As a recruiter, I always use LinkedIn to find and evaluate candidates. I don’t spend much more than 10 seconds reviewing a candidate’s profile to decide whether to click ‘Message’ or continue to look elsewhere. Your LinkedIn is NOT just a digital version of your profile. It’s a 24-hour, 7-day-per-week billboard advertising YOU to the entire professional world; therefore, you need to master LinkedIn profile optimization.
You can take a couple of simple actions to turn your profile into a magnet for opportunity. This ISN’T about manipulating the system. It’s about clearly and professionally showing me (and other recruiters) your value so I can quickly identify you as a potential fit for our open positions.
Here are my tips and strategies on LinkedIn Profile Optimization (how to improve every part of your profile).
Step #1: Use Your Headline to Promote Yourself (not just your company).
Your default headline (your job title and company name) is largely underutilized. This space is perfect for listing keywords and creating a value proposition.
This is an example of a Poor Headline: “Marketing Manager at SDC Corporation.”
Example of a Strong Headline: “B2B Marketing Manager | Developing growth opportunities for SaaS companies via data-driven lead generation and account-based marketing tactics.”
Recruiter Insight: When I search for candidates, I am looking for your skills and areas of expertise, not your job title. The headline is supposed to have keywords that a hiring manager may likely use to search for a similar candidate to you. Examples of keywords could be “Digital Transformation,” “Project Management,” “Financial Analysis,” and “User Experience Research.” This will cause your profile to show up in my search results.
Step #2: Create the “About” section that describes YOU.
Most summaries are nothing more than a list of the tasks/responsibilities that I tend to ignore. Your summary should be a compelling story that answers three primary questions that I need to ask: What do you do? Who do you help? What successes have you had?
Writing a Summary that Will Make an Impression:
The Hook (the First 3 Lines): Start with a strong value statement. Since the majority of users can only view the first three lines of your summary prior to clicking on “See More,” those lines need to grab the user’s attention.
* “For the past 10+ years of working in the SaaS industry, I have provided B2B technology companies the ability to grow their revenue operations by developing and mentoring high-performing sales teams. I was directly responsible for contributing over $15M in closed revenue.”
The Evidence: List 3-4 of your best achievements using bullets or short paragraphs, and utilize quantifiable metrics to support each achievement. This is where you back up your hook.
The Personality & Call to Action: End your summary with a little bit of personality (for example, “I enjoy mentoring young sales professionals”) and a clear call to action (for example, “Available to connect with Fintech industry leaders”).
Step #3: Turn Your “Experience” into a Highlight Reel.
Copying your CV exactly onto your LinkedIn profile is not the best approach. Instead, you should highlight your impact on the organization(s) you have worked for in this section.
Rather than stating, “I manage the brand’s online channels.”
State: “I developed and executed social media strategies on three different platforms that resulted in a 45% increase in total followers and a 22% increase in engagement rates over a 12-month period.”
Tips: In each of your positions, start with your biggest achievement that includes some sort of measurable data. Utilize bold action words: “Spearheaded,” “Coordinated,” “Transformed,” and “Grew.”
Step #4: Maximize the Skills & Endorsements Section.
LinkedIn uses the Skills & Endorsements Section to determine relevance to searches. The more complete your profile and the more skills endorsed by others, the higher in the rankings your profile will appear in my search results.
Create a list of your relevant skills (both hard skills and soft skills) and arrange them in order of importance (i.e., your most valuable skills—i.e., “Strategic Planning” and “Financial Analysis”).
Ask previous colleagues and/or clients to endorse your skills. Send a polite message to them asking, “Hey [Name], I want to make sure that my LinkedIn profile accurately reflects my capabilities. May you kindly endorse me and point out that skill?” I wouldn’t mind reciprocating the endorsement and endorsing you as well!
Step #5: Secure Good Recommendations.
Recommendations confirm everything you say you are capable of doing. It is the only way I can get a form of a reference check before reaching out to you.
Requesting a Recommendation:
Do not send a generic request. Write a customized message to a former supervisor or colleague: “Hi [Name], I’m updating my LinkedIn profile, and I am very proud of the work we accomplished together on [Specific Project]. Could you possibly write a small recommendation about my contributions to the project? I would not mind writing one for you, too.”
What Makes a Strong Recommendation: The best recommendations are descriptive. Make sure you explain a specific project, the skills you implemented while working on that project, and the positive outcomes generated.
Step #6: Take Advantage of the Featured Section.
This is your portfolio. Leave it empty! Here, you can add links to articles you’ve written.
Add PDFs of presentations and reports that you’re particularly proud of (ensure there’s no confidential/sensitive information included).
Insert links to projects you’ve completed.
A link to your portfolio or website.
This allows you to show me your abilities, rather than tell me.
Step #7: Increase Discoverability.
Edit Your Customized URL: Edit your Public Profile URL (from the default, e.g., linkedin.com/in/john-smith-a1b2c3d4) to something cleaner (e.g., linkedin.com/in/jonathancrowe). A custom URL looks more professional and is easier to share.
Remember Your Contact Information: Enter your business email address in your contact info. Give me a way to reach you outside of LinkedIn’s somewhat uncooperative messaging system.
Think of your LinkedIn profile as an asset because it is an ever-changing, living document. As you grow as a person, your profile should also grow. Constantly set reminders on your calendar to review and update your profile frequently. Add new skills, update your summary with your latest success stories, and keep interacting with your network by posting relevant content.
The goal is to create a profile that makes it as easy as possible for a busy recruiter (like me) to quickly identify, in seconds, if you are a qualified and successful professional worth contacting. By following the guidelines outlined above, your profile will be easily searchable by me, but it will also stand out.
So, your first easy step: Change your headline now.
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