Buzzwords, industry jargon and bullet point lists of skills and responsibilities reminiscent of a job description. No prizes for deducing that littering your LinkedIn profile with these common characteristics are unlikely to make
you stand out among the 400 million professionals active on the network.
Taking the time to craft the perfect summary not only makes you up to seven times more discoverable; it also gives you the opportunity to showcase your uniqueness to anyone stumbling across your profile afresh.
everywoman’s personal brand expert Jennifer Holloway describes the perfect
summary as having three key facets.
1. CREDIBILITY
“I learned early on in my career that what motivates me is promoting brands that I truly love. I have more than 18 years’ experience in corporate communications and I have had a fulfilling career because I have chosen to work for brands
that I find inspiring. I work for LinkedIn and I love the brand. Why? Because I can share my professional accomplishments, stay in touch with former colleagues, celebrate the brands I love, and constantly learn.” So begins the summary
of LinkedIn’s Marketing & Communications Director, Catherine Fisher. Her opening instantly conveys not only her experience in but also her passion for her industry.
Jennifer Holloway’s summary begins: “My own personal brand has played a huge part in my career, from my corporate days running press offices to being the boss of my own business. It’s what helps me build relationships, stay on
people’s radars and, ultimately, gain clients like Santander, RBS, Prudential, Asda and Atkins.”
“I’ve started with some credibility – showing I’ve walked the walk,” she describes, in a blog post analysing her content. “[And in the second part] again, I’m building credibility by showing the results of using my brand.”
You can build credibility in much the same way even if you’re just embarking on your career and don’t have years of experience or an impressive client list. Consider the following:
- Why were you chosen out of all available candidates?
- For what reasons did you embark on your chosen career and what work experience did you gain?
- What early achievements are you most proud of?
2. YOUR PERSONAL BRAND
Your personal brand is what people say about you when you’re not in the room. What three words or phrases might first come to your colleagues’ or clients’ minds when they’re asked about you? If you’re unsure, draw on the advice of your
mentor or someone you trust.
Knowing your own ‘keywords’ is only half the battle when it comes to the LinkedIn summary though – a bullet point list of adjectives is as meaningless as a list of responsibilities you perform within your role. Consider how Jennifer
uses her profile to convey what she calls “subtle insights into what makes [me] tick – values and drivers, behaviours and strengths”.
|
From Jennifer’s profile |
Why it’s there… |
|---|---|
|
I’ve been told my ‘double espresso’ enthusiasm is contagious and leaves my audiences’ heads buzzing with ideas to instantly improve their brands. |
“That’s a Behaviour from my personal brand.” |
|
I’ve a knack for pinpointing someone’s USP, then articulating their brand with some savvy wordsmithing and, if required, some straight-talking honesty. |
“Those are aspects of my personal brand – a Skill and a Value.” |
|
As a client from Microsoft said, “Jennifer’s style was very friendly and relaxed, yet her observations were sharp, accurate and merciless”. |
“The testimonial helps to add a final bit of credibility as well as reiterate what I’ve said about my personal brand.” |
The following statements taken from Catherine Fisher’s summary also demonstrate how she conveys her personal brand without resorting to bullet point lists or shoehorning in a series of adjectives.
“I can’t be an authentic storyteller if I don’t actually believe what I am talking about!”
“Working at LinkedIn I get to spend my days doing what I enjoy most, coming up with creative campaigns that tell the LinkedIn story.”
3. THE CONVERSATION STARTER
“These are the nuggets that really add the personal touch – giving an insight into their past or what they do in their spare time – that provide a hook to begin a conversation (and a relationship) on a personal level, not just a
business one,” says Jennifer Holloway.
She highlights the line from her own summary that never fails to get a reaction from people who email her through LinkedIn or approach her at events: “At the heart of personal branding is the understanding that being successful means
being yourself. (Even if that’s admitting you’re a fan of The Archers like I am!)”
Catherine Fisher spends a good chunk of her LinkedIn profile sharing details of a work project and the thinking behind it, which many readers may be able to relate to.
“One of the highlights of my career at LinkedIn was working on a campaign called, Bring In Your Parents. It was an idea we hatched up on the communications team because we all shared a similar experience in that our parents really
had no clue what we do. So we set out to educate parents across the globe – and it worked. There is nothing more rewarding than coming up with an idea, having almost every major national outlet talk about it, and more importantly
seeing the impact it made on employees.”
With this relationship hook, she also demonstrates her credibility (by showcasing a brilliant campaign she formulated with her team) and in a way that reinforces the creativity elements of her personal brand.
