LinkedIn Summary Examples That Get You Noticed in 2026

Introduction

I've reviewed thousands of LinkedIn summaries over the years, and here's what I've learned: most people either leave it blank, copy-paste their resume, or write something so generic it could apply to anyone.

Your LinkedIn summary (officially called the "About" section) is your chance to control the narrative. It's where you tell your professional story in your own voice, connect with readers emotionally, and make recruiters think, "I need to talk to this person."

The best summaries don't sound like corporate boilerplate. They sound human. They share a perspective. They make you memorable. In this guide, I'll show you exactly how to write one, with proven examples across industries that you can adapt for your own profile. For comprehensive LinkedIn profile optimization and broader job search strategies, our career pitch mastery guide covers the complete approach.

Why Your LinkedIn Summary Matters

Before diving into examples, let's talk about why this section deserves your attention.

Your summary appears in three critical places:

The data is compelling:

• Profiles with summaries get 30% more views than those without
• The first 2-3 lines (before "see more") determine if people keep reading
• Summaries with keywords rank higher in recruiter searches
• First-person voice performs better for engagement and connection rates

Think of your summary as your professional story told at a coffee shop, not a boardroom. Authentic, focused, and genuinely you.

The LinkedIn Summary Formula That Works

Here's the proven structure I recommend to my clients:

5-Part Summary Framework

1. The Hook (1-2 sentences) Start with something that makes people want to keep reading. A bold statement, intriguing question, or surprising fact.

2. Who You Are (1 paragraph) Your current role, expertise area, and what you're known for professionally.

3. Your Story or Approach (1-2 paragraphs) How you got here, your unique methodology, or what drives your work. Include 2-3 specific, quantified achievements.

4. What Makes You Different (1 paragraph) Your values, passion, or unique perspective. This is where personality shines through.

5. The Call-to-Action (1-2 sentences) What you want readers to do next—connect, message, visit your site, or reach out for opportunities.

Writing Best Practices

LinkedIn Summary Examples by Industry

Let's look at real, proven examples you can adapt for your field.

Example 1: Marketing Professional

The Hook: I turn data into stories and stories into revenue. Over the past 7 years, I've helped B2B SaaS companies increase organic traffic by an average of 280%.

Who You Are: I'm a Content Marketing Manager specializing in SEO strategy, thought leadership, and demand generation for tech companies. Currently, I lead content at [Company], where we've grown from 5K to 120K monthly visitors in 18 months.

Your Story: My journey into marketing started unconventionally—I was a journalist who got tired of writing stories no one read. I pivoted to content marketing because I wanted to create work that actually moved metrics. Since then, I've built content programs from scratch, scaled editorial teams, and proven that strategic content is a revenue driver, not a cost center.

What I'm passionate about: I believe great content marketing sits at the intersection of storytelling and analytics. I love taking complex technical products and translating them into narratives that resonate with real people. When I'm not optimizing conversion funnels, you'll find me mentoring junior marketers or testing new AI writing tools.

Call-to-Action: Always happy to connect with fellow marketers, content strategists, or anyone looking to talk SEO. Feel free to reach out—let's grab a virtual coffee.

Why this works:

• Strong numerical hook (280% increase)
• First-person, conversational tone
• Specific achievements with metrics
• Personal story creates connection
• Clear expertise area (B2B SaaS, SEO, content)
• Inviting CTA

Example 2: Software Engineer

The Hook: I build systems that don't break under pressure. My code has processed over 15 billion transactions without downtime.

Who You Are: I'm a Senior Backend Engineer with 9 years of experience in distributed systems, microservices architecture, and cloud infrastructure. I specialize in making things fast, reliable, and scalable—particularly for fintech and e-commerce platforms.

Your Story: I started coding at 14 and haven't stopped since. After earning my CS degree, I joined a startup where I learned that elegant code doesn't matter if your servers crash at 3am. That experience shaped my philosophy: prioritize reliability, measure everything, and always build with scale in mind.

