The About section is where you explain your background in your own words. It gives you a little more room than a resume summary, so you can add context without sounding formal or forced.

Many people leave this section blank. Others paste in a resume summary full of stiff phrases. Both approaches waste useful space. A good About section helps a recruiter understand what you do, what you have worked on, and what kind of role you are likely to fit next.

Two readers matter here.

The first reader is LinkedIn's search system. It uses the words on your profile to understand which searches your profile may match. The second reader is a recruiter or hiring manager. They are trying to decide whether your background is relevant enough to contact you.

That means your About section needs to do both jobs. It should include the language used in your target roles, but it should still sound like a person wrote it.

The diagram below shows the two readers your About section serves at once.

The same text has to satisfy both paths. Keywords help LinkedIn place you in the right searches, and clear writing helps the recruiter decide you are worth a message. Write only for one reader and you weaken the other.

This is one of the few places on LinkedIn where your voice matters. The rest of the profile is mostly structured information: job titles, dates, skills, schools, and companies. In the About section, first person usually works best. "I build..." or "I work on..." sounds more natural than third-person resume language.

Keep it short and structured. For most people, three short paragraphs are enough:

The keywords should fit naturally inside those paragraphs because they describe real work. Avoid adding a pasted list of tools at the bottom just to add more search terms. It looks careless and usually reads poorly.

Find your keywords first

Look at five to ten roles you would actually apply for. Note the terms that keep showing up: job titles, tools, frameworks, domains, responsibilities, and seniority words.

Those are the words to work into your About section, if they honestly match your background. Do not add skills you cannot discuss in an interview.

Open with who you are, in a sentence or two

Start with your role, focus area, and experience level if you have one.

That gives the reader a clear starting point. If you are a student or career switcher, say where you are now and where you are heading.

Support the middle with evidence

The middle paragraph should give evidence. Do not repeat every resume bullet. Choose two or three examples that show the kind of work you have done, the tools you used, and the result where you can name one.

Numbers help when they are real and relevant. If you do not have numbers, use concrete examples instead: systems built, features shipped, customers supported, incidents reduced, workflows improved, or teams helped.

Close with what you want

Say what kind of role, team, or problem you are interested in next. This helps a recruiter decide whether to reach out.

That is more useful than:

Write in first person, keep it human

Use "I" and normal sentences. Contractions are fine if they sound natural to you. Read the section aloud. If it sounds stiff, generic, or overloaded with buzzwords, simplify it.

You are aiming for professional and direct. You do not need to sound dramatic, inspirational, or overly polished.

Front-load the first two lines

LinkedIn often shows only a short preview before someone has to click "see more." Your opening lines should stand on their own. Put your clearest identity statement there instead of starting with a broad statement about passion, teamwork, or career philosophy.

Stay in the limit, and make it easy to reach you

The About section gives you more space than you need. Three short paragraphs are usually enough. If you are comfortable being contacted outside LinkedIn, add an email address or portfolio link at the end. If you prefer to keep messages inside LinkedIn, that is fine too.

Here is a simple three-part structure.

The proof paragraph usually carries most of the keywords because that is where you describe real work: tools, systems, domains, and outcomes. When the terms are tied to real examples, they read naturally.

A copied resume summary usually sounds generic. Here is a weak version, followed by a stronger rewrite.

Bad:

Better:

Why the better version works: The first version could describe almost anyone. The rewrite uses first person, gives specific examples, names relevant technologies, explains what Marcus wants next, and includes a clear way to reach him.

Now look at the opening preview, since that is what people see before clicking "see more."

Bad opening:

Better opening:

Why the better version works: The first opening uses the preview space without saying what the person does. The rewrite gives the reader the role, specialty, experience level, and stack right away.

The most common one is leaving the section blank, which costs you both context and a place to put relevant keywords.