Quick answer
Write your LinkedIn About section in first person, and put what you do and the roles you target in the first two lines — LinkedIn weights the top most heavily and only shows the first ~2 lines before 'see more.' Work your core skills and tools in naturally through the rest, quantify one or two results, and close with what you're looking for.
Step-by-step
Open with what you do and your target role
LinkedIn only shows the first ~2 lines before the 'see more' fold, and weights the top of the section most heavily for search. Lead with a plain-English statement of what you do and the role you want — 'Senior Product Manager specializing in B2B SaaS growth' — not a slow-burn story. Get the keyword in immediately.
Work your core skills and tools in naturally
Over the next paragraph, name the specific skills, methods and tools tied to your target role — the same terms that appear in the job descriptions you want. Write real sentences, not a keyword dump: recruiters and the search both reward relevant terms used naturally.
Quantify one or two proof points
Add a short line or two of evidence with numbers: 'Grew activation 32% across two product launches' or 'Managed a $4M territory to 118% of quota.' Specifics build credibility with the human reader once your keywords get you found.
Close with what you're looking for
End with a clear line about the roles or opportunities you want and how to reach you. This helps recruiters self-qualify and gives them an obvious next step.
Why the first two lines do most of the work
Two things happen at the top of your About: LinkedIn's search weights those terms most heavily, and human readers only see the first ~2 lines before clicking 'see more.' So the opening has to carry both your most important keywords and your most compelling hook. A story that buries your role in paragraph three costs you on both fronts.
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Get my free score →Frequently asked questions
How long should a LinkedIn About section be?
Aim for roughly 3–5 short paragraphs (about 900–1,500 characters). That's long enough to include your role, skills and proof without becoming a wall of text. LinkedIn allows up to 2,600 characters, but concise and keyword-rich beats long and vague.
Should I write my About in first or third person?
First person ('I lead…', 'I specialize in…') reads warmer and more modern, and is the standard for job seekers. Third person is more common for senior executives and public figures. For recruiter search, either works — what matters is the keywords, not the pronoun.
What should the first line of my About say?
State what you do and the role you target, plainly: e.g. 'Data Analyst turning messy data into decisions — SQL, Python, and dashboards for product teams.' It should contain your primary keyword and read as a confident hook, because it's the only line most people see before 'see more.'