Over the years, I've:

• Architected payment processing system handling $2B+ in annual transaction volume
• Reduced API response time by 73% through database optimization and caching strategies
• Led migration from monolith to microservices, improving deployment frequency by 10x

What Makes You Different: I care as much about mentoring junior engineers as I do about writing clean code. I believe the best technical solutions come from diverse teams who communicate well. Outside of work, I contribute to open-source projects and occasionally write about system design on Medium.

Call-to-Action: Open to connecting with fellow engineers, engineering leaders, and anyone interested in discussing distributed systems, Golang, or Kubernetes. Let's talk tech.

Why this works:

• Impressive credibility hook (15 billion transactions)
• Specific technical expertise clearly stated
• Bullet-point achievements for scannability
• Shows both technical skills and soft skills (mentoring)
• Keywords for search (distributed systems, microservices, Golang, Kubernetes)

Example 3: Sales Professional

The Hook: I don't just meet quotas—I exceed them. In Q4 2025, I closed $4.2M in new business, 186% of target.

Who You Are: I'm an Enterprise Account Executive at [SaaS Company], where I help Fortune 500 companies transform their customer experience through our platform. I specialize in complex, multi-stakeholder deals with 9-12 month sales cycles.

Your Story: Sales found me, not the other way around. I started in customer success and realized I loved the consultative side—understanding pain points and architecting solutions. I transitioned to sales 6 years ago and discovered that when you genuinely care about solving customer problems, the numbers take care of themselves.

My track record:

• Consistent President's Club member (top 5% of sales org)
• Average deal size: $380K ARR
• 92% quota attainment over career

What Makes You Different: I treat every deal like a partnership, not a transaction. I invest heavily in understanding my prospects' business challenges before pitching solutions. This approach has given me a 68% win rate in competitive RFPs and strong customer relationships that drive expansions and referrals.

Call-to-Action: Always looking to connect with sales leaders, fellow AEs, and anyone interested in consultative B2B selling. If you're exploring [your product category], let's talk—happy to share insights even if we're not a fit.

Why this works:

• Specific, impressive metric in hook ($4.2M, 186% of quota)
• Consultative sales approach clearly articulated
• Quantified achievements build credibility
• Shows both results and relationship-building philosophy
• CTA offers value even to non-prospects

Example 4: Human Resources Leader

The Hook: I've helped scale three startups from 20 to 200+ employees without losing their culture. Here's how.

Who You Are: I'm a VP of People Operations with 12 years of experience building HR infrastructure for high-growth tech companies. My expertise spans talent acquisition, compensation strategy, culture building, and organizational design.

Your Story: I fell into HR somewhat accidentally—I was employee #7 at a startup and ended up wearing every hat, including hiring our first 50 people. I discovered I loved the challenge of building teams and creating environments where people do their best work.

Since then, I've:

• Designed scalable hiring processes that reduced time-to-hire by 40%
• Built compensation frameworks resulting in 25% improvement in offer acceptance rates
• Led diversity initiatives increasing underrepresented talent from 18% to 43%
• Maintained 4.2+ Glassdoor ratings through periods of rapid growth

What Makes You Different: I believe HR should be a strategic function, not an administrative one. I use data to inform every decision, from comp benchmarking to retention analysis. But I never forget that we're ultimately in the business of supporting humans, not managing resources.

Call-to-Action: Love connecting with fellow People leaders, founders building their first teams, and HR folks navigating scale. Open to advisory roles for startups thinking about HR strategy.

Why this works:

• Clear value proposition (scaling with culture intact)
• Quantified HR metrics throughout
• Balances data-driven approach with human-centric values
• Specific expertise areas stated upfront
• CTA offers mentorship and advisory work

Example 5: Career Changer (Teacher to UX Designer)

The Hook: Five years ago, I was teaching high school English. Today, I design digital products used by millions. Here's my unconventional path into UX design.

Who You Are: I'm a UX Designer with a unique background in education and storytelling. I specialize in creating intuitive, user-centered experiences for educational technology and consumer apps. Currently, I design for [Company]'s mobile learning platform.

