If you’re a job-seeker, you probably understand the importance of having a strong, eye-catching LinkedIn profile. The headline section of the profile is most important because it’s the first point of reference someone has about the work you do. If you do not edit it yourself, by default, LinkedIn puts in your current job title and employer.
Here’s a 30-second “cheat code” for doubling (if not tripling) LinkedIn profile views.
1. Grab your dream job’s listing.
2. Summarize it into a single line.
3. Use this summary to write a headline to your LinkedIn profile that shows you solve problems.
Quick side note: Before you start networking on LinkedIn, make sure your resume isn’t doing you an injustice — because you will get asked for a copy. Update your resume using my salary-doubling resume cheat sheet by inputting your information below:
To help you better understand what I’m trying to get at here, I summarized a few job listings:
"We need someone to design compensation plans for us."
"Our JavaScript library isn't very functional. Please make it more user-friendly."
"We need someone to come in and develop a strong program with individual projects that cater to our clients in the medical device manufacturing industry.
Notice a pattern here? The #1 skill that all hiring managers look for is...
Problem Solving!
Here's what you can do with this knowledge to improve your LinkedIn profile views.
Simply describe how you can solve the problems your target company is facing. Everything else is irrelevant.
If you apply this concept to your LinkedIn profile, you'll get a powerful headline that shows you're a great candidate.
Let's take a look at the examples given above and create headlines out of them:
"We need someone to design compensation plans for us."
--> Director of Global Compensation | I design comprehensive, long-term compensation plans by using state-of-the-art HR technology.
"Our JavaScript library isn't very functional. Please make it more user-friendly."
--> JavaScript Engineer | I design and develop highly functional client and server side JavaScript libraries | 10 years’ experience.
"We need someone to come in and develop a strong program with individual projects that cater to our clients in the medical device manufacturing industry."
--> Program Manager | I develop and implement high-value project life cycle development plans | Leadership & Coordination
Use this formula to update your LinkedIn headline and your profile views from hiring managers will increase.
Use this link to get a detailed, free critique of your LinkedIn profile.
Suggested Readings
- LinkedIn Profile Tips Every Job Seeker Should Know
- How to Write A Great LinkedIn Summary (With Examples)
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