Manjunath, senior leadership development business partner at Amazon, stands out because he:Shares his unique career journey from product engineer to leadership development professionalKnows where his passions lie and isn’t afraid to go after them — even if it means starting over with a clean slateHighlights the importance of continuous learning for modern teamsLines we love:Staying relevant has never been more important in these fast changing times.My quest for learning and growing continues!14 tips for the perfect LinkedIn Profile summaryThe summaries above have both great substance and great style. Substance is the “what to say” and comes from the topics you cover. Style is the “how to say it” and comes from the tone and format of your words. There’s no one right way to tackle either, but our examples reveal best practices.What to sayBelow are eight of the most common topics covered in great LinkedIn Profile summaries. You don’t need to cover them all, but address at least a few to ensure you have enough substance. If you’re stuck, use the prompts to get your juices flowing. You’ll be surprised at how easy it can be to start once you jot down some rough answers.1. Describe what makes you tickPassion is the heart of some of the best LinkedIn profile summaries. Opening up about what you love to do adds context to your career. Think about what excites you most professionally — what drives you besides your paycheck? This is an especially good angle if you’re younger and don’t have much work experience.For inspiration, ask yourself:Have you ever become so engaged in what you’re doing at work that you lose track of time? What work activity(ies) bring that on?What’s something you do for fun that uses the same or similar skills you use at work?Is there any work task(s) you’d do even if you didn’t get paid for it?When you wake up in the morning, what work duties do you look forward to the most?2. Explain your present rolePut your job title aside and describe what you do in simplest terms. Sharing the problems you solve, for whom, and how is a great way to demonstrate your skills, industry knowledge, and work style.For inspiration, ask yourself:Who are you helping when you do your job? What’s their main problem and how do you help solve it? What’s the impact of you doing your job well versus not as well? If you didn’t do your job, what would happen?3. Frame your pastYou have the freedom to call out what’s important in your job history and to gloss over what’s not. If you’ve made career pivots or have held seemingly unrelated roles, connect the dots so they make sense. Better yet, frame the discord as an advantage and explain why it sets you apart.For inspiration, ask yourself:In what way(s) do your past career choices make sense? In what way(s) do they appear to not make sense? Are there any patterns?What was missing from your previous job(s) that you enjoy now?How do you use your undergraduate studies in your work life?4. Highlight your successesCite the biggest takeaway from your experience section. Look across roles and combine accomplishments if you can. This is especially applicable if you’re in mid- to late-stage career.For inspiration, ask yourself: The greatest compliment I ever got at work was . . .I’m best known for ___ (hard skill) amongst my coworkers.I’m the go-to person for all things ___ on my team.I’ve made X (e.g., number of hires, $ in sales, $ value in acquisitions) in the past X years.I received X recognition/award/honor for doing Y.5. Reveal your characterChoose stories and words that show who you are as a person, not just a professional. Great summaries hint at traits such as gratitude, humility, and humor. Authenticity is key, so be honest with yourself. Think of the one trait you’re most known for and weave it in.For inspiration, ask yourself:I’m best known for ___ (soft skill) amongst my coworkers.My friends would describe me as X, Y, and Z.You wouldn’t be able to detect that I’m __ in an interview, but if we worked together on a project for three months, it’d be clear. What’s your most unique quality?Is there anything your friends, family, or coworkers tease you about that you’re secretly proud of?6. Show life outside of workRound out your identity by sharing a hobby, interest, or volunteer role. Relate your outside passions to your work if you can. If you share a personal story, be sure it serves to reinforce your professional strengths.For inspiration, ask yourself:What do you do in your spare time? Why do you love it?Is there anything you do for pleasure that makes you better at your job? Or give you a different perspective on it?Is there anything you do for fun that you don’t excel at but keep doing anyway? Why?To what extent is being a parent, grandparent, or a pet owner a part of your identity?7. Tell storiesStories make you memorable. Leading with “When I was 11 years old . . .” or “My former boss sat me down one day . . .” to reveal why you love learning and development has more punch than just stating, “I’m passionate about L&D.”8. Ask for what you wantThink about what you want your audience to do after reading your summary. An invitation to connect is a great way to end, but depending on your goal, you may ask for something else. Be specific and you’ll be more likely to get what you want. How to say it The format and tone of your LinkedIn Profile summary matters just as much as the ideas in it. Once you have your core content, follow these tips to embellish and refine.9. Add rich mediaSometimes it’s easier to explain your impact or achievement using an image, video, or an article — don’t be afraid to add media to your profile and tee it up in your summary. 10. Make your first sentence countEvery word matters in your summary, but your first words really matter. If you don’t hook your audience right away, you’ll lose them. This means no “Hi, I’m Jane Smith and I’m glad to meet you” and no “Thanks for visiting!” Don’t waste precious characters on filler — cut right to the good stuff to pull your audience in.11. Pump the keywordsTo improve your search rank on LinkedIn and Google, include keywords that highlight your top skills. Listing “Specialties” at the end of your summary is one way to pack them in. Which words? Job descriptions and other relevant profiles are great keyword sources.12. Cut the jargonAvoid overused words that have lost meaning, like “strategic,” “motivated,” and “creative.” Tap a thesaurus for alternatives, or better yet, show you have those traits with an example or quick story. At a minimum, cross-check your summary with the most overused buzzwords on LinkedIn Profiles.Too many profiles read like: “Strategic, results-oriented professional with a proven track record of delivering results and a demonstrated history working in the XYZ industry.” What does that even mean?13. Write how you speakThink about how you would speak to new contact at a conference and write that way. Read your summary out loud so you can check your voice. If you wouldn’t say it, don’t write it. That also means using the first-person — “I’m experienced at building impactful L&D programs,” not “Jane Smith is experienced at building impactful L&D programs.” Lay off the special characters and emojis too.14. Create white spacePeople will skim your summary, so help by breaking up the text. Steer clear of long paragraphs. Don’t use a five-syllable word when a one-syllable word is just as good. Use bullet points or numbered lists, but make sure they flow — lists aren’t an excuse for sloppy thinking.Final thoughts: Your LinkedIn Profile summary is your opportunity to stand outLinkedIn summaries occupy prime real estate on your profile. They give you the opportunity to introduce yourself and connect to the people who want to learn more about you.Whatever you do, write something in your LinkedIn Profile summary section. It’s a strategic piece of content — don’t miss the opportunity to have it work for you., Karen, SVP and creative director at Wunderman Thompson, stands out because she:. Leads with her greatest accomplishments; Uses an anecdote to tell how her career started; Shares a vulnerable , Browse the full list of online business, creative, and technology courses on LinkedIn Learning (formerly Lynda.com) to achieve your personal and professional goals. Join today to get access to .