March 21, 2024
9: How to Write a LinkedIn About Section That Supports Your Narrative
Is your LinkedIn profile actually written to connect with your reader? Do you have a LinkedIn Headline that communicates what you do, the context you do it in, and the impact of your work?
If not, give Episode 8 a quick listen
Then listen to this episode and find out how to write an engaging LinkedIn About section that will give your reader confidence that the claims you're making about yourself in your Headline are true. After all, your reader could be a potential hiring manager or an executive recruiter holding the keys to your career advancement. Are you really going to serve them up a list of repurposed resume bullets? Or worse, a generic list of skills? You can do better.
🎧 Take control of your narrative and advance your career — subscribe to the podcast!
🤔 Need a thought partner with experience as a Fortune 100 hiring manager, an executive recruiter at a top firm, and a coach at Harvard Business School? Schedule a Career Strategy Session with Doug
❎ Avoid making 3 common mistakes with executive recruiters
📸 Improve your executive presence on Zoom
Transcript
WEBVTT
00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:12.240
In the last episode of the podcast, that was Episode Eight, How to Communicate Your Narrative in Your LinkedIn Headline, I challenged you to revisit the Headline at the top of your LinkedIn profile.
00:00:12.692 --> 00:00:19.652
Would a reader who might potentially be interested in recruiting, hiring or promoting you understand where you're headed?
00:00:20.222 --> 00:00:28.053
Can they read your Headline and determine what you actually do, the context you do it in, and the impact or benefit of your work?
00:00:28.603 --> 00:00:33.942
If you haven't already, I'd encourage you to hit pause and go give that episode a listen.
00:00:34.692 --> 00:00:42.281
So let's say you've got that taken care of and you think your LinkedIn Headline answers those critical three questions for your reader.
00:00:42.491 --> 00:00:43.241
That's great.
00:00:43.722 --> 00:00:45.341
But you still might have a problem.
00:00:45.851 --> 00:00:59.142
How is your intended reader, and that could be an executive recruiter or a potential hiring manager, how is that person supposed to feel confident that what you've said in your Headline is actually true?
00:00:59.621 --> 00:01:05.712
After all, you're the one making the claims in the Headline, and you're not exactly an unbiased source.
00:01:06.462 --> 00:01:14.831
Stick around and we'll talk about how you can write your About section to help dispel any doubts your reader might have and keep them engaged.
00:01:53.855 --> 00:02:03.876
If you know a little about my background, you probably know that I was a consumer products, marketer in personal care and healthcare for about 10 years after getting my MBA at Wharton.
00:02:04.415 --> 00:02:06.516
I developed a lot of advertising.
00:02:07.146 --> 00:02:21.496
I guess you could call me "a marketer at heart." And I tend to think about LinkedIn profiles like I was taught to think about advertising, with a headline, a reason to believe, and some character standing in for brand imagery.
00:02:22.043 --> 00:02:25.163
Your LinkedIn profile is a marketing piece, after all.
00:02:25.616 --> 00:02:35.006
When I was in marketing at Neutrogena and we were advertising, let's say, Healthy Skin Anti-Wrinkle Cream, we might have made a bold claim in the headline.
00:02:35.395 --> 00:02:42.116
Something like "healthier, younger-looking skin in just two weeks." Now that's a pretty big claim.
00:02:42.506 --> 00:02:52.436
I wouldn't blame you if you're a little skeptical, so I'd need to elaborate a little about what that means and then I need to give you a reason to believe that it's true.
00:02:53.126 --> 00:03:11.515
So beyond showing you a beautifully-lit image of the product on a pristine white background, maybe with some water, all strongly associated with the brand, I might also provide some explanation or elaboration on the headline and a few reasons to believe that the claims in the headline are true.
00:03:12.265 --> 00:03:31.346
Maybe we'd go on to say that "in clinical studies conducted by a dermatologist, the people who used Healthy Skin Anti-Wrinkle Cream saw a 25% reduction in the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles and a 33% improvement in the evenness and tone of their skin." So there you go.
00:03:31.586 --> 00:03:35.846
That's the explanation of what it means to have healthier, younger-looking skin.
00:03:36.566 --> 00:03:38.906
And then we need a reason to believe.
