What should your LinkedIn headline say when you’re looking for a job?
That’s a good question.
The answer requires you to think like recruiters because they use LinkedIn to fill jobs.
This post will help you do that and give you several LinkedIn headline examples.
Read on to learn 10 ways to delight recruiters and convince them to click through to your profile.
1. Start with the Job Title You Want
First, remember that LinkedIn is a database.
Then, know your headline has more SEO power than every field on your profile other than your name.
Beyond that, the first words in your headline have more SEO power than later words.
BTW, if you’re wondering, “What is LinkedIn SEO?” Search Engine Land offers an excellent description of SEO here:
SEO stands for “search engine optimization.” It means improving your LinkedIn profile to increase its visibility in recruiters’ search results.
The better your visibility, the more likely you will get attention and inspire them to contact you.
Now, think like a recruiter.
If you’re hiring a CFO, you will search LinkedIn for “CFO.”
Thus, starting your headline with the job title you want makes sense.
Here are a few more job title examples:
- CEO
- Manufacturing Vice President
- Supply Chain Director
- Marketing Manager
- Financial Analyst
Most LinkedIn members don’t understand how headline SEO works.
So, when you lead with the job title you want, you go to the head of the line.
2. Showcase Your Expertise
Next, showcase your in-demand expertise.
That can take many forms.
Here are examples of headlines that use job titles plus expertise:
-
- Board Member / SaaS Start-Ups
- Chief Financial Officer / SEC Companies
- Clinical Trials Director / Digital Transformation
- Scrum Master / SAFe Agile Certified
- Human Resources Business Partner (HRBP) / Talent Acquisition
Again, think like a recruiter. What will you do if you’re looking for an HRBP who can also lead talent acquisition? You’ll search on “HRBP” and “talent acquisition.”
3. Add Clickbait to Your Headline
Next, add some clickbait to your headline to differentiate yourself from your competitors.
How do you find clickbait?
Go to job postings that interest you and look at the deliverables.
Well-written job postings make deliverables explicit. Others leave it up to you to try to figure it out.
Here are 5 examples of LinkedIn headlines for job seekers (title + expertise + clickbait):
- Chief Revenue Officer / FinTech / Hypergrowth
- E-Commerce Vice President / Merchandising / Amazon & Alibaba
- Director, Pharmaceuticals / Vaccine Product Portfolio / P&L Owner / Double-Digit Growth
- Project Manager/ PMP / 95%+ On-Time & Within Budget
- Biochemist / Food Industry / 12 Patents
What is the Character Limit for LinkedIn Headlines?
You might have noticed I don’t try to use all 220 characters LinkedIn allows for headlines.
This post explains that recruiters often only see 70 characters of your headline.
Thus, say something right away that makes them want to read your profile and talk with you.
Plus, Google often truncates your public profile’s headline in its search results.
I use keywords I know recruiters will search for, plus a little catnip, all within 70 characters.
Also, 220 characters don’t render well on a profile; it’s supposed to be a headline, not a paragraph.
4. Customize Your LinkedIn Headline
Next, I looked at 100 LinkedIn search results. None of the headlines showed more than the people’s job titles and employers. None. Boring.
What an opportunity for job seekers who make their headlines compelling to recruiters!
5. Use Correct Spelling
Now, let’s look at avoiding some common profile turn-offs.
First, proofread your headline. Nothing says “don’t click through” to a recruiter more than misspelled words.
I lied. Misspelled names are worse. Ask Bbob.
6. Capitalize Appropriately
Again, proofread your headline. Weird capitalizations make recruiters worry that the person wears stripes with plaids.
7. Avoid Mysterious Acronyms
It’s OK to say, “Corporate Counsel, IBM,” followed by some irresistible clickbait.
It’s not OK to say, “Corporate Counsel, CDR.”
CDR isn’t a recognizable brand. The mystery acronym shows the writer doesn’t think about their audience.
That’s not a good signal for someone to send via their LinkedIn headline.
8. Banish the Word “Experienced” from Your LinkedIn Headline
Recruiters want to find candidates with something more compelling to say than “Experienced.”
You can see a list of more ineffective headline words here.
9. Should I Put “Open to Work” in My Linked Headline?
You don’t have to use valuable headline real estate to say you’re available.
If you want recruiters to know you’re looking, use the Open to Work feature LinkedIn launched in 2020.
Here’s a great little video about it:
As you saw, you can flag yourself to recruiters as “looking.”
Warning: Always show yourself as currently employed on your profile. You can learn more about how the LinkedIn search algorithm favors employed people here.
10. Do a Personal Brand Check
Finally, look at your headline and ask yourself, “Is this a good summary of my brand?”
If you say “yes,” your work is done.
If not, study the LinkedIn headline examples, ask yourself what’s missing, and edit.
Sharing is Caring
Do you have any best or worst practice LinkedIn headline examples for job seekers? If so, I hope you will share them in the comments below.
