Eavesdrop on a conversation between over-50 job seekers and one subject is guaranteed to come up: the common advice to omit work history older than 10-15 years on the LinkedIn profile. For some, this is an easy and obvious choice. For others, it’s painful to consider canceling important career accomplishments. What to do? A clarifying exercise is to view your profile through the lens of story. How are you telling the story of your career? Some useful storytelling maxims apply.
Begin with an inciting incident: the About section
In most works of fiction, an inciting incident gets the story moving ahead right away. It captivates the reader. In your LinkedIn profile, the “About” section does this. Craft this section to capture the interest of the recruiter or hiring manager. Use keywords that relate to the role you’re seeking (AI bots may lurk!), yet gracefully summarize your career story. Because this section of the profile is where you have the greatest flexibility and space, highlight what you think is most relevant to the opportunities you’re looking for. Does your About section draw the reader into your story?
Plot organizes the story: the Experience section
The plot in your career story is your work history, and you can choose how best to lay out your plot. For example, if you had a work gap while raising young kids, there’s no harm in beginning your work history after that gap, in which case you’re in line with the conventional guidance of shortening work history when you’re over 50. But if 25 years ago you led a groundbreaking team at Apple, you may want to keep that. The key is to not get lost in the weeds. Step back and get a feel for what the work history you’re showing in this plot says about you. Does the Experience section tell the story you want to convey?
Voice provides color: the Featured section
In a novel, voice gives the book a personality. It can come through word choice, point of view, and tone. On LinkedIn, you can add color via the Featured section. Show off some of your work, post an article, upload a video. This section is so close to the top and can allow for great creativity, so use it! Are you making use of the Feature section to highlight your personality and unique talents?
Show don’t tell: the Activity and Recommendations sections
This is the most fundamental writing advice. When an inexperienced novelist “tells,” the reader loses interest and the narrator lacks reliability. What is more interesting is when the information is conveyed more indirectly, just as it is in real life. On most of your LinkedIn profile, you are telling about your accomplishments. But in the Activity section, you’re showing your involvement on LinkedIn so recruiters can see how you interact on the platform. Even better is the Recommendations section. What your colleagues say about you can be more powerful than what you say about yourself. It’s helpful for others to see which of your qualities rise to the top in your interactions. Are you showing your value via Activity and Recommendations?
Your LinkedIn profile is an important piece of storytelling. Set aside some time this month to see whether your profile is telling the story you intend. Then sharpen your proverbial red pencil (which editors used to use on manuscripts), to craft a more powerful story.