Prioritizing Relevant Content in LinkedIn Profiles

I’ve optimized 300+ LinkedIn profiles—and this is where almost everyone goes wrong: (Even my clients—Fortune 500 execs, bestselling authors, and top keynote speakers—struggle with this.) If your Experience section reads like a job description, you’re losing clients, leads, and career momentum. Basically: you could be missing out on huge opportunities. Because LinkedIn is 𝘯𝘰𝘵 a job board. It's a search engine. And your Experience section? It's one of the most powerful ways to: → Rank in search → Show proof of work → Build authority → Attract real opportunities But most people get this section completely wrong. They list responsibilities, not results. They write in résumé speak, not human language. They forget keywords entirely. So let’s fix that. Here’s the framework I use when writing Experience sections for my clients: 𝗦𝗧𝗔𝗥+𝗞 S – Situation: What challenge were you stepping into? T – Task: What were you responsible for? A – Action: What did you do and how did you approach it? R – Result: What transformation did you create? +K – Keywords: What skills and terms should be included to boost searchability? 𝗘𝘅𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲: Stepped into a brand with low engagement and flatlining sales. Launched a LinkedIn-led content and ad strategy that increased traffic by 70% and added $1.2M in new revenue. Led a team of 4 and used tools like HubSpot, Meta Ads Manager, and GA4. Keywords: LinkedIn strategy, content marketing, B2B growth, lead generation This is how you turn a list of tasks into a magnetic, searchable proof of expertise. And here’s why it matters: → 95% of recruiters use LinkedIn to find and vet candidates (Jobvite) → Keyword-rich experience sections rank higher in search (LinkedIn Learning) → Profiles with 5+ skills are 33x more likely to get messaged (LinkedIn Talent Solutions) → Complete profiles get 21x more views and 36x more messages (LinkedIn Business) If your profile isn’t optimized, you're invisible. 𝗧𝗼𝗱𝗮𝘆’𝘀 𝘁𝗮𝘀𝗸: • Pick 1–2 roles to rewrite using the STAR+K framework • Add keywords naturally • Tag relevant skills (3–5 per role) • Bonus: Upload media or case studies to showcase your work Need help brainstorming keywords? Try this ChatGPT prompt: "I’m a [job title/industry]. What are 50 relevant LinkedIn keywords and skills people might search to find my profile?" Let’s make your work work 𝘧𝘰𝘳 you.

𝗜’𝘃𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗹𝘆𝘇𝗲𝗱 𝟮𝟬𝟬𝟬+ 𝗟𝗶𝗻𝗸𝗲𝗱𝗜𝗻 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗳𝗶𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗹𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝟰 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘀. 𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗲’𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘀𝗲𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗕𝗘𝗦𝗧 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘁! 𝗟𝗲𝘁’𝘀 𝗯𝗲 𝗵𝗼𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘁 - LinkedIn is your digital first impression. If your profile isn’t optimized, you’re invisible to opportunities. After going deep into top-performing profiles, I’ve distilled 6 powerful tips that consistently show up in the best ones. 👇 𝟭. 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗳𝗶𝗹𝗲 𝗣𝗶𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 = 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗙𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝗛𝗮𝗻𝗱𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗸𝗲 A clear, confident, smiling photo builds trust instantly. Make it high-quality, professional, and well-lit. No blurry selfies, please. 𝟮. 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗜𝘀 𝗣𝗥𝗜𝗠𝗘 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝗘𝘀𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗲 Forget just listing your job title. Use this winning formula: What you do + Who you help + How you help 👉 Example: “Helping SaaS startups scale with data-driven growth strategies” 𝟯. 𝗔𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗦𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 = 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗦𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆, 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗩𝗶𝗯𝗲 This isn’t a resume. It’s your moment to connect. Share your journey, highlight key wins, and infuse your personality. Professional doesn’t have to mean boring. 𝟰. 𝗖𝗹𝗮𝗶𝗺 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗖𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗺 𝗨𝗥𝗟 Ditch the auto-generated mess. A clean URL like linkedin.com/in/yourname boosts your credibility and makes sharing easier. 𝟱. 𝗕𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗿 = 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗩𝗶𝘀𝘂𝗮𝗹 𝗛𝗼𝗼𝗸 It’s the first thing people see, make it count. Use a banner that reflects your brand or value. Bonus: Make sure it looks good on both desktop and mobile. ✅ Ideal size: 1584 x 396 px 𝟲. 𝗞𝗲𝘆𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗱𝘀 𝗔𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝗘𝗢 𝗼𝗳 𝗟𝗶𝗻𝗸𝗲𝗱𝗜𝗻 Want to show up in recruiter or client searches? Use relevant keywords across your: * Headline * About section * Experience * Even your banner image text (yes, it matters!) An optimized profile doesn’t just look good, it works for you. It attracts views, opens doors, and builds credibility while you sleep. Polish your profile. The right people are already searching, make sure they find YOU. 𝗔𝗹𝘀𝗼, 𝗜 𝗮𝗺 𝗼𝗻 𝗮 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗸 𝘁𝗼 𝗽𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗶𝘀𝗵 𝗱𝗮𝗶𝗹𝘆, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗼𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝗶𝘀 𝗗𝗮𝘆 𝟭𝟳𝟮/𝟯𝟱𝟬. 𝗣.𝗦. 𝗜 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘀, 𝗳𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀, 𝗖𝗫𝗢𝘀, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗰𝗼𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗲𝘀 𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘄 𝗼𝗻 𝗟𝗶𝗻𝗸𝗲𝗱𝗜𝗻 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗽𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿𝗳𝘂𝗹 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁. 𝗗𝗠 𝗺𝗲, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗹𝗲𝘁’𝘀 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗶𝘁 𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗻.