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Featured on Career Sherpa
Updated March 2022
© 2015 – 2022, Donna Svei. All rights reserved.
Donna Svei, an executive resume writer and former C-level executive, retained search consultant, and CPA, authors all of AvidCareerist’s posts.
She is a Fast Company Contributor and has written for and been quoted by 100+ business and general media outlets, including Forbes, Inc., Entrepreneur, CNBC, the New York Times, USA Today, Time, US News & World Report, CBS, the BBC, Lifehacker, Social Media Today, IT World, and Business News Daily.
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Comments 24
Donna – when did what was called your ‘title’ become your profile ‘headline’? Managing a group and approving membership gets cumbersome when you have to decipher what all the verbs, adverbs, adjectives mean. I’m working on a LinkedIn Profile Rubric in which the use of adverbs and adjectives decreases the value of a profile – it doesn’t do what it’s supposed to do – present information/
Hi Steve,
I think your “Professional Headline” has always been distinct from your “Title” in your current job. However, if you don’t fill in a headline, or if you don’t uncheck a box near your title that says something like “make my title my headline,” then LinkedIn makes your current title and employer your headline.
I agree with you on adverbs and adjectives. It’s better to let other people assign adverbs and adjectives to us. Otherwise, we risk looking self-aggrandizing, pompous, foolish, etc. It’s definitely an 11th worst practice!
Donna
Hi Donna – How does this process work with the first word getting high SEO? Do you have a source. That would be helpful.
Hi Dorothy,
End user testing. Lots of working with clients on with/without experiments.
Donna
P.S. I started testing algorithms in college. We played a simulation game in our Business Operations class where we had to make various strategic spending decisions. The authors gave the program code at the end of the simulation materials. My two partners (mostly them, good partners!) and I went through it very carefully, formed some hypotheses, and started testing them. We won the simulation. “Figure Out the Algorithm” has been one of my favorite games ever since.
Worst practice for a headline “Seeking New(Next) Opportunity” not one keyword! Sounds desparate!
Hi Bruce,
I want to agree with all of your comment but can (sadly, because you know those aren’t my favorite headlines either) only go halfway. I polled a 4,200-member group of recruiters on FB for three hours today. Here’s what I asked them:
“LinkedIn Question: Do you ever source candidates on LinkedIn using any of these/similar keywords — looking, available, unemployed, seeking new opportunity, actively seeking employment, etc.?”
Eight respondents said, “Yes.” Four respondents said, “No.”
Two people noted they do this type of search when they need to hire quickly for temps. One person wrote that she combines this kind of search with keywords (note what you said about keywords!).
Glenn Cathey mentioned that it’s easier to recruit veterans when they mention their transition from the military to the civilian workforce.
Given all of this, I can’t say that putting “looking” in a LinkedIn headline is a worst practice. Many recruiters clearly want to find people who are actively seeking new employment.
In fact, if people want to take interim assignments, it’s important they note that some place on their profile (headline or summary) because, based on my mini-study, recruiters do search LinkedIn for those hires.
Bruce, thank you for surfacing this topic.
Donna
Hi Donna,
Awesome post! I’m always amazed at the amount of easily avoidable mistakes people make on linkedin. I’m pretty sure you nailed most of them!
I also think that in addition to making use of the available space and using click bait I always tell my clients to think about the person reading on the other side of the computer. Too often I see profiles that don’t look like they were created by a human, just another borg off of the “professional services” or “Public Relations” assembly line.
Really great stuff as always!
I’m going to tweet it out to my followers right now!
Best,
JL
Thank you Jon! Donna
Dear Ms Svei first of all thanks for sharing such a crystal clear article.
Recently I read many similar posts on this subject, but this is the first time I better understand the situation and the examples you brought in are very appropriate.
Still not being of English mother tongue, sometime I find it hard to condensate and have the headline of my profile the very best to make it visible. What would you suggest in my case? Any improvement is very welcome.
Hi Giorgio,
Thank you for your kind words. I’d probably lead with “Construction Engineer/Manager” on your LinkedIn headline.
Donna
Hi Donna,
Thanks so much for this great action-oriented post on how to improve one’s linkedin headline. You inspired me to change mine from merely listing “key words” to optimizing my keywords + adding in the click bait.
It helped me realize that I needed to improve my headline not only in terms of its content (it had been boring) but it had also been a bit distracting/confusing in terms of where I’d like to go for the future.
Here is how my headline changed:
Before: Social Worker | Individual & Group Therapy | Social Media | Financial Social Work
After: Social Worker | Therapist | Consultant | Transforms Clients’ Lives
Thanks again!
Love it! Thank you Dorlee.
It would be great to see revisions from more people…
Donna
Hi Donna,
This is a really interesting article. After reading it, I did change mine from my degree title to :
Technical and Analytical | Aspiring Analyst | Recent Graduate | Seeking opportunities in the Bay Area
What do you think?
