LinkedIn profile tips that get recruiters to message you

How recruiters actually find you

It helps to picture the recruiter’s side of the screen. They type a job title, a few skills and a location into a search tool and get a list. Each result shows your photo, name and headline, plus your current role. Based on that one line, they decide whether to click.

• To be found, your profile needs the terms they search for, in your headline, current title, skills and experience.
• To be clicked, your headline must say something more interesting than your employer’s name.
• To be messaged, your About section and latest roles must show results.

Write a headline people click

If you do not write your own headline, LinkedIn uses your current job title and employer. This is the most visible line on your profile and your best chance to include what recruiters search for.

Get the basics right

• Photo: a recent, clear picture of your face, on a simple background, with friendly lighting. It doesn’t need to be taken by a professional, but it should look like you on a good day at work.
• Banner: optional, but a plain banner or one related to your field looks better than the default gray.
• Location: use the city where you want to work, since recruiters filter by it.
• Custom URL: change the address to your name in the profile settings, so it looks clean on your resume.

Use the About section to speak in your own voice

This is the one place on a profile where you can sound like a person. Write it in the first person, and keep it to three short paragraphs: what you do and for whom, what you have achieved and what you want next. People only see the first few lines until they click “see more”, so start with your strongest one.

A list of tools at the end is also a natural place for search terms. Don’t copy your resume summary here: it’s written in a different voice and for a different purpose.

Write experience as results

Treat your two most recent jobs like your resume: three to five results per role, starting with a verb. Older roles can be shorter. Since titles are searched most of all, if your internal job title is unusual, add the common version: “Customer Hero (Customer Success Manager)”.

• Use action verbs and results rather than responsibilities.
• Keep titles, employers and dates identical to those on your resume: recruiters do compare.
• Add links or media where they help: a portfolio, a talk or a published article.
• Do not leave gaps hidden. Add career breaks using LinkedIn’s own option if you prefer to explain them.

Skills, recommendations and activity

• Skills: add up to the limit, and put the three that matter most for your target job at the top. LinkedIn uses these in search.
• Recommendations: two or three short, specific ones from managers or clients do more than many endorsements. To get one, ask someone directly and suggest what to mention.
• Activity: you do not have to post. Thoughtful comments on posts in your field also keep your profile visible.
• Connections: connect with colleagues, classmates and people you meet. It widens the group you appear to in search results.

Settings worth changing

• Open to work: set the job titles and locations you want. Choose whether it’s visible to everyone or to recruiters only.
• Public profile: make sure your full profile is visible to people outside your network.
• Profile language: if you are looking in two countries, add a second-language version of the profile rather than mixing both.
• Notifications: when updating your profile, you can turn off updates to your network, so colleagues do not see each change.

Once your profile is in good shape, it does a lot of work for you. If you have been sending applications without replies, a good profile is also one way around the most common reasons for silence.