Your LinkedIn profile’s secret weapon? It's hidden. For years, my LinkedIn profile was just a digital resume. Then I discovered the Featured Section. Activating and optimizing this Featured section turned it into a magnet for leads and opportunities. Many LinkedIn profiles tell people what you’ve done. The Featured section shows people what you’re capable of. It’s the difference between being overlooked and making an unforgettable first impression. Here’s how to make it work: Pick Three Proof Points: Think about what would make someone trust you immediately. Examples: - A case study with measurable results. - A free resource that solves a problem for your audience. - A link to a newsletter, website, or webinar. Lead With Impact: Your first item does the heavy lifting. Use attention-grabbing titles like, “How I Helped a Client Grow Sales by 200%.” Keep It Updated: This section isn’t static. Make a habit of refreshing it monthly with your best and most relevant work. Now, think about this: If someone clicked on your profile today, would your Featured section inspire them to take action—or just move on? Take 15 minutes to activate it and add one standout piece. And here’s the best part: Tomorrow I’ll share examples of high-converting Featured content. For now, drop a comment below with what you’ve added—I’d love to help you refine it!

I thought having access to the LinkedIn Recruiter platform through my employer’s corporate account would give me access to LI’s souped-up algorithm. I would plug in the best Boolean search string and BAM 💥 , the best candidates (with complete profiles) would populate my screen. Nope. 🙃 Even after becoming an expert in Boolean search and playing with the advanced search fields for thousands of searches, it became clear the algorithm wasn’t as sophisticated as I expected. I know this can happen a lot with tech products from big companies – you expect the tech to be more advanced than it is, but it always frustrated me how inconsistent search results would be especially with how expensive the corporate product is. I even sat down with a co-worker one time, and we tried several different searches using the exact same Boolean search string and fields and got significantly different results. I couldn’t figure out why his search returned significantly more relevant profiles than mine. We speculated the number of 1st degree connections may have played a role in the quality of the results - he has a lot more 1st degree connections than me. But that shouldn’t make a difference for those with paid Recruiter accounts as the product wouldn’t be as effective for recruiters with less 1st degree connections doing the same job and paying the same price. We never figured it out and when I contacted my employer’s LinkedIn rep, I never got a straight answer. I don’t think the rep even knew how the algorithm worked. All this is to say is that optimizing your LI profile can only do so much, but there are some sections that are prioritized when it comes to search results, so I advise professionals to focus more time on tailoring these sections to their industry and job function: ➜ Headline This appears to be prioritized the most so be sure to include relevant keywords. For example, "Climate Scientist focused on climate adaptation and mitigation solutions in sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia" ➜  About section Keyword stack this section and include relevant skills and experience across industries, job functions, specialities, and geographies. ➜  Job Titles If your title doesn’t include industry-relevant keywords then add parentheses with additional context. For example, instead of just putting Sr Account Director add more detail to the type of accounts you manage -  Sr. Account Director (Renewable & Clean Energy sector) ➜ Skills (sort of, I'll explain) If someone is searching for skills using the advanced search function then your profile will show up if you have sector-specific skills listed in your profile, but for many of us recruiters in specialized sectors, LI has limited skills available, so I don’t use this field as much as I don’t want to miss candidates that don’t have skills listed in their profile, but they can make a difference if you have the right ones listed.

As a technical recruiter, I come across hundreds of LinkedIn profiles, and I wanted to provide some tips on how to make yours stand out. Having an active LinkedIn presence is crucial for any job seeker or career professional. But it's not enough to just create a profile - you need to keep it updated, showcase your skills, expand your network, and participate actively. This increases your visibility and shows your dedication. In addition to being active, your profile itself needs to make a strong first impression. Treat your LinkedIn profile like your professional resume - it offers a snapshot of your best attributes. Here are some key areas to optimize: 📌 Headline - Summarize your current role and specialty using relevant keywords 📌 About section - Share an overview of your background, skills, and passions 📌 Experience - Detail your responsibilities and achievements for each position 📌 Skills - Include keywords recruiters search for 📌 Recommendations - Get colleagues to endorse your work 📌 Media - Spotlight projects, publications, certifications 📌 Network - Connect with professionals in your industry The more complete and compelling your profile, the more likely you are to be discovered and contacted by recruiters like me. The visual presentation also influences others' perception tremendously. I'm happy to provide more specific tips - feel free to connect with me here on LinkedIn as you update your own profile. Leveraging your personal brand effectively here can truly make a difference in advancing your career. #prosourceit #personalbrand #jobseekers #linkedinprofile