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I am going to keep this post pretty short, just like your LinkedIn profile summary should be. But, if you do not want to read everything here (although, I suggest you do), there are a few things you want to bear in mind. The perfected LinkedIn profile summary always has a call to action. The perfect LinkedIn summary is engrossing and, of course, easy to read. You also need to wrap up everything in less than 250 words (no easy feat).

You only have one chance

Your profile summary is going to be the first impression that people will have of you. If you do not do it properly, you have lost your chance. This is, also, the only part of the profile page where you have full control over it. You have a blank box and you are told to go wild. Your profile summary needs to be professional, yet engaging. If it is not, you are throwing away the chance of making a good first impression.

Your LinkedIn profile summary is your story

It is a story of who you are. It is a story of what you do. You have to, in less than 250 words, show why you are where you are in life and why you are the choice for somebody when it comes to hiring. Many people are tempted to just rattle off their experience. Don’t do this. You will, of course, want to write about experience, but you also need to showcase your brand. Write about it in 1^st person, otherwise it can be a little bit jarring for your readers. At usatoday you can find a few nice templates if you’re looking for inspiration.

Buzz words should not be included

If you are using ‘motivated’, ‘passionate’, ‘creative’, and anything along the same lines, cut it out. They are overused and they really do not demonstrate your abilities. You have plenty of words to choose from, don’t limit yourself to the same words that other people are using.

The less you say, the more you say

Chances are, the people who are reading your LinkedIn profile summary will be incredibly busy. They don’t have time to read tons of text. You should actually avoid using the full 2000 characters you are given to play around with, unless, you actually something of use to say. You have to realize that the vast majority of people reading your profile summary will be doing so in less than 10 seconds. Key points need to be covered only!

Headline

Your headline also needs to be given a bit of thought. It is your headline which will encourage people to actually read your profile summary. We’ll put together a few blog posts about your headline very soon, so we do encourage you to follow us on Facebook to stay updated on new articles.