How to Write A Great LinkedIn Summary (With Examples)

In this blog, you will learn how to write a great LinkedIn summary with examples that you can copy from.

More often than not, people either underutilize or misuse the 2000-character limit given for a LinkedIn summary. It is also known as the “About” section. It’s important to note here that recruiters notice the 350-character margin for your summary right after they read your headline, and if it is enticing enough, they’ll read further. 

Why are we going into the specifics? You should know the majority of employers and recruiters in the United States use LinkedIn to fill their most sought-after positions. And, having a winning opening statement is just the beginning.

Read further to know exactly what an “engaging summary” means and how you may have misinterpreted it. Also, what you can do to set yourself apart from millions of LinkedIn users!

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Great LinkedIn Summary Ingredients - Who are you? 

That's the first thing the recruiters look for while reading a summary or visiting a profile, overall. Many a time, we bombard readers with astounding accomplishments throughout our career right off the bat. However, this particular section should be a mixture of personality, skillful achievements, and context into your professional life - all of which, ultimately, make you an expert in your field. You'll see a blend of these attributes in the great LinkedIn summary examples shared below.

This is the only section on LinkedIn that allows you to introduce yourself to recruiters before they move on to your professional experiences, projects, publications, etc. where you'll have to spit only facts. Therefore, make sure to utilize this section to appeal to a company's cultural fit by emphasizing on soft skills, such as ambition, responsibility, leadership, and interpersonal skills. 

I do this by asking a client a few questions during the information-gathering call: 

What is your work philosophy? 

Why do you want this job/promotion? 

What motivates you to be the best at your job? 

The answers to these questions help me create great LinkedIn summary examples.

Grab Their Attention

As mentioned before, the opening statement has to be strong enough to grab their attention. The way I like to do this is by asking myself - what combination of skills do I use to achieve results? What results are these, exactly? Why do I love doing what I do? 

You'll find below a before version of a client's LinkedIn opening statement. 

Before: Results-producing marketing management professional experienced in building brand, driving growth and optimizing profitability in support of business initiatives. 

After having a detailed information-gathering call where we discussed her career history, the challenges she faced throughout it, and the actions she took to overcome them, I noted down several of her key skills and accomplishments to showcase her results-driven personality. 

And this is how I transformed it to a great LinkedIn summary example:

After: As a marketing manager leveraging over 20+ years of experience in direct response marketing and real estate marketing, I drive ROI by translating long-term business goals into data-driven marketing and brand awareness campaigns, customer acquisition and retention programs, and sales growth activities. 

I particularly highlighted her extensive marketing experience. I focused the ROI growth and business development by providing insight into the actions she took to achieve all of it. The reader will want to know more about the "data-driven marketing" she executed, the "customer acquisition and retention programs" she led, and the "sales growth activities" she conducted. The reader will also know for a fact that this is what she is good at and loves doing. 

There are several other ways to grab attention: 

1. Begin with an anecdote. For instance, "Ever since I was a little kid, software development has been my passion. I used to sit for hours and hours in front of a computer..." Opening up to recruiters about your career journey is always a good thing!
2. Start off with a key skill that you're renowned for. For example, "My former boss once sent me an Albert Einstein quotation about being passionately curious, saying I reminded her of this..." This is not only original but features a great compliment from a boss!
3. Begin with what fascinates you about the industry. "The human brain is a crazy place and there are two things the fascinate me most about product and growth marketing..."

Highlight Your Skills & Incorporate Keywords to Write a Great LinkedIn Summary

Recruiters search for a blend of job positions, skills, and other keywords to find the right candidates. Therefore, after a strong opening statement, here is what you need to do: 

1. Identify employee motivators: This varies according to industry. If you're a marketing manager, your primary employer motivators will most likely be retaining and attracting customers. Secondary motivators will be building image and relationships, improving competitiveness, and making money. On the other hand, if you're an IT project manager, your primary employer motivator will probably be solving problems, while your secondary employee motivators will be building relationships and saving time and money. 
2. Pick a primary skill to show off and prove it: After the opening statement, you need to elaborate on a primary skill (according to employer motivators) by stating a relevant accomplishment and how you achieved it as proof. You do this by also incorporating keywords that you listed from various targeted job descriptions. 

I have made it easier for you by sharing some great LinkedIn summary examples below.

