How do I write the best LinkedIn summary?
.1. Never leave the Summary section blank!! A blank Summary means that the first thing an employer sees is your Experience section. Your profile will then be like a resume without a Summary statement at the top, or like a term paper without an introduction. How will recruiters and hiring managers know where to focus or what to concentrate on in your LinkedIn profile if you do not point them in the right direction?2. Use all 2,000 characters. If you do not take advantage of this opportunity to write 2,000 characters about yourself, you are missing out on essential keyword optimization. Although the MOST important spots for keywords are your Headline, Specialties and Job Titles, your Summary section counts too. Load it up with keywords that the next recruiter or hiring manager will be searching for! Using all 2,000 characters will also give you an opportunity to implement TIPS #3, 4 and 5 below.3. Tell stories. Share your accomplishments. Everyone likes a good story. If you can grab some attention with something about yourself that we wouldn’t know from your resume bullets, you’re heading in the right direction. Jason Alba in particular suggests writing PAR (Problem – Action – Result) stories in your summary statement. I would recommend including at least one, and also including up to three bullets with your top accomplishments. Can you “wow” a recruiter or hiring manager with one of your experiences or achievements? Why hope that they’ll make it far enough in your Experience section to read about what you’ve done? The Summary is your first chance. Grab it.4. Break it up (with Headers, Sub-Headers and Graphics)! Don’t expect anyone to read a big block of text with no graphic interest. Make it visually easy to read. Also, think of some good headlines and taglines that you can use within your Summary. 5. Include your contact information. Make it easy for people to find you. If you’re comfortable, include your phone number and e-mail. Or just include your email, or perhaps a special e-mail you use just for LinkedIn, so if you get spammed you can easily close the account.
How can I upload a resume on LinkedIn?
I’d recommend not uploading a resume in LinkedIn if you’re looking for a job.Sounds counterintuitive, I know.I don’t have a resume posted to LinkedIn.Never have.In the last four months, I’ve had over 20 interviews, gotten 5 job offers, and accepted one with the largest company in my industry.All of these opportunities have come from LinkedIn.Here’s how I managed this using LinkedIn. This is from another answer I posted recently.Here’s my tips if you want to get a job from LinkedIn:Make sure your profile is at the All Star Level. This means uploading a Great picture, writing a compelling headline, and crafting benefits-driven summary.Identify companies that you want to work for that have open positions.Find the hiring manager using LinkedIn search.Invite that person to connect using a personal message like “Hi Mike, we have several mutual connections in the automotive industry. I’d like to add you to my LinkedIn network.”Once they connect with you, message them directly. Tell them you are interested in a position with their company and why you think you can be an asset. Ask them who you might submit a resume to so it doesn’t get lost in the stack.Do this for every job you’re interested in.I cover a lot of information in my course on how to get more business and leads from LinkedIn. You can watch several of the training videos for free on this page.You can get my 19-step LinkedIn profile check list for free here.I’d recommend doing this instead of uploading a resume.A bit more work, but far greater return.If you still prefer to upload your resume:Save your resume as a PDF.Upload it as a media file under your summary or work experience sections.Here’s where you would do that.
How should my LinkedIn profile differ from my resume?
A LinkedIn profile and a resume are two different things. We have many resumes but only one LinkedIn profile. This is because:A resume is about focus. Positioning yourself for a specific role.A LinkedIn profile is about branding. Positioning yourself in a specific space.This is more than just semantics. Resumes should be diligently tailored to the job being applied for, with extraneous detail taken out. My most successful resumes have been the ones where I was ruthless in culling what was irrelevant, and added detail (including entire new sections) where my qualifications and experience were most relevant to the role. Depending on the company, industry, and even the country - resume lengths can vary significantly. I have used a one pager, and a four pager. Everything about the resume is geared towards one role.LinkedIn profiles are quite a different beast. A LinkedIn profile allows you to emphasize where you want to be, not what you have done. It is very much a forward looking document, in stark contrast to resumes where the focus is on what you have studied or worked as in the past. In addition, in LinkedIn profiles we have the luxury to go into a lot more detail about the people that we are and the types of roles we can fill. Recommendations, endorsements and the profile summary space all have their limitations, but together they work to provide a holistic view of you as a professional. This is a much richer picture than the terse, cut-and-dried and space-constrained content in resumes. Over half of my own LinkedIn profile has nothing to do with qualifications or experience, reflecting that LinkedIn allows you to position yourself in the broader industry space and role where you want to be.As someone introverted who excels in smaller groups as opposed to large networking events, I have personally found LinkedIn an excellent tool for networking and a great companion to my resume. (If anyone was wondering - no I am not affiliated with LinkedIn). But when I receive a job lead or offer, I still head back and re-tailor my resume for that job. They are different tools for different purposes.
Is using LinkedIn useful when job searching?
LinkedIn is great for the job seeker. In fact, it's said that 80% of employers and recruiters use LinkedIn to prospect for new employees. If you want to network with these people, it is imperative that you create a LinkedIn profile! Now here's the thing, it's not enough to just create a profile- you must make sure your profile stands out from the crowd. The best way to do this is to hire a professional to write it for you. Check out LinkedIn-Makeover.com. Once you have a compelling profile, start connecting with the people you already know by uploading your email contact list to LinkedIn. Once you are connected to your alumni and former (and current) employers and colleagues, start joining industry specific groups. Get involved and interact. Connect with the other group members. Answer questions on the LinkedIn Answers section. Connect with the people who are asking and answering questions alongside you. Start researching your dream companies-- places where you want to work. See if you have any shared connections with the employees and use that connection as a reason to send them an invitation to connect. Make sure you visit the “Jobs” section of LinkedIn to view jobs that have been posted directly on LinkedIn. Here's the thing, don't think of it as looking for a job. Think of it as networking! Remember, networking is much more effective than job searching. You are competing with hundreds, maybe even thousands when you are applying for posted positions and so it is really difficult to stand out. On the other hand, when you are networking, you are making one-on-one connections which gives you the advantage! I wish you the best of luck! --Donna