Your ‘About Me’ section in your Oliv profile is the first opportunity for you to communicate directly to the employer.
We mean directly.
Your ‘About Me’ section makes the first impression about your:
- Communication skills
- Academic background
- Professional/volunteering experience
- Personal interests/passions
- Any cool, unique, opportunities you may have been a part of
The blurb you write about yourself on Oliv (and really, on any public or career platform) should reflect you in the best way personally, professionally, and especially in terms of your unique skill set/experiences.
Don’t just have fluff in there about your major, university, and a note about wanting to work for a “reputed company”. Treat it like an opportunity to showcase your uniqueness – your personality, passion, and aspirations – because that’s exactly what it is!
Here’s how you can make sure your ‘About Me’ is a clear expression of your skills, personality, and experience. It should move the employer to finish reading about you and give you a call for an interview – here’s how!
What to include:
Your university and major
- Briefly mention why you chose your major and why this track of study is exciting to you.
The type of opportunity you’re looking for
- Talk about why you’re looking for that specific position. What is it about your industry/field that excites you?
- What do you want to accomplish within your chosen industry?
- What values do you want your ideal position to incorporate?
- What specific skills, of yours, do you want to be able to put into practise?
- What specific skills do you want to be able to learn from the experience?
You don’t need to answer the questions above one by one, simply use them as prompts to think about the type of role you’re searching for and put it all together into one or two sentences.
Any past experience(s) you may have
Don’t go listing all the tasks and projects you undertook. Mention something specific you’ve learned in the past which will be of benefit to the new employer/in the new role and talk about something(s) you really enjoyed doing in previous roles or coursework in general.
Your personality
Express yourself in the words you say but also in how you say them. Employers are looking for candidates with personality – so show yours off!
The reason employers want to be able to gauge your personality (through your CV, cover letter, ‘About Me’ section, phone interview, or in-person interview) is to make sure you’ll be a good fit into their workspace, the role, and the company culture.
What not to include:
Your regurgitated CV
The only place where you should be detailing your education, personal skills, and professional experience is your CV so there’s no need to regurgitate all of that information again in your ‘About Me’ section.
While it is necessary to briefly mention how you are equipped for a certain position, your ‘About Me’ needs to be more about you and what you learned and less about what you did.
“Dear Sir/Madam”
This is unnecessary! Your blurb is about you and doesn’t need to be addressed to anyone. It also needs a human element. Write it in first person and address it to the general [employer] audience.
Let’s practise:
Bad: I am a graduate from the University of Oliv, looking for job in business
Good: I’m a Human Resources graduate from the University of Oliv, looking for internship or entry-level opportunities in HR or Conflict Resolution in Dubai.
Awesome: Hello! My name is [name]. I’m a recent grad from the University of Oliv with a major in Human Resources and minor in Psychology. I’m on the lookout for an opportunity that’ll let me merge together my passion for HR and psychology, and kickstart a career in Conflict Resolution/Crisis Communication. I enjoy the challenge of working with different types of people and coming up with solutions to difficult problems. It helps that I have a knack for staying calm during a storm!
Notice that all of the above points we just talked about can come together in just a few sentences. The key is in choosing your words carefully and in a way that is as expressive of your personality, experience, and professionalism as possible.
The effort you put into your ‘About Me’ section really does pay off because it’s the first thing employers see about you and a great place for you to express your uniqueness and personality.
So, get writing!