Last week on "Ask J.T. Anything," a viewer asked if writing your summary in the first person was a good idea. My answer was a big, fat "YES!" [Watch the video above to understand why.]
Never Write Your Social Media Profile In the 3rd Person
Unless you are a pro athlete (and even then, it's annoying), there's no reason for your to write about yourself in the third person online. For example, let's consider your LinkedIn Summary. While you might want to make yourself sound important, i.e. "Jeremy is a driven self starter, who has successfully managed large projects and delivered outstanding results," what it really sounds like is you're being egotistical. I know that's not what you intended, but that's the consequences of talking about yourself in the third person. In a time when transparency, authenticity and humility are what we strive for, talking about yourself in the third person sounds distant and pretentious.
Keep It Real (And Short)
The solution is to stick to the facts and summarize yourself in the first person, something like this:
"I'm a senior-level project manager with over 10+ years of experience leading projects ranging in budget size of $20,000-$1,000,000. I have managed teams from 5-50 people, delivering over 65 projects on time and under budget."
See how the facts enable you to keep it short AND convey your experience level?
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