Hi Danica,
I think your most important keyword is Analyst, but what type of analyst? I would lead with something like “Financial Analyst” — or whatever your specialty is.
Good luck with your job search!
Donna
Hello Donna,
Congratulations for this fantastic article!
After doing exhaustive online research on what is the way to position yourself as a job seeker on Linkedin, I can say this article is clearly the best one I´ve read.
I would really appreciate your help in this regard. Im struggling a little bit with my headline.
I am currently pursuing a Master’s Degree in Digital Marketing & CRM in a top french business school. As part of the program I have to complete a 4 to 6 month internship next year from May 2016 onwards. My background is on automotive marketing and I would like to find an internship in this same industry preferably in an automotive brand.
My questions are:
– What is the correct order for these keywords? “MSc in Digital Marketing & CRM Candidate”, “Master’s in Digital Marketing & CRM Candidate” or “Master’s Candidate in Digital Marketing & CRM?
– Should I add Class of 2016?
– Should I add also the name of the school (IÉSEG School of Management)?
– And the most important aspect, how can I sell myself as a job seeker? Many experts suggest not to add anything like “proactively seeking”, “open to job opportunies”, “looking for a job”…
In short, how can I best present myself as a master’s candidate who will be available for job opportunites from May 2016? Find below my current headline. What would be your suggested headline to be easily found by recruiters? Thanks a lot for sharing your expertise.
MSc in Digital Marketing & CRM Candidate | Class of 2016 | Actively seeking an opportunity in automotive marketing
Hi Luis,
Thank you for your kind words. I help my clients with the types of questions you have asked here. Your headline is good, but could be even stronger from an SEO perspective — check out the post again.
Donna
Other no-nos?
A LinkedIn profile that has no photo, or a photo of some clip art/abstract object/something that no relevance to who you are~
Marshall, Thank you. Donna
Very helpful info! Thanks for sharing Bob. I’ll be using this guide to spruce up my headline.
Heather, Thank you. Donna
Hi Donna
I have been doing some reading on how I could change my headline for a couple of days now and I can honestly say this post is one of the most informative posts I have come across. Thank you.
I am in the process of a career transition and find writing a headline difficult. What makes it so complex for me is that I am currently undertaking a certificate program in immigration law which I hope to graduate this year (this does not make me a lawyer) and I am seeking employment in this field (currently unemployed). I have worked in the travel and tourism industry all my life and previously worked in consular visas (non-immigrant visa and passport specialist).
Here are some of my attempts:
Travel visas & passports |Aspiring immigration specialist | Certificate immigration Law 2016 | Seeking opportunities in the Washington DC area.
Consular Services | Aspiring immigration consultant| CUNY immigration Law 2016 | Seeking opportunities in Washington DC.
I have done many versions however I feel they are far too lengthy, what would you suggest? Thank so much for sharing your expertise and for your time.
Hi Niki,
How about:
Immigration Specialist | Consular Services | Visas & Passports | Seeking Washington, DC Opportunity
That seems to hit your keywords and show your interest in WDC.
You can add your certificate to your Education section.
Donna
Hi Donna,
This was very helpful since I’m in the midst of seeking new job opportunities (been on a sabbatical). However, I am a bit confused on where the “headline” is. Is it the first part of your profile description? Or is the headline under “current position”? I’m wanting to make sure that I provide keywords in the appropriate section where LinkedIn searches will check.
My career is primarily in Medical Device or Healthcare IT sales. So for my headline – I put the following:
Highly Competitive ~ Medical Device Sales ~ Healthcare IT Sales ~ President’s Club ~ Consistently Top Ranked/Exceeded Quotes
What are your thoughts on the above? Also, I’m only interested in high level sales positions since I have over 20+ years experience. If “experienced” isn’t a good word – is there something else you’d recommend?
Thanks in advance for any advice you may have!
Melanie
Hi Melanie,
If you look at my LI profile, it’s the part that reads “Executive Resume Writer | LinkedIn Profiles | Interview Coach | Retained Executive Search Consultant.”
Please check your headline against the tips in the article. It’s good, but would benefit from some SEO tweaking.
Donna
What is the best title to put to search new opportunities when we are employed
Hi Mohamed,
If your employer knows you’re looking, look at the conversation Bruce Bixler and I had (above in the comments).
If not, don’t tip your hand. Just make yourself as findable and clickable as possible.
Donna
Hi Donna,
Brilliant article! I’ve been reading articles on how to improve my LinkedIn profile and this was definitely the most informative.
My background is in engineering, but I’m currently involved in marketing, writing, consultancy, data analysis, etc.
This is what I came up with:
Engineer | Technical and Analytical | Business Development
I would love to hear your suggestions. Thank you in advance!
Hi Pri,
Thank you.
I’d probably go with Engineer | Analytics | Business Development. Be sure to use those in your Skills & Endorsements section too.
Donna