16 out of 30-LinkedIn-Top-Tips-Expert-Doctor-David-Petherick

30 LinkedIn Tips: #16/30 – Write like Hemingway

30 short, useful, actionable LinkedIn tips in 30 days from Doctor David Petherick. #30by30 #TheDoctorisIn

#16/30: Write your profile like Hemingway.

  • Originally written: October 16, 2017
    Text & Images Updated: June 30, 2020

“He looked down the hill slope again and he thought, I hate to leave it, is all. I hate to leave it very much and I hope I have done some good in it. I have tried to with what talent I had. Have, you mean. All right, have.” 

That's from the final chapter of For Whom the Bell Tolls, by Ernest Hemingway.

I'm not suggesting you set your profile in the Spanish Civil War.

My point is that Ernest Hemingway wrote with astonishing simplicity and clarity.

You should write your profile with a similar aim: be clear and simple.

I don't know anyone who claims to write as well as Hemingway, or does, but luckily, there's a handy online tool that helps.

Appropriately, it's called the Hemingway App.

Improve your writing with the free online tool at hemingwayapp.com

Improve your writing with the free online tool at hemingwayapp.com

Go to the web site, drop your text into the app, and it helps you make your text clearer, with advice on —

  • Readability Index
  • Ease of Reading
  • Making phrases simpler
  • Removing adverbs
  • Avoiding the passive voice (Oops, I wrote that in the passive voice).

The good news is - it's free, and you can access the Hemingway App it from any web browser. You can also buy an inexpensive Mac or PC Hemingway app to work offline.

It's great to see how quickly you can improve your writing, and to benchmark how legible your text is.

But I warn you - it can be depressing at first!

I ran a few random LinkedIn Profile Summaries through it. The app really shows how easy it is to add clarity to your writing. I found a minimum of 40% of sentences were “very hard to read” in a sample of five summaries.

Your visitors deserve an easy to read profile.

So get to work on your profile. Aim for clarity. Write like Hemingway.

  • Bonus just for fun: Find out which author you actually write like at http://iwl.me/

About David Petherick

The Doctor is In. I have treated over 34,667 LinkedIn problems for CEOs, professionals and startups since 2006. You'll know by the end of our first free consultation if I can help you. We just need 10 minutes to diagnose and confirm if we're a good fit. Join over 4,767 subscribers to my free LinkedIn Newsletter on LinkedIn with no need to share your email address. Follow me on Twitter at @petherick.