From many requests, in this edition I explain how you can improve your LinkedIn profile to stand out, attract the right opportunities, and position yourself as a subject-matter expert.
LinkedIn isn’t just a digital résumé.
It’s your online storefront, your silent pitchman, and most importantly your personal brand.
Whether you're job hunting, building industry presence, or positioning yourself for leadership opportunities, your LinkedIn profile needs to do one thing exceptionally well:
Make you visible and valuable.
This week’s edition is dedicated to helping you transform your LinkedIn profile into a recruiter magnet and a subject-matter expert platform.
Grab a coffee. Let’s optimize your digital self.
Why LinkedIn Profile Optimization Matters
Recruiters don’t scroll LinkedIn like social media users. They search.
They plug in keywords. They filter by industry, tools, titles, and impact. If your profile isn’t optimized, you’re invisible even if you’re brilliant.
Your profile isn’t just for applications. It:
- Positions you as an authority in your field
- Helps you get noticed for projects and partnerships
- Builds credibility before interviews or outreach
- Creates a network of inbound opportunities
And yet most professionals don’t invest time here. That’s your unfair advantage.
1. Profile Photo – First Impressions Count
People form an impression in 1/10th of a second. Your photo sets the tone.
A poor photo makes you look disengaged, outdated, or unapproachable. A polished one makes you look like a pro worth speaking to.
Tips for a Winning Headshot:
- Use a high-resolution photo (not a pixelated crop)
- Neutral or softly blurred background—no clutter
- Dress in attire appropriate for your industry (tech, law, healthcare, etc.)
- Choose a confident, friendly expression—look approachable
- Maintain eye contact—this builds trust even in pixels
Avoid:
- Holiday selfies
- Sunglasses or party pics
- Logos instead of a face
Bonus: If you're camera-shy or unsure, many photographers offer LinkedIn packages—it’s a worthy investment.
2. Banner Image – Use This Real Estate Smartly
Your LinkedIn banner is prime visual space. Leaving it blank is like skipping the cover of your book.
Use it to reflect your field, highlight your value, or position your brand.
Recommendations:
- Add imagery from your field: dashboards, code, data visualizations, blueprints, product photos, etc.
- Overlay keywords or phrases:
- “Cloud Solutions Architect | AWS | Driving Scalable Innovation”
- “UX Designer | Empathy-Driven Design | Human-Centered Interfaces”
- Use tools like Canva or Figma to create a clean, custom banner
- Keep text minimal and sharp (optimize for mobile view)
Your banner is your silent elevator pitch. Make it count.
3. Headline (Under Your Name) – Your SEO Power Tagline
Your headline appears in every search and message. It’s prime SEO territory.
Most people default to job titles. That’s a mistake.
Instead, craft a keyword-rich, value-focused headline:
Formula:
[Current Role] | [Specialization or Tools] | [Core Impact or Differentiator]
Examples:
- “Product Manager | AI-Driven Platforms | Scaling Customer Success”
- “Senior Backend Engineer | Python & Django | Building Scalable APIs”
- “Digital Marketer | Growth Strategy | Turning Data into Revenue”
Use the full 220-character limit. Lead with the most searchable terms.
Avoid jargon or quirky phrases unless you're in a creative role.
4. About Section – Storytelling + Keywords = Magic
This is where you turn credentials into credibility and keywords into context.
Don’t just list your career path—connect the dots.
Structure:
Intro + Background:
Start with how many years of experience you have, which industries you’ve served, and your current focus.Core Skills & Tools:
Mention tools, systems, or frameworks you're great at. This is keyword heaven.Achievements & Results:
Quantify your impact. Recruiters LOVE numbers. Ex: “Reduced processing time by 32%,” or “Managed £1.2M budget.”Values & Working Style:
Showcase how you work with others. Highlight collaboration, leadership, innovation, or adaptability.Call to Action (optional):
End with “Open to connecting,” “Let’s talk,” or “Currently exploring leadership roles in X.”
Example Snippet:
With over 10 years in digital product leadership, I help fast-growing companies turn complex challenges into scalable solutions. My focus areas include Agile transformation, cross-functional team building, and launching AI-powered tools that drive customer engagement. Tools I work with: Jira, Confluence, Figma, HubSpot, SQL, and Python.
In my last role, I led a digital replatforming project that reduced customer churn by 28% and increased onboarding efficiency by 40%.
I’m known for clear communication, a bias for action, and bringing energy into ambiguous projects.
Pro tip: Paste your "About" section into a Word Cloud tool. If your key role terms don’t stand out, you’re not using enough keywords.
5. Content Strategy – Build Your Thought Leadership
You can’t just look like an expert. You need to act like one consistently.
That’s where content comes in.
