Your LinkedIn profile is essentially your professional dating profile. And like dating, there’s a difference between the profiles that get ignored and those that make someone think, “I need to meet this person immediately.”
After reviewing hundreds of profiles as a recruiter and then building my own LinkedIn following of 40K+ connections, I’ve identified the tweaks that actually move the needle. And no, “professional headshot” isn’t on this list because it’s 2024 and that advice is as fresh as recommending someone use email.
1. Your headline isn’t your job title
“Marketing Manager at Acme Corp” tells me nothing except that you lack creativity. Try “Helping B2B SaaS companies increase lead conversion by 35% | Content strategist obsessed with customer psychology” instead. Now I know what you do and who you help.
2. Your About section needs a point of view
Last week, I compared two product managers’ profiles. The first had the standard “Experienced product manager passionate about user-centered design…” Yawn. The second started with “I believe most product roadmaps prioritize flashy features over fixing customer pain points—and that’s why software bloat is killing productivity.” Guess which one I remembered?
3. Kill the third-person narrative
“John is a seasoned professional…” No. Stop. You sound like you hired someone to write about yourself, which is weird. Be a human. Use first-person.
4. Create a custom URL
LinkedIn.com/in/johndoe looks infinitely more professional than LinkedIn.com/in/john-doe-a7b239f4. It takes 30 seconds to change and signals digital savvy.
5. Add media to experience entries
A portfolio piece, presentation, or even a simple PDF case study under each role transforms generic text into tangible proof of your work. I recently added slide decks to my past speaking engagements and saw profile views jump 47%.
6. Strategically place keywords—once
LinkedIn’s algorithm isn’t looking for 27 mentions of “digital marketing.” It needs to see key terms once in strategic locations. I tested this by adding “talent acquisition” to my headline (not elsewhere) and suddenly started appearing in recruiter searches for that term.
7. Get recommendations with specifics
A generic “Sarah is great to work with” recommendation might as well not exist. Instead, coach your recommenders with: “Could you mention specifically how our project increased departmental efficiency by 23%?” Data in recommendations acts like third-party validation of your achievements.
Remember: Your LinkedIn profile isn’t an online resume. It’s a marketing document for the most important product you’ll ever represent—yourself.