Get found bytop recruiters
87% of recruiters start their search on LinkedIn. This guide shows you how to optimise every section so you appear at the top — even when you're not actively applying.
Profile Photo & Banner
Use a professional headshot
Your photo gets up to 21x more profile views. Use a high-resolution photo with a clean background, good lighting, and a visible face. LinkedIn is professional — not the place for holiday snaps.
Add a custom banner image
The default grey banner wastes prime real estate. Add a banner that reflects your industry, shows your value proposition, or highlights your work. Canva has free LinkedIn banner templates.
Headline (Most Important)
Go beyond your job title
Most people write "Software Engineer at Company X." Instead: "Software Engineer | React & Node.js | Building scalable products for 2M+ users." The headline is searchable — pack it with keywords.
Use the value proposition formula
Try: [Role] | [Specialisation] | [Key skill or result]. Example: "Product Manager | B2B SaaS | 0-to-1 Products & Growth | Ex-Google." Use your 220 character limit fully.
About Section
Lead with a hook, not your job title
Start with something compelling: a result, a mission, or a bold claim. "I help B2B companies cut their sales cycle by 30% through smarter onboarding." Not "I am a Product Manager with 5 years of experience."
Write in first person
Your About section is a conversation, not a resume. Write "I built," "I led," "I'm currently focused on" — not "John is a results-driven professional who..."
Include a clear call to action
End your About section with a next step: "Open to senior PM roles in climate tech. Email me at X or connect here." Give recruiters a clear path to reach you.
Experience Section
Write achievement bullets, not job descriptions
Nobody cares what your job duties were. They care what you accomplished. "Responsible for managing social media" → "Grew LinkedIn following from 2K to 28K in 8 months, generating 400+ inbound leads."
Quantify every bullet you can
Recruiters scan for numbers. Revenue, users, percentage improvements, team size, budget managed. If you don't have exact numbers, use approximations: "reduced churn by ~20%."
Keep descriptions concise
Aim for 3–5 bullets per role. LinkedIn shows a preview — front-load your best achievements. Long descriptions hide the good stuff.
Skills & Endorsements
Pin your top 3 skills strategically
LinkedIn shows your top 3 skills prominently. Choose the 3 most relevant to the roles you want — these should match keywords in target job descriptions.
Endorse others to get endorsed
Endorsements show up in search and add credibility. Endorse colleagues you've worked with — many will endorse you back. Aim for 10+ endorsements on each top skill.
Open to Work Settings
Use the private "Open to Work" feature
LinkedIn allows you to signal you're open to recruiters without your current employer seeing it. Go to "Open to Work" → select "Recruiters only" to avoid tipping off your boss.
Be specific about what you want
When enabling Open to Work, fill in the exact job titles, locations, and employment types you want. Recruiters filter by these — being specific gets you better matches.
6 quick wins you can do today
Each of these takes under 5 minutes and immediately improves your profile visibility.
Add your location — profiles with a location are found 23x more often in recruiter search
Add your contact info (email, website, phone) so recruiters can reach you without InMail
Turn on Creator Mode if you post content — it replaces "Connect" with "Follow" and shows your featured content first
Add at least 3 featured items — projects, articles, portfolio, or a link to your resume
Request recommendations from ex-managers and colleagues — 2–3 strong recommendations significantly boost credibility
Post or engage at least once per week — active profiles rank higher in recruiter search results
Pair a strong LinkedIn with a strong resume
Recruiters who find you on LinkedIn will immediately Google your resume. Make sure it impresses.
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