How to Write a LinkedIn Profile
Unlike a resume you submit once, your LinkedIn profile is an "always-on" document. It’s also the channel where recruiters find you by searching keywords and reach out first. So the keywords that surface you in search, and a headline and About that make people click, are what matter most. Here’s a section-by-section optimization strategy.
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Headline (most important)
The single line under your name. It has the biggest impact on search and recommendations. Don’t just write a "job title" — use "role + expertise/value". Example: "Backend Engineer | Payments & High-Traffic Systems | Kotlin, Microservices". Weave in the keywords recruiters search for.
About (summary)
A short first-person story + 2–3 key results (with numbers) + areas of interest. The first 2–3 lines show before the "see more" cut, so lead with your strongest sentence. Blend keywords into the prose (don’t just list them).
Experience
Same principle as a resume — impact (metrics), not responsibilities. Add 2–4 headline results per role as bullets. Get company, dates, and job title exactly right (search matching).
Skills & recommendations
Add your core skills and pin the top 3. Peer endorsements and recommendations are trust signals. Don’t dilute the list with skills unrelated to your target role.
Photo · banner · URL
A clear profile photo (builds trust) and a banner image signal professionalism. Clean up your custom URL (linkedin.com/in/yourname) and link it from your resume and email signature.
How recruiters find you
- Naturally include the role keywords recruiters search for in your headline, About, and skills
- Signal availability with "Open to Work" (public or recruiters-only setting)
- Post and comment consistently to raise how often you surface — but don’t overdo it
- Set visibility to "public" — a private profile won’t show up in search
Common mistakes
- ✕ A headline with only a job title ("Software Engineer") — no keywords, no value
- ✕ Leaving About empty — throwing away your strongest self-pitch space
- ✕ Experience that only lists responsibilities, with no results or numbers
- ✕ Keeping your profile private, so it never surfaces in search or recommendations
- ✕ Copy-pasting your resume verbatim — LinkedIn suits a more conversational, networking tone
Free tools to use alongside your LinkedIn prep
Your LinkedIn profile is built on your resume too — polish the resume first: resume self-check. Worth reading together: portfolio guide · English resume.
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