How to Write a Good LinkedIn Summary: Powerful Tips and Examples

Imagine you were trying to get a job fifty years ago. You would find a job listing in a newspaper, set up an in-person interview, and walk in with your resume to introduce yourself to the company.

Today, LinkedIn has taken the place of the newspaper, your resume, and even that first meeting. Your presence on LinkedIn matters. In fact, 87 percent of recruiters will vet your candidacy by visiting your LinkedIn profile, according to data from Jobvite. So with this in mind, a great LinkedIn profile starts with a fantastic summary.

How to Write a Killer LinkedIn Summary (on a Live Example)

When setting out to write your summary, remember how LinkedIn users will interact with it on your profile. When someone goes to your profile, they’ll scan your title and location, see your photo, and notice if you have under 500 connections. After that, they’ll likely turn to your summary to get to know you. It’s the equivalent of a public cover letter: it gives your contacts a sense of who you are before they read what you’ve done.

Here’s a screenshot of my LinkedIn profile, for those of you following along at home.

Because it’s so visible (and often public), your summary is the best place to capture your potential new contacts’ attention and give them a glimpse of your personality. Therefore, the most important rule of writing a LinkedIn summary is to make it original. You are a unique, talented professional, and your summary should capture the things that make you the greatest social media manager, writer, banker, underwater basket-weaver, etc.

Before you start writing your LinkedIn summary, you should do two things. First, search for leaders in your field, and check out the key terms they use to describe themselves. These keywords will help your profile appear in LinkedIn’s search results. Then, ask yourself these questions, and jot down any surprising things you discover:

• Who am I at work?
• What are the core features and values of my personality?
• What unique perspectives and experience do I bring to my field?
• What original ideas have I brought to the place where I work now?

Here’s a tip: Don’t know which keywords to include? Try googling your job title and see which words are used in job postings, descriptions of your position, and other top search results.

After you’ve generated a few ideas, it’s time to draft. Check out these tips for structuring your summary.

3 Tips for Writing the Best LinkedIn Summary

Summaries don’t need to be long, but you might want to take a moment to plan and write yours. Here are a few tips to make your summary shine:

1 Write your summary in the first person. Unless you’re a celebrity or public figure, we all know you wrote it yourself.

2 Keep it short. Don’t say something in five words that could be said in two. Also, shoot for four to five paragraphs of no more than a sentence or two each.

3 Proofread everything multiple times. Read your LinkedIn summary out loud to make sure it sounds natural and eliminate mistakes.

Here’s a tip: Want a second set of eyes on your LinkedIn summary? Try Grammarly to keep your profile clear and mistake-free.

The Structure of a Good LinkedIn Summary

Authenticity and creativity are the hallmarks of a great summary, which is why most LinkedIn summaries feature distinct sections. Make sure you nail these to make your summary perfect.

The Opening Line

Writing an engaging opening line is key to drawing in potential employers, clients, partners, and contacts. To find your opener, just think: what is the first thing someone should know about me?

If you’re still stumped, try these tips for great first lines, and experiment! If you set a timer for ten minutes, you can probably write fifteen different opening lines. Then it’s just a matter of choosing the one that suits you.

The Pitch

After your first line (or first few lines), you’ll want to explain in the best way possible why you’re a rising star in your field. Remember those keywords we collected above? Now is the time to use them. Tell your readers what you’re passionate about, what you’re good at, and why these things matter.

If you need more help pitching yourself, check out these tips for writing a great pitch.

The Call to Action

After you’ve written three or four concise paragraphs, wrap it up. As you’re closing out your profile, consider the action you want your profile-viewer to take. Do you want them to email you if they’re interested in becoming a client? Do you want them to message you with job opportunities? Do you want them to tweet funny cat memes at you?

Whatever action you want people to take when reading your LinkedIn, list it at the end of your profile. In most cases, a simple “Message me with” or “Email me if” will suffice.

The Proof

Thought you were done with this whole LinkedIn thing? Wrong! Put your work samples where your mouth is.

