The summary is your chance to go into a bit more depth about your experience, skills, and career aspirations. While you’ll have plenty of space to write your summary (2000 words limit), you should try to keep it concise.
Still, look to make it engaging, so the potential recruiter will be interested to read the whole thing. It’s especially important to have a strong first sentence or two, as it will grab the reader’s attention and entice the future employer to explore your profile further.
The opening sentence is also important as it sets the tone for the rest of the summary. Think about your LinkedIn summary as the extension of your resume, so, while keeping in mind that it should come off as professional, it should still have some personal touch and be the reflection of your personal brand.
In this section, the focus should be on your industry experience, area of expertise, and key accomplishments over the course of your career. When it comes to achievements you plan to mention, look to make them quantifiable, explaining with numbers and percentages how you’ve helped a certain organisation achieve its goals.
This way, instead of simply reading the description of your previous business analysis work, the recruiter will get a sense of how the implemented projects, process improvements, or data insights under your helm have helped the company cut costs or grow revenue. So, mention the specific projects and write about the impact you had on the organisation.
As for expertise, it’s best to focus on the knowledge and skills that can make you stand out as a business analyst. If you have any unique abilities as a business analyst, make sure to include them, as they’re a great selling point. This may include your ability to translate complex requirements into actionable solutions, the talent to bridge the gap between business and technology, or the capacity to discover hidden patterns in data sets.
The summary is also a good place to briefly mention your career aspirations. No matter if your career goals are to look for new challenges, aim for a leadership position, or make a transition to a specific industry, make sure to communicate them as it will help attract exactly those kinds of opportunities.