00:03:39.325 --> 00:03:42.656
How is it possible that this product can deliver those results?
00:03:43.075 --> 00:03:52.225
For this example, let's say that the product's formula incorporates a first-ever slow release retinol delivery system with vitamins, A, C and E.
00:03:52.746 --> 00:04:00.395
And for good measure, let's include the fact that the product is the number one recommendation of dermatologists, just saying.
00:04:01.355 --> 00:04:07.596
So we've made a claim, we've elaborated on that claim and we've offered up a reason to believe the claim.
00:04:08.015 --> 00:04:14.406
All in a beautifully presented ad that reflects the unique brand character of Neutrogena.
00:04:15.126 --> 00:04:22.745
So let's do that for you, or the imaginary person we developed a Headline for an Episode Eight.
00:04:23.406 --> 00:04:43.545
That Headline, if memory serves me correctly, was "Introducing Cutting-Edge Advances in Consumer Tech That Drive Growth and Help People Live Healthier Lives." Just like in a print ad for Neutrogena, how do we make the reader feel more confident that what you've claimed in the Headline is actually true?
00:04:43.999 --> 00:04:49.038
Let's start in a first paragraph of the About section by elaborating on the Headline.
00:04:49.428 --> 00:04:51.829
You can only say so much in a LinkedIn Headline.
00:04:51.829 --> 00:04:55.548
The character limit is currently set at something like 220, I think.
00:04:55.968 --> 00:05:00.019
So you'll probably have made some choices and perhaps generalized a bit.
00:05:00.627 --> 00:05:09.550
If you go back to Episode Eight, we generalize out from" wearables" to "consumer tech." Maybe it's time to let your reader in on the secret.
00:05:09.911 --> 00:05:13.870
A little specificity is probably going to build confidence with your reader.
00:05:14.290 --> 00:05:23.771
We also talked about "growth" and"helping people live healthier lives." Let's build that out a bit and maybe add in some personal background for good measure.
00:05:24.401 --> 00:05:26.951
So in the first paragraph you could write...
00:05:28.071 --> 00:05:39.831
Ever since I signed up to be a track-and-field athlete in high school, I've been interested in how technology can help people improve athletic performance and generally improve overall health.
00:05:40.341 --> 00:05:47.961
And I've been fortunate enough in my professional life to work on cutting-edge advances and wearable technology that do just that.
00:05:48.411 --> 00:05:53.841
And these advances have been a key driver of growth in the category for the past 10 years.
00:05:54.487 --> 00:05:56.108
So you see what we've done here?
00:05:56.557 --> 00:06:03.937
We've addressed every key element of the Headline we wrote for you or for the imaginary person in Episode Eight.
00:06:04.267 --> 00:06:07.747
And we've thrown in a little backstory for color and texture.
00:06:08.137 --> 00:06:13.117
And we did it just three sentences that I felt pretty comfortable reading out loud.
00:06:13.807 --> 00:06:15.098
That's always a good test.
00:06:15.338 --> 00:06:18.007
Always read what you write about yourself out loud.
00:06:18.367 --> 00:06:20.887
If it feels natural, that's a good sign.
00:06:21.540 --> 00:06:29.521
In a second paragraph, your task is going to be to give your reader a reason to believe, or maybe two or three reasons to believe.
00:06:29.971 --> 00:06:31.531
So what am I talking about here?
00:06:31.949 --> 00:06:35.250
I think you should make light reference to work you've actually done.
00:06:35.639 --> 00:06:42.930
Work that you're going to describe in a little more detail when you write your LinkedIn Experience entries, and ultimately your resume.
00:06:43.420 --> 00:06:52.550
So in just a few sentences, let's say approximately three to five, reference work you've actually done that supports the claims you've made in your Headline.
00:06:53.209 --> 00:06:56.629
Let's assume you've worked at Apple on the Apple Watch.
00:06:56.980 --> 00:07:00.040
I don't want you to tell me the whole story of your work on the Watch.
00:07:00.399 --> 00:07:02.050
There'll be time for that later.
00:07:02.529 --> 00:07:04.899
But just give the broad brush strokes.
00:07:05.139 --> 00:07:08.350
Give me a sense of what you did and why it mattered.
