Shakuan
How much information should I put under each LinkedIn section?
I am currently filling out the description section under each of my awards/honors on LinkedIn. How vague should the information be and what is the max number of lines/sentences I should use to describe each award? Should I quote where I got my information from (if I'm noting specifics)?
P.S. I realize this question can apply to all of the sections on LinkedIn! #resume #linkedin
4 answers
Crystal Rodwell
Crystal’s Answer
Hi Shakuan,
My advice is to make your LinkedIn account match your personality. If something is particularly important to you, then you can allot more space to it. If something is important to your growth/career but doesn't inspire you to write much, then do not.
While there is no perfect or maximum number of sentences that you should write, you can write what feels natural and then preview it before you post it. During your preview ask yourself, would I want to read that much about one experience? If the answer is no, then you have too much information there. Edit it down to the most interesting and most important parts and save the rest for talking points during an interview.
Since your LinkedIn page is about you shining brightly, after you the name of honors/awards, I suggest you add a short description in your own words. Using your own words shows that you have the ability to synthesize and restate information (a valuable asset in college and in the office).
Good luck in your endeavors!
Thank you!
Shakuan
Dr. Kelly Desso
Dr. Kelly’s Answer
Profile Summary/About: This area should offer a succinct summary of your professional history, skills, accomplishments, and career goals. Strive for a few brief paragraphs that encapsulate your unique selling points and spotlight significant career milestones.
Experience: Add pertinent work history, emphasizing your latest roles and achievements. Provide sufficient information to give recruiters and contacts a clear picture of your duties, successes, and the influence you had in each role. Use bullet points to emphasize key achievements and quantify outcomes when feasible.
Education: Detail your educational history, including degrees, certificates, and relevant studies. Include the institution's name, degree obtained, and year of graduation. If you graduated with honors or received any specific awards, mention them in this section.
Skills: Spotlight your primary skills and expertise areas. Be selective and include skills pertinent to your desired industry or job roles. You can also endorse other users for their skills and request endorsements in return to enhance your credibility.
Accomplishments: This section enables you to display additional accomplishments, like awards, publications, patents, languages spoken, and volunteer work. Include any relevant honors or recognition you've received throughout your career.
Recommendations: Request colleagues, managers, or clients to write recommendations for you. These testimonials boost your profile's credibility and provide social evidence of your skills and qualifications.
Interests: Reveal your professional interests, like industry associations, organizations, or causes you're enthusiastic about. This can assist you in connecting with professionals who share similar interests and showcase your involvement in your field.
In general, strive to maintain a balance between providing sufficient information to display your expertise and accomplishments while keeping your profile succinct and readable. Customize each section to emphasize the aspects of your background that are most pertinent to your career objectives.
Lara Nural, SHRM-CP
Lara’s Answer
A professional summary is one of the most important areas of your entire LinkedIn profile. It sums up your professional history, qualifications, and personality.
- Opening paragraph: Describe your current position. By opening with this, you are telling your current employer that you are content. This won’t hurt you with recruiters because they will still contact you if they have a suitable vacancy. You may even seem more desirable to them because you are currently happily employed. As you describe your current position, talk about the scope of your responsibility and, if you talk about achievements, talk about them in the context of team achievement (see below for an example). This again conveys that you are not actively looking to promote yourself, but it gives recruiters a good sense of your experience.
- Next paragraph: Give a brief synopsis of your prior experience, again focusing on describing the facts rather than promoting specific accomplishments.
- 3rd paragraph: Describe why you enjoy your work. (This will impress employers but it will also signal to your current employer that you’re content, and will therefore help you keep your search a secret).
- 4th paragraph: Summarize your education and any important work-related qualifications.
- Contact information: Close by saying that you’re always interested in connecting with colleagues or old friends. (If your boss is wondering why you created a LinkedIn profile, here’s your explanation.)
I wish you the best of luck in your endeavors!
Natalie S
Natalie’s Answer
Agree with Crystal's advice on thinking about it from the reader's point of view...ask yourself: what are the key things that a viewer of your profile would want to know? It helps to start from the assumption that they don't know any context about the award/honor, so include:
- WHO assigns the award
- WHAT is it for
- WHY did you get it (a particular project, achievement, etc.)
While every company/Recruiter is different, when I was Recruiting, I looked for clear & concise descriptions that still allowed room for some of your personality to shine through :) In terms of a specific estimate for length of description, I'd say that keeping it down to 1-2 sentences for awards & honors and somewhere between 3-5 bullet points under each "job" or work experience is about right!
Wishing you luck on what's ahead!