You’ve heard it said that you never get a second chance to make a good first impression.
In a LinkedIn-driven virtual networking world, this rings true also for your online profile. And your LinkedIn Professional Headline, the few sentences of bold text (120 characters maximum to be exact) that sit below your name on your LinkedIn profile, is the essence of your personal brand. Your working career one-line elevator pitch. Your first opportunity to stand out.
Why does it matter you say? Because when a LinkedIn user conducts a search on the LinkedIn database your name, and your LinkedIn headline, are the only things they will see.
So if we apply Udacity’s 3-30-180 rule (the length of time a recruiter or potential employer spends with your LinkedIn profile), you have 3 seconds (and 120 characters) to shine….. All of the pain of a well-crafted resume, years of experience and hours of creative writing goes down the pan if that 120 characters does not get you over the first hurdle.
There are loads of great tips online on how to write an effective LinkedIn Headline, and why it matters. Exec Recruiter Pete Leibman, gives a great 4 step summary in his post Please Change Your LinkedIn Headline Now.. Here’s Why and How
- Step 1: Say WHAT you are.
- Step 2: Say WHO you help.
- Step 3: Say HOW you make their life/work better.
- Step 4: Give PROOF that you are credible.
Good examples…and creative ideas that might get you noticed:
- Gordon Rae: (Publisher at Another Crowd)
Quite possibly the only person on LinkedIn who isn’t a results oriented team player with excellent interpersonal skills - Glenn Le Santo: (Head of International Social Media and Blogging at Orange Business Services)
Cut me and I Bleed Content - Michael Bense: (Managing Director & Experienced SAP & Management Consultancy Recruiter at Six Degrees SAP Ltd)
Homo SAPiens 2.0: Next generation recruiterbot with eerily human functionality. Future-proof and backward-compatible. - Barack Obama: (President of the United States)
President of the United States… ok some roles just nail it for you anyway!
If you are anything like me, writing about yourself is difficult. And clarifying your value proposition succinctly even more so. I used this 4 step strategy to help me move forward, I’ve also used it help others.
If you need help and you are looking for a fresh perspective, let’s make extraordinary things happen…
