A follower from the field asked for some direction in creating a “good†summary for his LinkedIn profile. I was stunned at how long it took me to cull some great examples from the
 wealth of crap out there. Seriously people; don’t you care what people see about you online?
I tried to mix it up a bit, people in industries other than my own and both men and women. Take a look at the few I pulled; I’m curious to know your thoughts. A few were (as you’ll see below) written in third person which is NOT my preference.
From Jay Baer:
Jay Baer is a social media strategist, author and speaker and President of consultancy Convince & Convert.
Founder of five companies, he’s worked with over 700 brands since 1994, including 26 of the Fortune 1000.
His Convince & Convert blog is ranked among the world’s top marketing resources. He’s the co-author of the new book The Now Revolution: 7 Moves to Transform Your Business with Speed, Smarts & Social Media. He’s on Twitter as @jaybaer
From Tom Blue:
Tom Blue is an innovator, entrepreneur, blogger, life-long student of marketing and sales, and on occasion – a teacher of these subjects. Professionally, he is dedicated to assisting businesses in achieving growth through new initiatives and the design and execution of innovative marketing and business development programs.
He began his career in the marketing agency arena, playing a leadership role with Virginia-based database marketing firm Response Marketing Group and transitioned into the entrepreneurial realm in the mid-90s. He has since been instrumental in the launch of several new ventures related to healthcare, marketing, and technology.
A frequent speaker on the subjects of online and traditional marketing, business development, and new product launches, Tom has appeared on the Fox Morning Show, ABC News, CNet Live Radio, The New York Times, Industry Standard, WebProNews, Wired, and numerous other news programs and publications in connection with his work.
From Elizabeth Keserauskis:
A seasoned marketing strategist and communicator, my goal is to keep a steady stream (ok, fire hose blast!) of new business and marketing challenges in front of me. Though the bulk of my experience is in higher education, I have worked with B2B and B2C companies in a wide variety of fields.
My passion as a leader is to develop teams and create systems that empower organizations to the highest level of performance.
Most recently, my enthusiasm has taken me into the online retail sector where the power of reliable systems, passionate leadership, and a data-driven approach translates into creating a business that supplies high-quality, local food to thousands of customers.
From Amber Capron:
I love helping nonprofit organizations build partnerships and obtain funding so that they can carry out their mission and make a difference.
I understand the reality of working with nonprofits and the financial challenges that they face. I have insight into Virginia’s fundraising landscape, gained through my work as campaign manager and finance director for local, state and federal campaigns, and at statewide and national nonprofits. I also have experience developing and implementing communications strategies for multiple projects, with diverse audiences, including donors, members, subscribers, board members and industry stakeholders.
And perhaps my favorite, ever, from Dave Donohue:
Busy launching a company currently in stealth mode.
Any nominations for great summaries? Or really significantly terrible ones? (those are always fun to see, too).
Thanks marijean! This helps a lot. Though it’s difficult when working in one field, but going to school for and hoping to be in another field, but this is a good start. Thanks a lot!
Thanks MJ. I always struggle with the 1st vs 3rd person, but feel sometimes like 1st person comes off as trying too hard.
@JayBaer And, for consistency, I’ll bet that your summary is used in speaker bios, on book jackets, etc. so for you (unlike a lot of people) it makes sense and the same content probably appears in many different places. 🙂
MJ, I thought that Sally Hogshead’s LinkedIn profile was very well done, including what may be the single best intro sentence of any profile: “Growing up with the last name Hogshead would give anyone an unconventional point of view. ”
Still debating the first vs third person perspective.