00:07:09.310 --> 00:07:11.259
It could potentially go something like this...
00:07:11.913 --> 00:07:18.572
Working on the Apple Watch, I led a cross-functional team that sourced technologically-advanced components on tight timelines.
00:07:18.932 --> 00:07:32.223
We were able to launch first-to-market functionality that enabled high performance athletes and average consumers to track three key health and performance indicators not found in competitive products.
00:07:32.877 --> 00:07:45.387
So the trick here is to provide the outline of a story but resist providing the detail that will turn it into a full resume bullet or even an interview answer.
00:07:45.836 --> 00:07:50.067
Notice that I didn't provide any numbers or too many specifics.
00:07:50.360 --> 00:08:00.079
I just painted a picture of launching or introducing new technology at a place people probably recognize to improve people's health and athletic performance.
00:08:00.569 --> 00:08:13.439
Write two or maybe three of those and you'll have a compelling second paragraph that gives your reader a couple or a few reasons to believe the claims you've made in your Headline are true.
00:08:14.086 --> 00:08:26.026
And those high-level stories you tell may also be convincing enough that your reader scrolls down the page to read your Experience entries, or maybe even flag you for a search or a recruiting process.
00:08:26.776 --> 00:08:31.516
The third paragraph is an opportunity to clinch the deal if you haven't already.
00:08:31.995 --> 00:08:35.625
Let's add a personal touch to round you out as a full person.
00:08:36.115 --> 00:08:43.495
You may remember that I started the first paragraph off with a personal detail, the fact that you were in track-and-field in high school.
00:08:43.855 --> 00:08:51.985
That was to help show that your connection to wearables and improving health and performance isn't something that you just chose out of the blue.
00:08:52.405 --> 00:08:55.796
It's personally meaningful and has been for a while.
00:08:56.245 --> 00:09:07.855
When I work with clients, it's almost always the case that their work has something to do with an interest that appeared fairly early in their lives and persisted into their professional careers.
00:09:08.456 --> 00:09:11.905
If you have something like that in your background, talk about it.
00:09:12.326 --> 00:09:16.556
The authenticity of your personal narrative will resonate with your reader.
00:09:17.046 --> 00:09:23.046
So for your third paragraph, let's talk about your focus on health and performance outside of work.
00:09:23.525 --> 00:09:36.755
Maybe you don't run cross country competitively anymore, but maybe you do run in a local club and donate your time to a local non-profit whose mission is to teach kids about the lifelong benefits of exercise.
00:09:37.176 --> 00:09:41.525
Lots of people I work with have stories like that and are involved in their communities that way.
00:09:42.076 --> 00:09:45.225
So your last paragraph could start something like this...
00:09:45.916 --> 00:09:52.216
While I don't run competitive cross country races anymore, I rarely miss weekend runs with my local group.
00:09:52.456 --> 00:09:59.446
We support each other's performance and health goals and sometimes follow them up with an occasional cheat at our favorite bakery.
00:10:00.135 --> 00:10:03.076
You do like a good pecan sticky bun, after all.
00:10:03.855 --> 00:10:05.806
And maybe as a last sentence you say...
00:10:06.855 --> 00:10:11.086
I think it's important to develop good fitness and health habits at an early age.
00:10:11.416 --> 00:10:18.676
So I lead workshops for high school aged kids about making use of technology to pursue lifelong fitness.
00:10:19.546 --> 00:10:20.056
Nice.
00:10:20.836 --> 00:10:34.546
You've offered a limited view into your personal interests and potentially made yourself more relatable to your reader who might admire your dedication to the cause, which just happens to be relevant to your professional life.
00:10:35.331 --> 00:10:46.942
And as a final step, double-check to make sure that you've included important keywords and phrases that your reader might be looking for or searching for and you're all set.
00:10:47.669 --> 00:10:56.129
Now, this is just an example that I've made up for this podcast, but it could be pretty close to the About section of quite a few people that I've worked with over the years.
00:10:56.809 --> 00:10:59.000
So how does your About section stack up?
00:10:59.330 --> 00:11:02.899
Does it help your reader better understand the claims you're making in your Headline?
00:11:03.679 --> 00:11:09.440
Do you make light reference to actual work you've done to give your reader a reason to believe those claims?