Many LinkedIn gurus will suggest a “skills” or “strategies” list in your summary, both to pack in keywords and to show your skills at the top of your profile. If you have lots of relevant skills, certifications, or knowledge, feel free to include a list of your abilities. If that’s not your style, never fear! Attach samples of your work below your summary. Show off that video, slide deck, report, or publication that you finished recently. These embeds are very helpful in proving that you know what you’re talking about.

More Excellent LinkedIn Summary Examples

Need inspiration? Here are some real, live LinkedIn summaries you can use to guide your writing. Check them out, then leave your thoughts in the comments below. What similarities do you see between these summaries? Do you see any differences?

The Gold Standard: An Influencer’s LinkedIn Summary

Marianne Griebler is a two-time member of the LinkedIn Top Voices club, and with good reason. Her LinkedIn profile is polished yet original, and she produces high-quality articles on LinkedIn Publisher. Like everything else she writes, Marianne’s LinkedIn summary is top-notch.

What you say about yourself is almost as important as what you actually do.

So what words do you wish you could use? About your business? Your nonprofit? Your career? Your dreams?

If words are failing you, I’m here to help with clear, compelling messages targeted to the audience you want to reach. Maybe you’d like to do the writing yourself, with my coaching; maybe you’d like me to craft the content for you. You decide what makes the most sense for you.

I’m an award-winning marketing communicators strategist, writer and coach with deep experience on both for nonprofit and for-profit sides of the business world. A commitment to research will help us figure out the messages that will have the greatest impact on your audience … and on the goals you hope to achieve.

Contact me to set up a 20-minute call to talk about how I can help you with your messaging:

EMAIL: ______ PHONE: _______ Learn more about me on my website at _____; be sure to look at my testimonials to see what people say about working with me.

Specialties: Marketing communications | Content development | Coaching | Strategy | Branding | Brand management | Message development | LinkedIn | Digital marketing | Social media| Strategic thinking | Public relations | Job search | Project management

Surprising Celebrity: Shaq’s LinkedIn Summary

Shaquille O’Neal may not be the first person who’d come to mind when you think “great LinkedIn profile,” but his LinkedIn is a slam dunk. His summary is engaging, to-the-point, and explains his career transitions well. It’s definitely worth checking out.

During 19 seasons in the National Basketball League, I drove success on and off the court. I developed partnerships with global brands, pursued my academic interests in business and leadership and became the only current or former NBA player to hold three degrees: a bachelor’s, a master’s and a doctorate.

Basketball remains a big part of my life, whether it is providing NBA analysis on TV, serving as part-owner of the Sacramento Kings or appearing as a featured character in the latest video games. Since 1985, every NBA championship team has included a current or former teammate. I guess that makes me the Kevin Bacon of basketball.

Since retiring from the basketball court, I’ve expanded my brand relationships into one of the most diverse portfolios in the business world. As an early adopter of technology, I’ve identified innovative organizations as a serial tech investor. I work with brands that are household names such as Turner Networks, Reebok, IcyHot, AT&T and many other great companies. I also bring my business acumen to like-minded companies as a featured speaker at conferences and events nationwide.

Though I’m best known for basketball and business, my interests have always varied. I’ve released four studio albums and served as a sworn reserve officer in several law enforcement agencies across the country. I’ve collaborated on everything from fashion lines and jewelry to best-selling beverages and foods; from the latest technology products and games to children’s books.

Bonus: My Summary!

Want to see an average, everyday LinkedIn summary? Here’s the text of my summary, which was included above. Let me know what you think in the comments.

As a child, I once loaded up the entire Civil War section of my local library into a wagon, because I was going to write the next great work of 1860s historical fiction.

Although I never published my heavily referential short story, a spirit of intrigue and a voracious love to read have followed me to this day. In all aspects of my life, I gravitate toward three things: rapid innovation, unbridled creativity, and one hell of a challenge. For this reason, my interests range from stop-motion YouTube videos to discussing the sociological impact of comics, the judicious use of Google Analytics filters to the transformative power of the Oxford comma. I’m always in favor of the most effectively creative solution to a problem, even if it requires maximum effort.

