You walk into a networking event, spot a friendly looking person and introduce yourself.

She responds with; “Hi, I am Lisa. Lisa is a seasoned project management professional. Her core strengths include attention to detail and people management. She likes piña colada’s and getting caught in the rain.”

You get the picture.

You wouldn’t do it at a networking event, why would you do it on your LinkedIn profile?

LinkedIn might be a professional platform but it is still a social media platform. Social Networks are all about interacting with your network. Writing in the third person creates distance. You want to be social not push people away.

1. Use your own voice

Writing in the first person allows your readers to connect with you. Making it conversational opens up the possibility of an connection and lets people have that “me too” moment. Profiles written in third person look lazy, like they have been copied and pasted your bio or resume. Being honest will not only help your readers connect to you, it will also make you seem more trustworthy. Successful businesses are built on trust and honesty.

2. Choose a Great Photo

Choose a clear, friendly, and appropriately professional image, not a picture taken by your mates that time you caught a big fish. It doesn’t have to be a professionally taken photo but it has to look professional. Make sure that it has personality, smile for goodness sake. A photo can go a long way to convey passion, energy, charisma, empathy, and other soft skills that are hard to write about.

3. Write a Catchy Headline

Your headline doesn’t have to be your job title and company. Use that space to showcase your speciality and your value proposition. The more specific you can be about what sets you apart from the competition, the better. For example instead of bookkeeper write “Helping Small Business Owners With The Simplest Bookkeeping Solution Available”

4. Getting to Know You

The summary section is your opportunity to showcase your personality. Who are you? What do you love about your job? Who are you passionate about helping? Give people an opportunity to get to know you. What kind of impression are you going to give if your summary is written like a job description? Allow people to get a feel for your personality and style. Be yourself.

5. Don’t “Open the Kimono” — Avoid Meaningless Buzzwords

What do the words experienced, analytical, strategic, expert and driven have in common? They’re the most overused buzzwords of all time and they have lost all meaning. Eradicate business buzzwords and replace them with plain speak.

A visitor to your LinkedIn profile wants to know the real human behind the business. Let your personality shine and your passion will come through.