00:11:09.993 --> 00:11:19.472
And do you incorporate just a bit of the personal in what you've written to help present yourself as a whole person with an integrated work-life narrative?
00:11:19.923 --> 00:11:21.724
If not give it a shot.
00:11:22.994 --> 00:11:31.504
And if you're running into trouble, consider signing up for a Career Strategy Session at careernarratives.com/strategy.
00:11:31.994 --> 00:11:36.913
We can work on your personal narrative together and help advance your career.
00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:12.240
In the last episode of the podcast, that was Episode Eight, How to Communicate Your Narrative in Your LinkedIn Headline, I challenged you to revisit the Headline at the top of your LinkedIn profile.
00:00:12.692 --> 00:00:19.652
Would a reader who might potentially be interested in recruiting, hiring or promoting you understand where you're headed?
00:00:20.222 --> 00:00:28.053
Can they read your Headline and determine what you actually do, the context you do it in, and the impact or benefit of your work?
00:00:28.603 --> 00:00:33.942
If you haven't already, I'd encourage you to hit pause and go give that episode a listen.
00:00:34.692 --> 00:00:42.281
So let's say you've got that taken care of and you think your LinkedIn Headline answers those critical three questions for your reader.
00:00:42.491 --> 00:00:43.241
That's great.
00:00:43.722 --> 00:00:45.341
But you still might have a problem.
00:00:45.851 --> 00:00:59.142
How is your intended reader, and that could be an executive recruiter or a potential hiring manager, how is that person supposed to feel confident that what you've said in your Headline is actually true?
00:00:59.621 --> 00:01:05.712
After all, you're the one making the claims in the Headline, and you're not exactly an unbiased source.
00:01:06.462 --> 00:01:14.831
Stick around and we'll talk about how you can write your About section to help dispel any doubts your reader might have and keep them engaged.
00:01:53.855 --> 00:02:03.876
If you know a little about my background, you probably know that I was a consumer products, marketer in personal care and healthcare for about 10 years after getting my MBA at Wharton.
00:02:04.415 --> 00:02:06.516
I developed a lot of advertising.
00:02:07.146 --> 00:02:21.496
I guess you could call me "a marketer at heart." And I tend to think about LinkedIn profiles like I was taught to think about advertising, with a headline, a reason to believe, and some character standing in for brand imagery.
00:02:22.043 --> 00:02:25.163
Your LinkedIn profile is a marketing piece, after all.
00:02:25.616 --> 00:02:35.006
When I was in marketing at Neutrogena and we were advertising, let's say, Healthy Skin Anti-Wrinkle Cream, we might have made a bold claim in the headline.
00:02:35.395 --> 00:02:42.116
Something like "healthier, younger-looking skin in just two weeks." Now that's a pretty big claim.
00:02:42.506 --> 00:02:52.436
I wouldn't blame you if you're a little skeptical, so I'd need to elaborate a little about what that means and then I need to give you a reason to believe that it's true.
00:02:53.126 --> 00:03:11.515
So beyond showing you a beautifully-lit image of the product on a pristine white background, maybe with some water, all strongly associated with the brand, I might also provide some explanation or elaboration on the headline and a few reasons to believe that the claims in the headline are true.
00:03:12.265 --> 00:03:31.346
Maybe we'd go on to say that "in clinical studies conducted by a dermatologist, the people who used Healthy Skin Anti-Wrinkle Cream saw a 25% reduction in the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles and a 33% improvement in the evenness and tone of their skin." So there you go.
00:03:31.586 --> 00:03:35.846
That's the explanation of what it means to have healthier, younger-looking skin.
00:03:36.566 --> 00:03:38.906
And then we need a reason to believe.
00:03:39.325 --> 00:03:42.656
How is it possible that this product can deliver those results?
00:03:43.075 --> 00:03:52.225
For this example, let's say that the product's formula incorporates a first-ever slow release retinol delivery system with vitamins, A, C and E.
00:03:52.746 --> 00:04:00.395
And for good measure, let's include the fact that the product is the number one recommendation of dermatologists, just saying.
00:04:01.355 --> 00:04:07.596
So we've made a claim, we've elaborated on that claim and we've offered up a reason to believe the claim.