Currently, I create engaging social experiences for a community of over 10 million bibliophiles and grammar nerds for Grammarly. Our free writing app ensures everything you type is easy to read, effective, and mistake-free. Want to know more about social strategy, effective creativity, or Grammarly? Message me here or at @allmystars on Twitter.

Improve Your Writing Time with Quick Recipe Ideas

It’s difficult enough for a writer to stay in the zone without the gnawing irritation of hunger pangs. When you’re faced with a writing challenge that requires you to keep your bum in your chair and your fingers on the keyboard for a long stretch of time, having easy-to-grab snacks on hand can be a lifesaver, or at least a means to soothe the rumbly in your tumbly.

via GIPHY

Here are some quick, healthy, make-ahead recipes to help you stay nourished while you’re in the writing groove.

Peanut Butter Protein Balls

I’m writing all day every day, and sometimes deadlines prevent me from having a decent lunch. Protein to the rescue! I created this recipe in an attempt to mimic the (expensive) protein balls sold at my local coffee shack. A couple of these will provide the brain food you need to push through to your project’s finish line.

Ingredients

• 2 cups rolled oats
• 10 dates, pitted
• 1/2 cup protein powder (chocolate or vanilla)
• Pinch of salt
• 1 cup natural (oily) peanut butter
• 1/2 cup agave nectar (honey will also work)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips (optional)

Directions

Place the oats in a food processor (in a pinch, a blender will do) and pulse to process them until you’ve created a fine, flour-like meal. Add the dates two at a time and pulse after each addition until they’re chopped. Add the protein powder and salt and process until everything is thoroughly combined.

Now, add the wet ingredients: peanut butter, agave nectar, and vanilla extract. Process on high until the mix comes together. Add the chocolate chips and pulse a few times to mix them. (This will chop the chips up a bit. If you prefer them whole, stir them in by hand.)

Form the mixture into tablespoon-sized balls and place them on a baking sheet covered with wax or parchment paper. Cover the baking sheet with plastic wrap and place it in the freezer for about ten minutes, or until the protein balls are firm. Once set, you can place them in a plastic bag and store them in the fridge for up to a week . . . if they last that long!

Ch-ch-ch-chia Seed Pudding

Chia seeds have been widely touted as a weight loss miracle, but the jury is still out. One fact is indisputable, though—they’re loaded with nutrients. They provide a concentrated dose of healthy omega-3 fatty acids, protein, antioxidants, and plenty of fiber to help you feel full. You can sprinkle the uncooked seeds on oatmeal or other cereal or add them to savory dishes. (They have a mild, slightly nutty taste.) But my favorite way to eat them is as a pudding.

Chia seed pudding is a bit like tapioca, although the seeds do give it a unique texture and odd grayish color. But ignore the unusual color and dig in—this stuff’s good!

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons chia seeds
• 1 cup non-dairy milk (such as almond or soy)
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Honey or agave nectar to taste

Directions

Making chia seed pudding is more art than science. Feel free to experiment a bit with the seed-to-liquid ratio to get a consistency you like. Just remember that the seeds will swell considerably. Your mixture will look too thin at first, but give it time.

The ingredients above make a basic pudding, which is good on its own, but you can also add flavors or fruit to jazz it up.

Simply mix all of the ingredients together and divide it into a couple of small containers (I use little glass jars with covers from the local dollar store.) Place the containers in the refrigerator for twenty minutes or so. Give the mix a good stir to make sure the seeds are incorporated (they settle) and leave it in the fridge overnight.

When you need a writing snack, eat the pudding plain or top it with your favorite diced fruits, berries, or granola.

Fun chia seed pudding flavors to try

Lots of home chefs are experimenting with tasty chia seed pudding combinations. Here are a few to try.

• Overnight Chocolate Chia Seed Pudding
• Berry Chia Pudding
• Chocolate Peanut Butter Breakfast Parfait
• Mint Matcha Chia Pudding
• Coffee Chia Pudding

Mini Crustless Quiches

I adapted several recipes to come up with this one for mini quiches. Make them up in advance, store them in the freezer, then pop a couple in the microwave for a quick meal any time you need to nom but don’t have time to cook.

