I’ve spent years on both sides of the fence – first as a tech recruiter, sifting through countless profiles, and now as a career strategist, helping people just like you land their dream roles in tech. LinkedIn is more than just a place to list your job history; it’s a powerful tool for getting noticed.
Recruiters, myself included back in the day, rely heavily on it to find candidates for open vacancies.
In fact, something like 95% of recruiters use LinkedIn to find talent. But simply having a profile isn’t enough. You need to make it work for you, and that means optimising it so that recruiters can find you and be impressed by what they see. People with optimised profiles are significantly more likely to receive opportunities.
So, what does “optimised” really mean? It goes beyond LinkedIn’s basic checklist for a complete profile, which includes things like your industry, location, current position with a description, at least two past positions, education, four skills, a profile photo, and 50 connections. While completing these steps is necessary, it doesn’t automatically make your profile stand out.
Let’s break down the key areas you should focus on to make your profile shine for tech recruiters.
First Impressions: Your Photo and Background
Think of your LinkedIn profile as your professional shop window. The first things people see are your profile photo and background image. They set the tone, and first impressions really do matter.
Your profile photo should be a recent headshot, showing your head and shoulders with your face taking up about 60% of the frame.
You want to look friendly and professional. It should look like you, so someone meeting you in person would recognise you. While older industries might favour formal headshots, the tech world often values authenticity and personality. You can show this through a warm smile and potentially even incorporate colour in your clothing or background to stand out and convey specific traits, like blue for trustworthiness or orange for creativity.
Crucially, having a professional picture is better than having no picture at all, as profiles without photos can seem incomplete or even fake and have a very low connection rate. Make sure your photo is set to public. Your background image is another opportunity to tell your story and make your profile memorable. It can reflect your personality or what you do, perhaps showing you at work, tools you use, or even a cityscape relevant to your location.
Crafting a Compelling Headline
Your headline is prime real estate – you have around 220 characters (or about 50 words) to make an impact. Simply defaulting to your current job title is a common mistake. This is your chance to showcase your skills, experience, and the value you bring, making it clear what you do at a glance.
Include at least one keyword relevant to the job you want. You can also incorporate your expertise, industry, or a unique value proposition. Adding an impressive accomplishment or even a unique passion can make you memorable.
Here are a few formulas you could adapt, drawing inspiration from examples:
- Role | Specific Achievement (e.g., Digital Ads Manager | 5 Years’ Experience Managing 7-figure Ad Budgets)
- Role | Industry/Area of Expertise | Unique Value (e.g., HR Director at Oracle | Software Technology | Certified HR Trainer)
- Role | Helping (type of company / sector) do (result) (e.g., Social Media Manager | Helping software start-ups manage and grow their social media to drive more sales)
- For early career professionals: Role | Education/Specialisation | Looking for an entry role in X (e.g., Java Developer | Master’s Degree from X | Looking for an entry role in X)
If you’re looking to switch industries, a good tip is to replace your current focus area with the industry you’re targeting.
Writing an Engaging Summary (The “About” Section)
The summary is your chance to tell your career story and make recruiters curious to learn more. Keep it concise – a few short paragraphs of 3 to 5 sentences work well, especially since the first 300 characters are automatically displayed.
Instead of just listing duties, focus on your impact, value, achievements, and innovations. Use strong action verbs like managed, led, initiated, delivered.
Key elements to include
- Your professional identity: Clearly state your role, experience, and expertise.
- Key specialisations and technical skills: Detail the specific languages, tools, software, and certifications you have. Lead with hard skills, as recruiters search for these.
- Career achievements and success stories: Showcase accomplishments, ideally with numbers or data to quantify your impact. Think about how you saved time, saved money, increased profit, or streamlined procedures.
- Keywords: Naturally weave in keywords relevant to the jobs you’re targeting. Identify the terms used in job descriptions that interest you.
- Passion and personality: Give readers a glimpse into who you are beyond the technical details. Share what drew you to tech or relevant hobbies/volunteer work.
- A call to action (optional but recommended): Guide visitors on what to do next, like viewing your contact details or projects.
Adding real-life examples like presentations, websites, blogs, or videos can also make your summary more compelling. Avoid overused buzzwords like “detail oriented” or “highly motivated”; demonstrate these qualities through your examples and content.
Optimising Your Work Experience Section
This is where you detail your professional history, but don’t just list job titles and dates. Recruiters need context to understand your level and contributions.
For each position:
- Link the company: If the company is on LinkedIn, link the name field to their page.
- Provide a brief overview: Start with a summary of your role.