Your Story: After 8 years in the classroom, I realized I was more excited about the digital tools I was using than the curriculum I was teaching. I started learning design at night through online courses and bootcamps. What clicked for me was that UX design is fundamentally about empathy and communication—skills I'd honed for years as a teacher.

In my first 3 years as a designer:

• Redesigned onboarding flow that increased user activation by 34%
• Conducted 80+ user interviews across 4 product lines
• Contributed to design system now used across 12 product teams

What Makes You Different: My teaching background gives me a different lens. I instinctively think about how people learn and where they get stuck. I'm obsessed with making complex interfaces feel obvious. I bring strong facilitation skills to design workshops and user research sessions.

Call-to-Action: I'm passionate about supporting other career changers entering design. If you're considering a pivot into UX or want to talk about designing for learning, let's connect.

Why this works:

• Compelling before-and-after hook
• Addresses career change head-on and reframes it as an asset
• Shows transferable skills (empathy, communication)
• Quantified achievements in new role build credibility
• Offers to help others making similar transitions

LinkedIn Summary Examples by Career Stage

Your summary should evolve as your career does.

Entry-Level / Recent Graduate

I'm [Your Name], a recent [Degree] graduate from [University] passionate about breaking into [industry]. During my time in school, I led [specific project or achievement] that resulted in [quantified outcome].

I'm especially interested in [specific area of interest] and have developed skills in [tool/methodology] through coursework, internships, and personal projects. I'm eager to contribute to a team where I can apply my [key skill] abilities while continuing to learn from experienced professionals.

Outside of work and school, I [interesting hobby or volunteer activity that shows transferable skills]. I'm currently seeking [type of role] in [location or remote].

Let's connect if you're in [industry] or if you have advice for someone starting their career. Always happy to learn from others' experiences.

Focus for early career: Enthusiasm, learning orientation, relevant projects, clear goals

Mid-Career Professional

Over the past [X years], I've built a career focused on [your core expertise]. I currently work as [Current Title] at [Company], where I [main responsibility or achievement].

My approach to [your field] centers on [your philosophy or methodology]. I believe in [value or principle], which has guided my work on projects like [specific example with result].

Key accomplishments include:

• [Achievement 1 with metric]
• [Achievement 2 with metric]
• [Achievement 3 with metric]

I'm passionate about [what drives you professionally] and am always looking to connect with professionals who [shared interest or goal]. Feel free to reach out to discuss [relevant topics].

Focus for mid-career: Proven track record, specific expertise, leadership or influence, peer networking

Senior Leader / Executive

I'm a [Title] focused on [high-level impact area] for [type of organization]. Over my [X+year] career, I've [major accomplishment or transformation led].

Currently, I lead [team/department/company] where we're [current strategic initiative]. Prior to this, I held leadership roles at [notable companies], where I [key achievements across multiple roles].

My leadership philosophy centers on [your approach to leadership]. I believe the best results come from [your values or methodology], which has enabled my teams to [outcomes achieved].

I'm committed to [cause, industry advancement, or mentorship focus]. Outside of work, I [board service, speaking, writing, or other thought leadership].

Open to connecting with fellow executives, board opportunities, and speaking engagements. Reach me at [email].

Focus for executives: Strategic vision, transformation experience, leadership philosophy, thought leadership

Common LinkedIn Summary Mistakes

Avoid these pitfalls that undermine even well-intentioned summaries.

Mistakes to Avoid

The Authenticity Balance

Your summary should sound professional but genuinely like you. Here's how to strike that balance:

Too Casual:

"Hey! I'm a marketer who loves coffee and crushing it in the digital space. Hit me up if you want to talk growth hacks! 🚀"

Too Formal:

"Experienced marketing professional with extensive background in digital strategy and brand management seeking to leverage synergistic opportunities..."

