Use the Career History section of your profile to reassure potential new clients. As we mentioned earlier in this article, it`s important to keep your skills focused, but it`s also important to have an easy-to-digest description of what you can do in general. Avoid confusing potential clients with densely written legalese, as this may cause them to leave your profile and look for a legal advisor to contact. The summary should be a short version of why you do what you do, in your own words. Use the summary section of your profile to take a snapshot of your career path and goals. Write it in the first person, it connects you with the reader and the real guard. Aim for a tone that is somewhere between talkative and not too casual. The summary should not only summarize your experience and education sections. Think of it as a cover letter for the rest of the profile and make it interesting enough that the reader will want to scroll further down to scroll to the other sections that reflect your overall picture. Many conclude the summary with a “call to action” – or at least, what I prefer – an invitation to contact the user.
Your CV is perfectly suited to a specific purpose for which you are applying. On the other hand, a LinkedIn profile summary should appeal to your ideal prospects. Well, if you`re using LI for a job search, you might think it should look like a resume. Well, I don`t think so. It`s always important to tell a story, your story, and how to help your ideal customers. It speaks more effectively for a recruiter about how you deliver your services, your strengths, and your personality. Therefore, a CV and its summary should be specific and focused. A profile summary should not do this. Think about the keywords a recruiter, executive, company founder, or business contact will look for when trying to find a business consultant with extensive experience in mergers and acquisitions. You won`t go to the search bar at the top of LinkedIn and type “M&A Rockstar.” Let the reader know about your career level, your main areas of interest, and the types of companies or companies you`ve worked for. What particular step do you want your reader to take next? As with any effective marketing, you should conclude your summary with a clear indication of how to take the next step. This may vary depending on your business goals on the platform.
For example, if you want people to learn more about your thought leadership content, include a link to your blog or podcast. Since the summary reads like a short sales pitch, it`s important to know who you`re targeting, like any marketing effort. Look for different clients, prospects, professionals, or employers who might be reviewing your resume. What do you want them to know about you? What are the most important points, accomplishments or skills they absolutely need to understand? Try to arouse their interest and insist on these points immediately. Here are some tips for different audiences: The “About” section, also known as a LinkedIn summary, gives you considerable visibility and the opportunity to share your career story. Most lawyers and business consultants don`t have a meaningful LinkedIn summary. Often, they throw the professional summary of their resume or law firm biography into their profile and think they`ve done enough to give a good overview of their career. As a certified LinkedIn profile writer and career expert (who writes dozens of LinkedIn profiles for attorneys and general counsel at the partner level each month), I want you to know that there is a real strategy and art to writing an effective LinkedIn resume to generate attention for job search and interviews. LexisNexis® and Bloomberg Law are external online distributors of ALM`s extensive collection of current and archived versions of legal news publications. LexisNexis® and Bloomberg Law clients may access and use ALM content, including content from the National Law Journal, The American Lawyer, Legaltech News, New York Law Journal and Corporate Counsel, as well as other sources of legal information. LinkedIn groups can be great networking opportunities for lawyers in your field and beyond. They can also provide sources of peer knowledge content and keep you informed of legal trends.
Since groups are specialized communities, try to give as much as you take; You get more interaction with your group members, regardless of the topic of discussion. People have a short attention span. As soon as possible, you want to communicate who you are and what value you can offer. It`s important to know that the first three summary sentences “follow” you when you post on LinkedIn. That is, if you`re commenting on something and someone is intrigued and clicks on your profile, the first three sentences are what they`ll read about you (before clicking “Show More”). Make sure those first few sentences grab attention. LinkedIn is a powerful way to build your reputation in your industry, establish your image as a thought leader in the legal industry, and connect with potential clients. When people need legal help, they don`t just choose the first law firm that comes along. You`re looking for their options, and a professional LinkedIn profile that showcases your expertise can boost your credibility.
When creating your LinkedIn profile, be sure to include these four elements. It`s a good idea to ask someone else who isn`t a lawyer to review your LinkedIn resume from an objective perspective. Let them read it with your audience in mind. Does that get your case across? Does it show your personality without being too laid back? Did it immediately catch their attention? Of course, if your reviewer is excellent with grammar, that`s a plus. Only after checking your resume with someone you respect should you publish it. Your LinkedIn resume should be written in a first-person conversation format that allows you to make a personal connection with the people who land on your profile. If you copy and paste your law firm biography or leadership biography from the company`s website, you won`t get adequate visibility. Typically, website biographies are written without an emphasis on SEO (search engine optimization) and therefore lack a strategic focus on keywords that are often seen in job postings and searched for on LinkedIn. Biographies are also boring to read, lack flair, and often quickly lose the reader`s attention. The following tips are all LinkedIn best practices and have been carefully selected to grow law firms, increase their visibility, and expand their personal reach — or be hired by a larger firm if that`s your goal. Think of it this way: the more you network, the more likely you are to receive referrals.
LinkedIn helps you create an environment with thriving professional legal relationships with minimal financial investment. If you`re currently transitioning between roles, let your audience know that you`re open to new career opportunities, such as legal counseling roles.