- Use action words: Describe what you delivered, managed, or initiated. Avoid phrases like “responsible for” or “duties included”.
- Include keywords: Incorporate keywords relevant to your experience and target roles.
- Quantify achievements: This is crucial. Detail accomplishments using numbers and percentages whenever possible to show the scale and results of your work. Think about timeframe (e.g., project lasted 6 months), scale (e.g., managed a team of 5+), and results (e.g., increased performance by 25%).
- Keep it concise and clear.
- Use correct tenses: Ensure past roles are in the past tense.
- Proofread: Check for spelling and grammar errors. This subtly demonstrates attention to detail and good communication skills.
Showcasing Projects
Projects, whether from work, personal pursuits, or volunteer efforts, are a fantastic way to demonstrate skills and initiative, especially for those new to tech or changing careers.
You can add projects in the dedicated Projects section. This is the default place and helps distinguish them from traditional work experience. It’s great for showcasing creative work, technical expertise gained outside of work, or passion projects. However, LinkedIn’s algorithm prioritises work experience for search ranking.
If you have a significant project that highlights skills essential for your target roles and you lack traditional experience in that area, consider including it under your Work Experience. This can help boost your profile’s ranking for those specific skills. When describing projects, highlight specific skills used, quantify results, include relevant keywords, and use industry-appropriate titles. Adding links to your GitHub or other portfolios is also valuable.
Skills, Endorsements, and Recommendations
These sections provide social proof of your abilities.
- Skills: Make use of the skills section, listing those relevant to your experience and target roles. List them in order of proficiency. Recruiters use skill filters in their searches.
- Endorsements: Ask your connections to endorse your skills. Endorsing others often leads to reciprocity. Pin your most relevant skills to the top.
- Recommendations: Request recommendations from colleagues, managers, or clients. These offer insights into what it’s like working with you and tangible evidence of contributions. Aim for recommendations from people at different levels if possible, as they can speak to various aspects of your professional conduct, such as collaboration or mentoring abilities. Offering to write recommendations for others first can be a good strategy.
Consider taking LinkedIn Skills Assessments for the skills you’ve listed. Passing these assessments earns a badge that recruiters can see, lending credibility to your stated skills. While not as heavily weighted as formal certifications, they show initiative.
Increasing Your Visibility and Engagement
An active profile signals that you are engaged in your field. Regularly share content, comment on posts, and participate in groups relevant to your industry or niche. This increases your profile views and activity.
Sharing insights from your projects, industry trends, or events you attend demonstrates thought leadership. This doesn’t mean you need to be a top executive; it’s about sharing unique experiences and perspectives that offer value. Consistency in engaging is key.
Expanding your network is also important. Connect with colleagues, people you meet at events, and use LinkedIn’s advanced search to find and connect with decision makers and influential people at companies you’re interested in.
Technical Polish
Don’t forget the practical details:
- Custom URL: Make your LinkedIn URL professional and easy to share (e.g., linkedin.com/in/yourname).
- Contact Info: Ensure your email and potentially phone number are accessible to recruiters. LinkedIn Premium or “Open to Work” can increase your visibility to recruiters depending on privacy settings.
- Keywords and SEO: As mentioned throughout, strategically placing relevant keywords across your profile (headline, summary, experience, skills) is vital for appearing in recruiter searches.
- Adding Your Resume: You can upload your general resume to be searchable by recruiters only. This is a helpful feature as your resume might contain details or keywords not explicitly in your profile summary, providing recruiters with more information.
Be Honest and Authentic
While you want to present yourself in the best light, avoid exaggerating your skills or contributions. Misrepresenting yourself will likely lead to disappointment later. It’s better to be honest about what you know and what you’re willing to learn. Show how you are actively working to bridge any skill gaps, perhaps through courses or projects.
Using AI Tools
AI tools can be helpful in optimising your profile, but use them as a starting point or partner, not to generate the final version. AI can help structure sections, suggest keywords based on job descriptions, and even help brainstorm content for your summary or project descriptions. However, it’s crucial to add your unique personal touch to ensure your profile reflects your individuality and passion. AI cannot replicate your unique experiences and voice.
Regularly updating your profile is key. Keep it current with your latest skills, projects, and achievements. This shows recruiters your ongoing engagement and commitment to growth in the tech field.
Optimising your LinkedIn profile takes effort, but by focusing on these key areas – presenting a professional yet authentic image, crafting compelling content with achievements and keywords, seeking social proof, and staying active – you’ll significantly increase your chances of being found by tech recruiters and landing exciting opportunities.