Example: 

I also grow brand awareness and customer outreach. For instance, at PG&E, I boosted customer engagement for a $MM clean energy product. To do so, I conducted competitive market research to identify potential client profitability, positioned the product, and developed a market price by collaborating with sales, data science, and product development teams. Moreover, I executed a large-scale launch event, trade shows, PR, and opt-in marketing. 

Growing brand awareness and customer outreach are two of the major marketing employer motivators I wanted to highlight. I, further, prove this statement by emphasizing her ability to conduct competitive research, drive profitability, successfully lead a product media launch, and collaborate effectively with key stakeholders. 

Here are some of the keywords I incorporated:

• Brand Awareness
• Customer Outreach
• Customer Engagement
• Competitive Market Research
• Product Positioning & Pricing
• Event Management
• PR & Opt-In Marketing
• Stakeholder Collaboration
• Teamwork

3. Pick a secondary skill to show off and prove it: The same rules apply! The second skill you select should be relevant to everything you discussed in the opening statement. 

Example: 

Additionally, I led property marketing and management projects. For example, I gained city approval to open a cocktail lounge by planning a community dinner to strengthen relationships, and securing 800 signatures. I then led an interior design project by overseeing architects, engineers, and contractors. I, eventually, sold the property by advertising and coordinating with a commercial broker. 

This client wanted to target real estate marketing jobs as well. Therefore, the second skill I chose was directed towards property marketing. I emphasized on broker relationships, event management, and construction projects. If this isn't the case with you, you can use this paragraph to showcase a second skill to emphasize secondary employer motivators. 

Here are some of the keywords I incorporated:

• Property Marketing
• Relationship Building
• Project Management
• Advertising
• Broker Relationship Building

4. Give a snapshot of your accomplishments: This part is optional. You can select a few accomplishments (according to employer motivators), make sure to quantify them, and briefly state them for emphasis. We do this by giving it a subject heading. 

Example: 

Here is a snapshot of my success: 

- Direct Marketing Management: Scaled a direct mail campaign from 25K pieces quarterly to 5M pieces annually. 

- Outreach Optimization: Pioneered positioning and awareness campaign for a $5M+ green product at PG&E. 

- Sales Growth: Spearheaded ~$8M full-cycle marketing campaigns and grew program enrolment rates.  

This is a good way to show the recruiter briefly all that you are capable of, getting him/her to look further into your professional experiences. Additionally, you can make use of great keywords such as "direct marketing management" and "outreach optimization." It also makes for a strong statement, right before your "call-to-action" conclusion. 

A Call-to-Action Conclusion

Here, you should want to end on such a strong note that the recruiter will want to reach out immediately. This can be done by emphasizing on how you go above and beyond to do more than what you're required to. 

Here are a few CTAs from our great LinkedIn summary examples resources: 

• IT Associate: If you’re looking for someone who delivers best-in-class solutions, specializes in managing UX and design teams, and generates growth, I can be reached via email: anonymous@gmail.com
• Project Manager: If you are interested in working with someone who leads operational improvements and effectively manages projects, budgets, and resources, I can be reached via email: anonymous@gmail.com. 
• HR professional: If you are interested in working with someone who can improve new employee training and engagement while juggling multiple tasks proactively, email me: anonymous@gmail.com.

Keyword Dump

The last part of your summary includes key skills. You need to optimize your profile with keywords for recruiter searches in order to get them to land on your page. You do this by reviewing job descriptions that interest you and take note of the recurring hard skills. Add these words to your summary, too. 

Here's how we add key skills at the end of great LinkedIn summary examples:

Key Skills: Direct Response Marketing | Property Marketing | Campaign Budget Optimization | Online & Offline Marketing | Consumer Database Marketing | Product Media Launch. 

Make sure to keep your tone conversational by telling a story. You may want to check out these tips to attract recruiters on LinkedIn.

Reveal your character by simultaneously highlighting your accomplishments.

Lastly, prove your passion by adding context to your career!

Before you leave, take my secret to engage effectively on LinkedIn. It will help you create meaningful connections that will prove beneficial in the long run. You can also grab my free LinkedIn cheat sheet here.

For more help on revamping your LinkedIn, check out these links:

• LinkedIn Profile Tips Every Job Seeker Should Know
• My secret to engaging effectively on LinkedIn
• 3 important LinkedIn lessons The Witcher taught me

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