkedIn About section?
Avoid fluff, too much repetition from your resume, irrelevant positions or skills, controversial opinions, overly personal details and anything unprofessional. Keep the focus on your professional brand.
Is an About section necessary on LinkedIn?
Yes, a strong About section is absolutely essential on LinkedIn. It’s your best chance to make an impression and get noticed by presenting your professional self-summary. An empty About looks incomplete.
Conclusion
Your LinkedIn About section is prime real estate for showcasing your best professional self. Make sure you’re taking full advantage by positioning it prominently on your profile and filling it with compelling details and achievements tailored to your goals. A strategic, comprehensive About section helps you put your most impressive foot forward and get found by your ideal connections and opportunities. With a dynamic self-summary optimized for your target audience, you can maximize the impact of your LinkedIn presence.