Just Right:

"I'm a marketing strategist who helps B2B companies grow through content that actually converts. Over the past 6 years, I've built programs that generated $15M+ in pipeline. I'm driven by the challenge of turning complex products into stories people care about."

The test: Would you say this summary out loud at a professional networking event? If it sounds robotic or overly formal, dial it back.

Optimizing Your Summary for Search

LinkedIn's search algorithm prioritizes keywords in your summary, so strategic optimization matters.

Keyword Strategy

1. Research Target Keywords

2. Incorporate Naturally

Don't keyword-stuff. Instead, weave terms into your story:

Weak: "Skills: Python, Java, AWS, Docker, Kubernetes, CI/CD, Agile, Scrum"

Strong: "I specialize in building cloud-native applications using Python and AWS. I'm experienced with containerization (Docker, Kubernetes) and have led multiple teams through Agile transformations, implementing CI/CD pipelines that reduced deployment time by 65%."

3. Priority Keyword Placement

Modern recruiters use AI-powered tools to search LinkedIn, which makes keyword optimization critical.

To craft the perfect profile, check out our LinkedIn Profile Optimization 2026 guide.

Writing Your LinkedIn Summary: Step-by-Step

Ready to write yours? Follow this process.

Step 1: Brainstorm Content

Before writing, answer these questions:

Step 2: Draft Your Summary

Using the 5-part framework above:

1. Write a strong hook (several options, test different angles)
2. Clearly state who you are and what you do
3. Tell your story with 2-3 specific examples
4. Add personality—what makes you different?
5. Include a call-to-action

Pro tip: Write more than you need, then cut it down. It's easier to trim than to expand.

Step 3: Edit for Clarity and Impact

Step 4: Get Feedback

Ask a colleague or friend:

• Does this sound like me?
• Is it clear what I do and what I'm good at?
• Would you keep reading after the first 2 lines?
• Any confusing jargon or vague statements?

Step 5: Publish and Monitor

After publishing:

• Check how it looks on mobile (many people view LinkedIn on phones)
• Monitor your profile views over the next 2-3 weeks
• Test tweaking the hook if views don't increase
• Update quarterly or after major achievements

Frequently Asked Questions

What should I write in my LinkedIn summary?

Write a compelling professional story that includes who you are, what you do, your top achievements, key skills, and what you're passionate about. Use first-person voice, lead with a strong hook, include keywords for searchability, and end with a call-to-action inviting connection or conversation.

How long should a LinkedIn summary be?

Aim for 1,300-2,000 characters (about 200-300 words). This provides enough space to tell your story and include keywords without overwhelming readers. Make the first 2-3 lines especially compelling since they appear before the "see more" button.

Should I write my LinkedIn summary in first or third person?

Write in first person ("I," "my") for LinkedIn summaries. Third person feels distant and overly formal on LinkedIn, a platform designed for human connection. First-person writing creates authenticity and helps you connect with readers on a personal level.

What makes a good LinkedIn summary?

A good LinkedIn summary has a compelling opening hook, tells your professional story with personality, includes 2-3 specific achievements with metrics, incorporates relevant keywords naturally, shows what makes you unique, and ends with a clear call-to-action.

How often should I update my LinkedIn summary?

Update your LinkedIn summary at least twice a year, and whenever you switch roles, achieve a major milestone, shift your career focus, or notice it no longer reflects your current professional brand. Fresh summaries with recent achievements perform better in search.

Final Thoughts

Your LinkedIn summary is one of the few places online where you get to tell your professional story in your voice. Don't waste it on resume copy-paste or corporate jargon that could apply to anyone.

The best summaries are specific, authentic, and generous. They share achievements, sure, but they also share perspective, values, and an invitation to connect. When you write from that place, you attract the right opportunities and the right people.

Use the examples above as inspiration, not templates to copy verbatim. Adapt the framework to your story, your industry, and your personality. And remember—your first draft doesn't have to be perfect. Just start writing. You can always refine it.

Your LinkedIn summary is working for you 24/7, showing up in searches and making first impressions while you sleep. Make it count.