Most people treat their LinkedIn profile like a digital resume. They fill it in once, forget about it, and then scramble to update it when they need a job.
Here is the problem with that approach: your resume works for you when you apply. Your LinkedIn profile works for you even when you are not applying to anything.
When your LinkedIn is set up the right way, recruiters find you. Hiring managers check you out after seeing your resume. People in your industry start following your work. Opportunities come to you instead of the other way around.
That is what it means to have a profile that works while you sleep.
But most profiles are not set up that way. And the sections that hurt people the most are often the ones they spend the least time on. Below I walk you through the key areas to fix, in the order I recommend tackling them. Start at the top and work your way down.
Section 1: Your Experience Section Needs Results, Not Job Descriptions
This is where most profiles go flat. People list their responsibilities instead of their results. They describe what they were supposed to do instead of what they actually accomplished.
Recruiters and hiring managers do not want to know your job description. They can find that in the posting. What they want to know is: what did you actually deliver?
The shift to make:
Before:
Managed social media campaigns and created weekly reports.
After:
Drove $2.4M in pipeline revenue by building an organic social strategy that increased lead-to-opportunity conversion by 40%.
Not every bullet needs a big dollar figure. But every bullet should answer the question: so what? If you cannot answer that, rewrite the bullet until you can.
One more tip: add your skills to your experience entries. LinkedIn lets you tag skills to each position. This reinforces your keyword profile and helps the algorithm connect your background to the right searches.
A few additional things to keep in mind for this section:
- If it is on your resume, it should be on your LinkedIn. The reverse is not always true. Your LinkedIn typically has more bullet points and detail than your resume because space is not a constraint here. Use that to your advantage.
- Order your bullets by importance, not by the order you thought of them. Your strongest accomplishments should be at the top, where people are most likely to read them.
- Update this section at least once a year or any time you complete a significant project. Do not wait until you are job searching. The details are freshest right after the work is done.
Section 2: Your About Section Is Your Pitch. Make It Count.
The About section is the most underused part of LinkedIn. Most people either leave it blank or write a third-person bio that reads like a press release.
This section should feel like a conversation. Write it in first person. Talk directly to the type of person you want to connect with, whether that is a recruiter, a hiring manager, or a future colleague.
Here is what a strong About section covers:
- The first 2 to 3 lines (the hook): This is what shows before someone clicks "see more." Make it compelling. Lead with what you do and the value you deliver.
- Your story: Who you are, what you are passionate about, what drives you in your work.
- Keywords: Sprinkle in the terms that describe your expertise. LinkedIn is a search engine, and the About section is one of the places it looks.
- A call to action: Tell people what to do next. Connect with you, check out your work, reach out about opportunities.
Think of this section as your 30-second pitch in written form. You would not waste that opportunity in a real conversation, so do not waste it here either.
One important note on formatting: LinkedIn does not allow you to format text the way you would in a document. No bold, no headers, no bullet points. That is where emojis come in. Used well, they break up text, act as visual bullet points, and make your About section much easier to scan. Do not overdo it, but a few well-placed emojis go a long way.
Tip: Use AI to help write this section.
This is one of the hardest sections to write about yourself, and AI is genuinely useful here. Try this: share your current About section (if you have one), paste in your resume or a full list of your accomplishments, and add any other context about the type of role you are targeting or the audience you want to reach.
Ask it to draft a few versions and pick the one that sounds most like you. Then refine from there. You will end up with something much stronger than starting from a blank page.
Section 3: Your Headline Is Prime Real Estate. Use It.
Your LinkedIn headline follows you everywhere. It shows up in search results, connection requests, comment sections, and recruiter inboxes. It is the first thing most people see before they ever click on your profile.
And yet, most people just put their job title.
A job title tells people what you are. A strong headline tells people what you do, who you help, and why that matters. That difference is huge when a recruiter is scanning dozens of profiles.
Try this formula as a starting point:
Role | Problem You Solve | Key Expertise
Example:
Data Analyst | Helping Teams Make Faster Decisions | SQL, Tableau, Python
This formula is a great place to start, but do not feel locked into it. Get creative with it. The goal is to highlight your value and your experience in a way that makes someone want to learn more. As long as you are doing that, there is no single right format.
You have 220 characters to work with. Use them. Load in the keywords that match the roles you want and make it clear exactly what you bring to the table.
Tip: Use AI to help generate examples.
Once you have finished updating your About section, paste it into an AI tool and ask for several headline examples. Having your About section as context gives it a much better foundation to work from than a blank prompt.
Ask for 5 to 10 options and pick the one that resonates most, or mix and match elements from a few of them. You might be surprised at how much easier it is to choose when you have options in front of you versus trying to write one from scratch.
Section 4: Your Featured Section Is Your Portfolio Window
This is the section most people either skip entirely or throw a random post into without thinking about it.
The Featured section sits right below your About section, which means it is one of the first things people scroll to. It is premium visual space and you should use it intentionally.
What to include:
- A link to your portfolio, personal website, or GitHub if relevant
- A post or article that got strong engagement and shows your expertise
- A project, case study, or piece of work you are proud of
- A recommendation or testimonial if you have a strong one to show off
The goal is to give someone a fast path to understanding the quality of your work without them having to dig. Make the first featured item your strongest one.
Section 5: Searchability Is the Hidden Layer That Powers Everything
LinkedIn is a search engine. That is not a metaphor. Recruiters use it the same way you use Google to search for information, except they are searching for people.
If the right keywords are not in your profile, you will not show up in their results. It is that simple.
The keyword hot zones to focus on:
- Headline: Your most visible keyword real estate
- About section: Load it with relevant terms and synonyms for your target role
- Skills section: Max out your 50 skills and get endorsed for your top ones
- Experience section: Include skill tags on each role so LinkedIn can index them
Also: update your custom URL. Change the default string of numbers to your name (linkedin.com/in/YourName). It is a small thing that adds professionalism and is better for search.
Section 6: Keeping It Updated Is Part of the Strategy
Here is a habit that pays off over time: keep your LinkedIn updated as you go, not just when you are job searching.
Every time you finish a project, add a certification, take on new responsibilities, or get a strong result, add it to your profile. Do it while the details are fresh.
This does two things for you. First, your profile stays current and attractive to recruiters at all times, not just when you decide to look around. Second, when it is time to update your resume, most of the hard work is already done.
Your LinkedIn and your resume should tell the same story. When a recruiter loves your resume and looks you up on LinkedIn, they should find depth and consistency, not a profile that looks abandoned.
The Bottom Line
Your resume gets you in front of the hiring manager for jobs you apply to. Your LinkedIn profile gets you in front of hiring managers for jobs you have not applied to yet.
That is the power of getting this right. A well-optimized LinkedIn profile does not just support your job search. It runs in the background, attracting opportunities, building credibility, and opening doors even when you are not actively looking.
Start with the sections that do the most work: your experience bullets, your About section, and your headline. Get those right first. Then work through the rest.
If you want a set of eyes on your profile before you hit publish, I offer a free Resume and LinkedIn Review. You can also check out my Resume and LinkedIn Sprint service if you want to do a full overhaul with support.
Drop a link to your profile in the comments or reach out directly. I am happy to take a look.