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 medium red-skinned potatoes
• 1 medium red onion
• Roasted red peppers (jarred)
• 8 large eggs
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 1/2 cup milk (you can also use water)
• 1 1/2 cup chopped fresh spinach
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Coat a twelve-cup muffin tin with cooking spray or olive oil. Finely dice the potatoes, onion, and enough roasted red peppers to make 1/2 cup.

Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat, then add the potatoes, onion, and roasted red peppers. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Cook until the potatoes are just softened (about 5 min.) Stir in the spinach and wilt for another couple of minutes. Remove the mixture from the heat and let it cool five minutes.

Whisk the eggs in a large bowl. Stir in the cheese, milk, and salt and pepper to taste. Stir in the cooled potato mixture. Divide among 12 muffin cups and bake until the center is set and the quiches are firm but springy to the touch, about 25 minutes. Let the quiches stand 5 minutes before removing them from the tin.

Once they’re cool, you can individually wrap each quiche in plastic wrap, then store them in a large freezer bag. They’ll keep in the fridge for three days or you can freeze them for up to a month. To serve, just unwrap and nuke one for about thirty to sixty seconds on high.

Now, you don’t have to order carry-out in order to keep yourself in the writing groove. All it takes is a little preparation to keep the hunger pangs at bay.

Do You Use a Comma Before “So”?

Should you place a comma before so when it joins two clauses in a sentence? The answer depends on whether the clause introduced by so is an independent or dependent clause. If so begins an independent clause, a comma should precede it, but if it begins a dependent clause, leave it out.

Let’s have a look at how commas are used before so in the middle of a sentence.

Use a Comma with “So” + an Independent Clause

An independent clause is a clause that would convey a complete thought if it were to be set apart as a sentence on its own. In literary terms, it is a clause that can stand on its own two feet. Here is an example of a sentence consisting of two independent clauses.

The eruption of Mount Vesuvius destroyed a great city, but some of Pompeii’s frescoes were preserved in the ash.

There are two independent clauses here, joined by the coordinating conjunction but. Although it would result in a more stilted writing style, each could stand separately as a sentence and still be correct.

The eruption of Mount Vesuvius destroyed a great city.

Some of Pompeii’s frescoes were preserved in the ash.

So is one of seven coordinating conjunctions represented by the mnemonic FANBOYS: for, and, nor, but, or, yet,and so. When these coordinating conjunctions connect two independent clauses, the conjunction is always preceded by a comma.

The grocery store was out of tomatoes, so I borrowed some from my neighbor.

Daniel had the highest score in math in the whole school, so he was made principal for the day.

Simple, right? Not exactly, because one of the seven FANBOYS conjunctions listed above is leading a double life—and it happens to be so.

Don’t Use a Comma with “So” + a Dependent Clause

Socan also be used as a subordinating conjunction to connect an independent clause and a dependent clause. A dependent clause needs an independent clause to form a complete thought.

I ran for shelter when it began to rain.

In this example, when it began to rain could not stand on its own as a complete thought. It leaves the reader asking what happened when it began to rain. After all, it begins with the subordinating conjunction when.

So can also be used as a subordinating conjunction, and when it is used this way, it is not preceded by a comma.

I went to the store so I could buy tomatoes.

Carl studied hard so he could pass the test.

A Quick Trick for Deciding If You Need a Comma before “So”

If you are unsure if you should place a comma before so in the middle of your sentence, try replacing so with “therefore” or “so that.” If your sentence seems to work with a replacement of “therefore” without changing the meaning of the sentence, then so is a coordinating conjunction and should have a comma before it. Let’s revisit one of our examples above.

Daniel had the highest score in math in the whole school, so he was made principal for the day.

Daniel had the highest score in math in the whole school, therefore he was made principal for the day.

The sentence still works, so we know that so is a coordinating conjunction here and is entitled to its comma. So that can be used in a similar way to confirm that so is being used as a subordinating conjunction.

I went to the store so I could buy tomatoes.