00:04:08.015 --> 00:04:14.406
All in a beautifully presented ad that reflects the unique brand character of Neutrogena.
00:04:15.126 --> 00:04:22.745
So let's do that for you, or the imaginary person we developed a Headline for an Episode Eight.
00:04:23.406 --> 00:04:43.545
That Headline, if memory serves me correctly, was "Introducing Cutting-Edge Advances in Consumer Tech That Drive Growth and Help People Live Healthier Lives." Just like in a print ad for Neutrogena, how do we make the reader feel more confident that what you've claimed in the Headline is actually true?
00:04:43.999 --> 00:04:49.038
Let's start in a first paragraph of the About section by elaborating on the Headline.
00:04:49.428 --> 00:04:51.829
You can only say so much in a LinkedIn Headline.
00:04:51.829 --> 00:04:55.548
The character limit is currently set at something like 220, I think.
00:04:55.968 --> 00:05:00.019
So you'll probably have made some choices and perhaps generalized a bit.
00:05:00.627 --> 00:05:09.550
If you go back to Episode Eight, we generalize out from" wearables" to "consumer tech." Maybe it's time to let your reader in on the secret.
00:05:09.911 --> 00:05:13.870
A little specificity is probably going to build confidence with your reader.
00:05:14.290 --> 00:05:23.771
We also talked about "growth" and"helping people live healthier lives." Let's build that out a bit and maybe add in some personal background for good measure.
00:05:24.401 --> 00:05:26.951
So in the first paragraph you could write...
00:05:28.071 --> 00:05:39.831
Ever since I signed up to be a track-and-field athlete in high school, I've been interested in how technology can help people improve athletic performance and generally improve overall health.
00:05:40.341 --> 00:05:47.961
And I've been fortunate enough in my professional life to work on cutting-edge advances and wearable technology that do just that.
00:05:48.411 --> 00:05:53.841
And these advances have been a key driver of growth in the category for the past 10 years.
00:05:54.487 --> 00:05:56.108
So you see what we've done here?
00:05:56.557 --> 00:06:03.937
We've addressed every key element of the Headline we wrote for you or for the imaginary person in Episode Eight.
00:06:04.267 --> 00:06:07.747
And we've thrown in a little backstory for color and texture.
00:06:08.137 --> 00:06:13.117
And we did it just three sentences that I felt pretty comfortable reading out loud.
00:06:13.807 --> 00:06:15.098
That's always a good test.
00:06:15.338 --> 00:06:18.007
Always read what you write about yourself out loud.
00:06:18.367 --> 00:06:20.887
If it feels natural, that's a good sign.
00:06:21.540 --> 00:06:29.521
In a second paragraph, your task is going to be to give your reader a reason to believe, or maybe two or three reasons to believe.
00:06:29.971 --> 00:06:31.531
So what am I talking about here?
00:06:31.949 --> 00:06:35.250
I think you should make light reference to work you've actually done.
00:06:35.639 --> 00:06:42.930
Work that you're going to describe in a little more detail when you write your LinkedIn Experience entries, and ultimately your resume.
00:06:43.420 --> 00:06:52.550
So in just a few sentences, let's say approximately three to five, reference work you've actually done that supports the claims you've made in your Headline.
00:06:53.209 --> 00:06:56.629
Let's assume you've worked at Apple on the Apple Watch.
00:06:56.980 --> 00:07:00.040
I don't want you to tell me the whole story of your work on the Watch.
00:07:00.399 --> 00:07:02.050
There'll be time for that later.
00:07:02.529 --> 00:07:04.899
But just give the broad brush strokes.
00:07:05.139 --> 00:07:08.350
Give me a sense of what you did and why it mattered.
00:07:09.310 --> 00:07:11.259
It could potentially go something like this...
00:07:11.913 --> 00:07:18.572
Working on the Apple Watch, I led a cross-functional team that sourced technologically-advanced components on tight timelines.
00:07:18.932 --> 00:07:32.223
We were able to launch first-to-market functionality that enabled high performance athletes and average consumers to track three key health and performance indicators not found in competitive products.
00:07:32.877 --> 00:07:45.387
So the trick here is to provide the outline of a story but resist providing the detail that will turn it into a full resume bullet or even an interview answer.
