Crafting a Compelling LinkedIn Headline

When setting up a LinkedIn profile, most people get to the "headline" box and don't know what to put there. 🤔

So what do they do? They enter their position title and organization, or year in school and major, and move on.

For example, "Social Work junior at State University" or "Marketing Specialist at HomeHealth."

The problem with this approach is that it doesn't maximize a super important section of your LinkedIn profile. It doesn’t adequately highlight your skills, it advertises the company or organization you're affiliated with (instead of YOU), and often doesn't contain keywords used by folks (ahem, recruiters) who are searching for people with your skillset.

Your headline is highly visible on LinkedIn. It shows every time your profile appears on the platform, along with your name and profile picture.

Ask yourself: what do I want to be known for, here on LinkedIn?

That's what you need to put in the Headline box.

I've put together a couple of approaches for crafting your headline.

The Keyword-Driven Approach

Anyone can utilize this template, but it’s particularly helpful for job-seekers in fields where recruiters use LinkedIn for sourcing. A headline is “read” for keywords in LinkedIn searches, so update your headline to match the keywords for positions you’re interested in.

• Here's a template for a keyword-rich headline:

  • [Industry, if applicable] [Target Role] | [Top 2-3 Technologies] | [Area of Interest/Result]

  • Example: "Healthcare-focused Junior Software Developer | SQL, Python, C++ | Front-end developer

• You could also use a more descriptive phrase, for example "Entry-level software developer looking for SQL, C++, Python-focused roles | Front-end software developer

The Growth-Oriented Approach

Some people like to use more descriptive phrases to describe their work. I often see this when people are content where they are but still want to succinctly capture how awesome they are. They use their headline to market what they do and what they want to be known for.

Sometimes, I see folks use a phrase that starts with “Helping businesses find their…” or “helping experienced executive women…”

I don’t recommend using “helping” on your resume, and I can’t recommend it for your LinkedIn headline either. It’s far too important of a section to outsource to a weak action verb like “helping!”

Instead, use a keyword-rich headline that focuses on your industry, skills/strengths, and/or aspirational role:

“Mission-Driven Development Communications Leader | Compelling Storyteller, Multichannel Communications Strategist”

“University Recruiting Leader @ Tech Firm | Early talent Connector and Advocate”

Think of your headline as a prominent way to market your unique skillset and background—your professional brand—on LinkedIn.