I went to the store so that I could buy tomatoes.

Because the substitution works, we know that there should be no comma in the sentence.

Grammar Basics: What Is Grammar Case?

Do you enjoy team sports? Some team positions carry special responsibilities. In hockey, the goalie’s job is to block the other team from scoring. In American football, the place holder steadies the football for the field goal kicker. If you imagine language as a team sport, you can think of grammatical cases as team positions. They tell you the special roles of pronouns. Only three cases are common in modern English—subjective, objective, and possessive.

The Subjective Case

When a pronoun is the subject of a clause or sentence, it is in the subjective case. Therefore, the pronouns I, you, he, she, it, we, they, and who are subjective case pronouns.

The Objective Case

Pronouns that serve as objects of verbs or prepositions are in the objective case: me, you, him, her, it, us, them, and whom.

The Possessive Case

With nouns, you usually indicate possession by adding an apostrophe and the letter S (or just an apostrophe, in the case of most plural nouns). Pronouns demonstrate possession by using possessive case forms. There are two types of possessive pronouns. Possessive determiners (my, your, his, her, its, our, their, whose) and absolute possessive pronouns (mine, yours, his, hers, ours, and theirs).

Did you notice that some of the pronouns appear in more than one case? Just as an athlete might enjoy more than one sport, pronouns can be versatile too. It’s interesting to learn about the different ways individual members contribute to the team, and it’s cool to know the grammatical cases!

Does Cursive Still Matter for Children?

By Laura Wallis for The Stir by CafeMom

When I was a kid my family moved a few times. Once, I had just started the third grade, and my class was beginning the cursive writing unit. When I arrived at my new school, that lesson was already done. So I was left to teach the skill to myself, by following the letter charts above the blackboard.

To this day, my handwriting is atrocious. But does it really matter? Do kids even need to learn cursive in school anymore? Almost all communication is digital these days, and schoolwork and note-taking are largely done on laptops after the early grades. Because federal common core standards don’t include cursive writing, and because test prep is taking up an increasing chunk of classroom time, many states have let it fall off the curriculum.

But personally, I’d rather see a little less test prep and a little more of the nearly lost art of good handwriting. Cursive is still taught at my kids’ elementary school, and I was delighted when my third grader came home with his newfound ability to write his name in script. Here’s why:

If you can’t write cursive, you may not be able to read it either.

My husband recently came upon a stack of letters his dad wrote to his mom when they were first courting, about fifty years ago. They were good old-fashioned love letters, and each was written in the nicest penmanship I’d ever seen. I want to save these and pass them on to our kids one day. I’d like them to be able to decipher them. Same goes for letters from grandparents and other older relatives and pen pals, as well as old documents that have historical value. For kids who have never been introduced to script, some of these may as well be in a foreign language.

Writing longhand still happens in the adult world.

I was famous around my old office for my chicken-scratch on editorial proofs and other documents that required handwritten comments. It’s not a good thing to be famous for. It’s also a great way to ensure mistakes get made. And while neat printing solves that problem, when you’re in a rush, neat printing can fall by the wayside. Clear cursive is faster to write and easier to read than printed chicken-scratch.

Writing by hand can help with learning.

Some studies in the last few years have found that when students take notes by hand rather than typing on a laptop, they retain more information. What’s more, an article earlier this year in Psychology Today pointed out that writing in script can help with cognitive development, fine motor skills, and hand-eye coordination—much like learning to play a musical instrument does. That seems worth the time spent on handwriting lessons to me.

It’s worth taking the time to make things beautiful.

This one is harder to argue when it comes to scarce classroom time, but there is something very beautiful in a hand-written letter, in a unique and ornate signature, in a place card made out by hand. My kids are proud of their ability to write sophisticated cursive letters, and it’s a skill that, even now, so many years after elementary school, I wish I’d had the chance to master.

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Laura Wallis is a freelance writer and editor specializing in all things family, home, food, and health. She currently lives in New Jersey with her husband, two children, and dog—none of whom take grammar as seriously as they should. She writes for The Stir by CafeMom.