00:07:45.836 --> 00:07:50.067
Notice that I didn't provide any numbers or too many specifics.
00:07:50.360 --> 00:08:00.079
I just painted a picture of launching or introducing new technology at a place people probably recognize to improve people's health and athletic performance.
00:08:00.569 --> 00:08:13.439
Write two or maybe three of those and you'll have a compelling second paragraph that gives your reader a couple or a few reasons to believe the claims you've made in your Headline are true.
00:08:14.086 --> 00:08:26.026
And those high-level stories you tell may also be convincing enough that your reader scrolls down the page to read your Experience entries, or maybe even flag you for a search or a recruiting process.
00:08:26.776 --> 00:08:31.516
The third paragraph is an opportunity to clinch the deal if you haven't already.
00:08:31.995 --> 00:08:35.625
Let's add a personal touch to round you out as a full person.
00:08:36.115 --> 00:08:43.495
You may remember that I started the first paragraph off with a personal detail, the fact that you were in track-and-field in high school.
00:08:43.855 --> 00:08:51.985
That was to help show that your connection to wearables and improving health and performance isn't something that you just chose out of the blue.
00:08:52.405 --> 00:08:55.796
It's personally meaningful and has been for a while.
00:08:56.245 --> 00:09:07.855
When I work with clients, it's almost always the case that their work has something to do with an interest that appeared fairly early in their lives and persisted into their professional careers.
00:09:08.456 --> 00:09:11.905
If you have something like that in your background, talk about it.
00:09:12.326 --> 00:09:16.556
The authenticity of your personal narrative will resonate with your reader.
00:09:17.046 --> 00:09:23.046
So for your third paragraph, let's talk about your focus on health and performance outside of work.
00:09:23.525 --> 00:09:36.755
Maybe you don't run cross country competitively anymore, but maybe you do run in a local club and donate your time to a local non-profit whose mission is to teach kids about the lifelong benefits of exercise.
00:09:37.176 --> 00:09:41.525
Lots of people I work with have stories like that and are involved in their communities that way.
00:09:42.076 --> 00:09:45.225
So your last paragraph could start something like this...
00:09:45.916 --> 00:09:52.216
While I don't run competitive cross country races anymore, I rarely miss weekend runs with my local group.
00:09:52.456 --> 00:09:59.446
We support each other's performance and health goals and sometimes follow them up with an occasional cheat at our favorite bakery.
00:10:00.135 --> 00:10:03.076
You do like a good pecan sticky bun, after all.
00:10:03.855 --> 00:10:05.806
And maybe as a last sentence you say...
00:10:06.855 --> 00:10:11.086
I think it's important to develop good fitness and health habits at an early age.
00:10:11.416 --> 00:10:18.676
So I lead workshops for high school aged kids about making use of technology to pursue lifelong fitness.
00:10:19.546 --> 00:10:20.056
Nice.
00:10:20.836 --> 00:10:34.546
You've offered a limited view into your personal interests and potentially made yourself more relatable to your reader who might admire your dedication to the cause, which just happens to be relevant to your professional life.
00:10:35.331 --> 00:10:46.942
And as a final step, double-check to make sure that you've included important keywords and phrases that your reader might be looking for or searching for and you're all set.
00:10:47.669 --> 00:10:56.129
Now, this is just an example that I've made up for this podcast, but it could be pretty close to the About section of quite a few people that I've worked with over the years.
00:10:56.809 --> 00:10:59.000
So how does your About section stack up?
00:10:59.330 --> 00:11:02.899
Does it help your reader better understand the claims you're making in your Headline?
00:11:03.679 --> 00:11:09.440
Do you make light reference to actual work you've done to give your reader a reason to believe those claims?
00:11:09.993 --> 00:11:19.472
And do you incorporate just a bit of the personal in what you've written to help present yourself as a whole person with an integrated work-life narrative?
00:11:19.923 --> 00:11:21.724
If not give it a shot.
00:11:22.994 --> 00:11:31.504
And if you're running into trouble, consider signing up for a Career Strategy Session at careernarratives.com/strategy.
00:11:31.994 --> 00:11:36.913
We can work on your personal narrative together and help advance your career.
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