Your LinkedIn Profile Isn’t a Resume (So Stop Referring to Yourself in the Third Person)

Resume and LinkedIn

So you have a LinkedIn profile summary. That’s great! Many people don’t know what to say in the summary and so they don’t bother — you’re already a step ahead.

The problem is this: your LinkedIn profile is not your online resume. (Tweet this thought.)

While you might use a very formal third-person narrative on your resume, on LinkedIn, that just feels odd to most users.

Imagine sharing coffee with someone. There they sit at the cafe, across the table from you. And they keep referring to themselves in the third person. What would you think?

They’re either insane or completely full of themselves.

 

The Right Way to Talk About Yourself on LinkedIn

Think of your LinkedIn profile as an online avatar of you. As much as your summary sounds like you talking directly to the reader, that’s how much someone is going to be able to relate to you.

Recruiters I’ve spoken with tell me they read 20-100 resumes a day, all written in that very formal resume-speak. When they turn to LinkedIn, they do not want to read more resumes. They turn to LinkedIn to hear the candidate’s voice, feel out who they are and get to know them better.

So here’s the main take-away: Turn the “he” or “she” pronouns into “I,” and re-read your summary. If it still feels stodgy and isn’t using your voice, you’ll probably have to start from scratch.

How have you made your LinkedIn summary a reflection of you? Share in the comments!

This post originally appeared on Career Enlightenment.

Image: Flickr

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