LinkedIn tips to develop your personal brand before recruiters and hiring managers look you up

Before you get the call. Before the interview. Before anyone asks for your resume — someone is already reading your LinkedIn profile and forming an opinion.

A recruiter. A hiring manager. A former colleague who might have a new role open at their new employer.

And if you haven’t touched your profile in a year or more, what they’re reading is a version of you that no longer exists. The projects, promotions, pivots, the value that you’ve created — none of it is showing up.

Here are 10 things you can do right now to optimize your LinkedIn profile and make it work for where you want to go next.

10 LinkedIn profile updates that make a real difference

1. Update your headline — Write it for the job you want, not the one you have

Your headline is the first line anyone reads — in search results, on comments, in connection requests. Most people leave it as their current job title. That’s a missed opportunity.

Write your headline for the role or direction you’re moving toward. Include your core function, your industry, and ideally what you help people or organizations do. Think of it as a six-second pitch. You can even include something personal that you’re proud of.

Pro tip: Instead of “Senior Manager at XYZ Corp,” try “Operations Leader | Helping Teams Scale with Less Friction | Weekend 5k Crusher

2. Add a current, professional photo

Use a recent photo where you’re the only subject, your face is clearly visible, and the background is clean. It does not need to be a corporate headshot. A well-lit photo from your phone works fine.

Pro tip: Dress as you would for the type of role you want. The photo signals professionalism and approachability before you’ve said a word.

3. Create a banner image that reflects your professional brand

The banner behind your profile photo is prime real estate that most people leave as the default blue gradient. That’s the LinkedIn equivalent of leaving your office wall blank.

Use your banner to reinforce your professional identity. This could be your industry, your area of focus, a tagline that speaks to your work, or simply a clean, professional visual that feels consistent with how you want to be perceived.

Pro tip: Free tools like Canva have LinkedIn banner templates. You can create something polished in under 15 minutes.

4. Rewrite your about section in first person

The About section is the one place on LinkedIn where you speak directly to whoever is reading. Most people either leave it blank or write it like a formal bio in third person.

Write it in first person. Start with what you do and who you do it for. If you're looking to leave your company, state generally the type of role and for what industry and size of the organization.

Then say something true about what drives your work, what you value, and your achievements. Keep it concise and use bullet points where posible. Everybody is a scanner, so the more bite-size info you can provide, the better. End with a clear statement of what you’re open to or looking for. Invite profile visitors in the same field or role to connect with you.

Pro tip: Recruiters read the About section when they’re already interested. Give them a reason to reach out.

5. Lead each role with impact, not a job description

Under each position, most profiles read like a copy of the original job posting: “Responsible for managing a team of eight...” That tells no one anything useful.

Lead with what actually changed because you were there. What did you build, improve, lead, or deliver? One strong sentence about outcomes is worth more than five bullet points about duties.

Start each sentence with a verb and make this part as scannable as possible. Use asterisks or dashes in front of each accomplishment.

Pro tip: Quantify where you can — percentages, team sizes, timeframes. Specificity creates credibility.

6. Add keywords recruiters are actually searching for

LinkedIn’s algorithm surfaces profiles based on keyword relevance. If the words recruiters are searching for aren’t in your profile, you simply won’t appear — regardless of how qualified you are.

Look at five to ten job postings in your target field. Note the language they use repeatedly. Work those terms naturally into your headline, About section, and experience descriptions.

Pro tip: This is especially important for professionals navigating a career change. Keywords are how you bridge your past experience to your next direction.

7. Turn on ‘Open to Work’ (visible to recruiters only if preferred)

If you’re actively exploring new opportunities, LinkedIn’s “Open to Work” feature puts you in front of recruiters who are actively hiring. You can set it to visible to recruiters only — your current employer won’t see it.

Be specific about the types of roles, locations, and industries you’re open to. Vague signals produce vague results.

Pro tip: If you’re not actively job searching but open to the right conversation, you can still note this in your About section without turning on the banner.

8. Request two or three specific recommendations

Recommendations are social proof that you are a great colleague and employee. They carry weight with hiring managers because someone else took the time to write them. A profile with no recommendations looks thin, even with strong experience.

Reach out to two or three former and current managers, colleagues, or clients you’ve worked closely with. Be specific in your ask: mention the project or time period you’d like them to speak to and what accomplishments to highlight. That makes it easier for them to write something useful.

Pro tip: Quality over quantity. Two strong, specific recommendations beat six generic ones.

9. Update your skills section and pin the most relevant ones

The Skills section feeds LinkedIn’s search algorithm and gives visitors a fast read on your core competencies. If yours hasn’t been updated in years, it likely reflects where you were, not where you are.

Remove outdated or irrelevant skills. Add the ones that match your current direction and the roles you’re targeting. Currently, you can choose up to 5 top skills to appear prominently — these should be the skills most relevant to where you want to go.

10. Post or engage at least once a week to stay visible

A polished profile that sits dormant still limits your visibility. LinkedIn rewards activity — the more you engage, the more often your profile appears in others’ feeds and search results.

You don’t need to publish long articles. Here a few ideas:

• A short post sharing a professional insight or an article

• Write a blog post about a business book you read

• Take photos at an event you attended and tag the people you were with so you show up on in their networks’ feeds

• Provide a thoughtful comment and question on someone else’s content, or a reshare with your own perspective is enough.

Consistency matters more than volume. It can take 2 months of regular posting for the algorithm to understand your content and who to share it with.

Pro tip: For introverts or those who find posting uncomfortable: commenting on others’ posts or sharing an interesting article is lower-stakes and still builds visibility over time.

You don’t need to do all ten of these at once. Pick the two or three that feel most underdeveloped and start there. An hour of focused attention on your profile can change how you show up to every recruiter, hiring manager, and professional contact who looks you up from this point forward.

If this resonates, it may be worth exploring more deeply.

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