How to write your LinkedIn profile About section
One of the most common questions I get asked about LinkedIn profiles is what to write in the About section, and hence this blog will give you a little guidance and some pointers.
There are two core narrative sections in your LinkedIn profile – ‘About’ (about you) and ‘Experience’ (about your work).
It is important to get the ‘About’ section into context before you start writing. If you pause and think about why you like working with someone, what is it about them that makes them stand out to you, and why you select the people you do to work with, it is often not the skills or experience that tops that list, but that person’s approach, outlook, style of communication, and personality.
Yet when we researched over 17,000 profiles over 85% left their personality out – the very reasons that people often pick to work with or employ them – yikes!
LinkedIn gives you 2600 characters (this was expanded from 2000 characters previously) to write about you in this section, and if you’re struggling to think what to write there are some simple steps you can take.
- Ask your friends, family, colleagues, and clients why they like you, what they think you are good at, and why they enjoy working with you.
- Think about what makes you smile at work, that job well done and job satisfaction smile.
- Consider how you got into the role, did you bring the latest academic learning into the role, did you change from one industry into the current one and if so what extra perspective or insight does that add.
- In some professions or roles, it is worth considering why that role matters to you, for example in a marketing or HR role where their focus and impact are often misunderstood. A couple of lines about why the role matters to you and the difference you want it to have really helps.
- Length is terribly subjective as different readers will have different attention spans but as a minimum, I’d suggest three paragraphs and if you are a prolific writer then you might just hit the limit.
- Write your ‘About’ section offline in Word or similar as it lets you edit it, seek some feedback, polish it up and check for spelling (!) before you paste it into your LinkedIn profile.
I hope these tips help you to craft a better ‘About’ section or perhaps revisit your current one and polish it a little more to make it even more like you.
21 March 2022
