Why a First-Person LinkedIn Profile Will Help Your Job Search

Why a First-Person LinkedIn Profile Will Help Your Job Search Trying to attract more traffic to your LinkedIn Profile and impress employers who drop by to visit? No matter if youre in an active job search or just want to be courted for a top career opportunity, youll gain a unique advantage by writing your LinkedIn Summary and other sections in first-person. Why? It helps convey the all-important  WIIFM (Whats In It for Me) message that can capture your readers attention. Heres what happens for ME when YOUR LinkedIn Summary is written in first person: 1 It engages me on a different level. Theres something about reading  another results-oriented professional in the xxx industry paragraph that just leaves me cold. Its boring and unoriginal. However, when your profile  tells me about your  goals, value proposition, or passion, then I sit up a little faster and take more notice. After all, these aspects of your career are personal and unique to you and no proven team player or experienced professional is identical to you. 2 I feel as if youre speaking directly to me. Instead of getting the impression that your summary was developed for everyone, I am drawn in when you address ME directly. Writing in first person forces you to get  to the point faster, too. This way, you can  tell  me  why your profile is worth reading and  note the  salient points in your background. Online reading is different than reviewing a resume or biography. Social media is designed for engagement and short attention spans. By catering to your online readers, youre demonstrating a thorough knowledge of social media and its purpose. While Im on the subject, lets not forget that LinkedIn is all about  connecting  with others to form relationships. Why not remind me that theres a REAL person (not just a bag of credentials) behind your Profile? 3 I  get the impression that you care about my needs. A first-person LinkedIn presence allows you to address your target audience, looking them in the eye (so to speak) and asking them where their pain lies. If you tell me that youre the solution to my predicament, Id like to know what you think you can fix, and what youve done that has helped others. All in all, this makes me believe that you care enough to conserve my time, and that you realize my needs (or an employers requirements) are important. So there you have it  reasons why writing  your LI profile in  first person  helps others  tune in to your value. If youre struggling to get your point across on LinkedIn or other social media, take a few minutes to translate your message into your own original thoughts and convey your passion. Youll be surprised at the results.