Strategy: Post Twice Per Week
Post 1 (Tactical Insight):
Share a recent challenge you solved, a project takeaway, or a decision-making framework.Post 2 (Industry Voice):
Share a trend, reflection, or advice from your journey.
Example Ideas:
- “How I aligned cross-functional teams in a remote-first startup”
- “Why I think customer feedback should guide every sprint retrospective”
- “3 tools I use every day as a cloud engineer—and why”
Your tone should be: helpful, humble, and human.
Use content to build familiarity. That’s what gets you DMs from recruiters or invites from hiring managers.
6. Recommendations – Let Others Speak for You
Nothing beats social proof.
Recommendations turn your profile into a living reference letter.
They show how people experience working with you.
Ask For 3–5 Recommendations That Highlight:
- Domain expertise or tools you used
- Your communication or project style
- The results you helped drive
- How you made the team better
Tips:
- Ask people you’ve worked with closely: managers, teammates, clients
- Offer to write a draft (many people appreciate the help)
- Space them out—don’t get five in one week, or it looks staged
Pro Tip:
Give recommendations first. People often return the favour.
7. Skills Section – Keyword Magnet
LinkedIn’s algorithm relies heavily on the Skills section for ranking.
You can add up to 50 skills but focus on the top 10–15, especially the first 3 (they show up most).
Include:
- Hard skills (Python, Salesforce, UX Research)
- Role-specific tools (Kubernetes, Tableau, Jira)
- High-value terms recruiters search (Strategic Planning, OKRs, Agile Coaching)
Avoid overly generic skills like “Teamwork” or “Microsoft Office.”
Regularly review and update based on your evolving goals.
8. Projects Section – Proof of Execution
Projects are your chance to show real-world success. This is especially powerful if you’re switching roles, pivoting industries, or climbing the ladder.
How to Structure Each Project:
- Title & Context – Briefly describe the problem
- Your Role – What you owned or contributed
- Tools Used – Showcase relevant tech or methodologies
- Impact – Quantify results where possible
Example:
Project: Customer Onboarding Workflow Redesign
Context: Onboarding was manual and inconsistent across teams.
Role: Led a 4-person cross-functional team to design and automate a new workflow using HubSpot.
Impact: Reduced onboarding time from 12 days to 7, improved customer satisfaction by 25%.
Even small wins matter if they're positioned with clarity and confidence.
Bonus: Maintenance Tips
- Review your profile every 90 days
- Update your "About" and Headline if your focus changes
- Engage with comments and DMs to build visibility
- Save a bank of post ideas in Notes or Notion
LinkedIn isn’t about perfection—it’s about progress and positioning.
What Happens When You Get This Right?
- Recruiters find you without you applying
- Interviewers walk in already impressed
- People engage with your content and remember your name
- You become a visible player in your field
And most importantly you control your narrative.
Final Thought from Tino
Your LinkedIn profile isn’t for decoration—it’s a career tool.
Whether you're aiming for your next role, positioning yourself as a consultant, or simply staying visible in a noisy world, your profile should speak loudly and clearly about your skills, your value, and your impact.
This is not about gaming the algorithm. It’s about showing up as your best professional self and making it easy for others to see your brilliance.
Bonus: If You Want to Be More Serious on LinkedIn
Consistency and intentional engagement are key to building visibility and credibility.
Here are a few tips to take your LinkedIn presence to the next level:
- Post twice a week, ideally on Wednesdays and Thursdays, when engagement tends to be higher.
- Engage with your 1st-degree connections by liking and commenting on their posts. Over time, many will return the gesture, expanding your reach.
- Monitor your Analytics, especially Search Appearances, to ensure you're showing up for the roles and keywords that matter to your goals.
When posting, diversify your content by using different types of posts, such as:
- How-to guides
- Inspirational reflections
- Real-life success or failure stories
- Behind-the-scenes of your work process
- Lessons learned from projects
- Opinions on industry trends or news
- Tips and tools you personally use
- Short career insights or mindset shifts
Being active with purpose helps position you as a thoughtful, credible professional—one people want to connect with, hire, or collaborate with.
You don't want to be all the time engaged on LinkedIn.
As homework, research about the below; these approaches help you craft posts:
- Hook – Value – CTA: Start with an attention-grabbing hook, deliver valuable content, and end with a call to action.
- Problem – Solution – Result: Present a challenge, share the solution you implemented, and highlight the measurable outcome.
- Before – After – Bridge: Show the transformation with a "before" and "after" state, and explain what caused the change.
- List Post or “X Tips”: Share a list of actionable tips or insights that provide value to your audience.
- Contrarian Viewpoint: Challenge common beliefs with a bold statement and explain why your viewpoint differs.
- Mini Case Study: Showcase a real-world example with the client’s situation, challenge, your solution, result, and lesson learned.
- Quote + Reflection: Start with a relevant quote or statistic and follow it up with your personal reflection or insight.
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