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Think of your summary as a cover letter about you; highlight your strengths, interests, and personal traits (driven, motivated, etc.). You’ll want to include your personal brand in your summary. View your summary again. Are you highlighting your brand in your summary? Would a professional get a sense of what you’re interested in pursuing for a career path? (refer to last week’s blog:Branding YOU!) Did you know when you submit your resume to a company, chances are pretty good that they’ll look at your LinkedIn summary next? They want to learn more about YOU.
A few tips on creating a more dynamic LinkedIn summary:
- Take your time writing your summary; it should be an enjoyable read
- Add some interesting details about your business courses and internships and how you developed and strengthened your skills
- Your summary should have around two to three paragraphs, similar to a cover letterInclude your future career goals and how you are building toward that career goal and developing the skills that align with future internships, or full-time roles
- LinkedIn is about connecting with professionals, not like Facebook that shares more in-depth personal details; therefore, keep a professional tone and share information only about your internship experiences, campus involvement , coursework, and strengths
- Share your summary with a family member; they know you well and might suggest additional information about an accomplishment that you may have overlooked
- Before you send your invitation to connect with a professional, ask yourself, Why am I interested in sending this professional an invite to connect?
- By asking yourself this question, your LinkedIn invitation will hit on all the right reasons of why you are reaching out to connect. Professionals representing an industry of interest will be more prone to accepting your invitation when they know your intentions, and how they can be of help.
- Don’t forget to connect with groups on LinkedIn, especially members in the Bentley Alumni Community; it’s a great start to building your LinkedIn network.
Next week’s Career Series topic: A Student’s Branding Story
