When it comes to job hunting, LinkedIn is one of the most powerful tools tp use. But with so many profiles out there, how do you make yours stand out? The key is to build a LinkedIn profile that showcases your experience and highlights what makes you unique.
In this post, we’ll walk through five key areas that will help you create an impressive LinkedIn profile that can get you noticed by recruiters and employers:
- Choosing the Right Profile Photo and Banner
- Writing a Compelling Headline
- Crafting an Engaging Summary
- Highlighting Your Skills and Experience
- Building a Strong Network
Building a strong LinkedIn Profile
Let’s explore each key area so you can ensure your LinkedIn profile works for you:
1. Choosing the Right Profile Photo and Banner
Your profile photo and banner are the first things people will notice when they check out your LinkedIn profile. Together, they form the visual representation of your professional brand and can make a big impact.
❌ Common Mistakes:
- Using a blurry or overly casual photo (like a selfie or a group shot).
- Not having a banner image at all or using the default LinkedIn background.
- Having an unprofessional or irrelevant banner image.
💡 Tips:
- Choose a clean, high-quality headshot with a simple background. Dress in a way that aligns with your industry and show a friendly but professional expression.
- For your banner, use an image that complements your personal brand. It could be a cityscape, a work-related image, or even something abstract that showcases your expertise.
- Make sure the banner isn’t too busy—just something that visually communicates your profession or career goals.
- Both your photo and banner should work together to create a cohesive and professional profile that grabs attention.
If you’re not sure where to start, we’ve got you covered! As part of our Job Search Masterclass, we provide free LinkedIn banner templates that you can easily customize to suit your profile and make it stand out. Sign up now to get these templates and more!
2. Writing a Compelling Headline
Your LinkedIn headline isn’t just a job title. It’s your opportunity to grab attention and give people a sense of who you are and what you do.
❌ Common Mistakes:
- Using a generic headline like “Software Developer” or “Marketing Manager.”
- Not including any unique skills or specialties.
💡 Tip: Make your headline work for you by being more specific.
Instead of just “Developer,” you could say something like: “Full-stack Developer | JavaScript, React & Node.js | Passionate About Building Scalable Apps.”
This helps people understand your skills right away and makes your profile stand out.
3. Crafting an Engaging Summary
The About section on LinkedIn is where you can let your personality shine. This is your chance to tell your story, explain your career journey, and share what you’re passionate about. A great summary can set you apart from the crowd. On top of that, this is a great chance to fill your LinkedIn profile with keywords that can make you easier to find for recruiters looking for candidates.
❌ Common Mistakes:
- Writing a generic, one-sentence summary.
- Not mentioning what you’re interested in or what you’re looking for.
- Not mentioning relevant keywords
- Not adding your top skills
💡 Tips:
- Use your summary to talk about your skills, accomplishments, and what excites you about your work.
- Be authentic, and give people a reason to want to connect with you. Think of it like your pitch—short and memorable.
- Use “emojis” like ✅ I ✓ I 👉 and create lists to make it easier to read for potential employers, colleagues, and recruiters.
- Add a call to action at the end to encourage people to get in touch with you or reach out.
Find an example here:
🚀 Helping Businesses Grow Through Data-Driven Marketing & Strategic Storytelling
Hi, I’m Sarah Mitchell – a passionate Digital Marketing Strategist with a knack for turning insights into impact. With over 7 years of experience, I specialize in SEO, content marketing, and paid media, helping businesses achieve higher engagement, increased conversions, and stronger brand presence.
✅ What I Bring to the Table:
🔹 SEO & Content Strategy – Grew organic traffic by 150% for multiple brands through data-backed SEO techniques.
🔹 Paid Advertising (PPC, Social Ads) – Managed $500K+ in ad spend, optimizing campaigns to increase ROAS by 3x.
🔹 Brand Storytelling & CRO – Developed content strategies that improved website conversion rates by 25%.
I thrive on collaboration, innovation, and driving measurable results. Whether it’s creating high-converting marketing campaigns, optimizing content for search engines, or refining ad strategies, I’m always looking for ways to push boundaries and deliver real value.
📌 A Few Highlights:
👉 Increased lead generation by 40% for a SaaS company through targeted paid media campaigns.
👉 Led a marketing team of 8, launching a product in 5 international markets, achieving $2M+ in revenue within a year.
👉 Certified in Google Ads & HubSpot Inbound Marketing, with expertise in growth marketing & data analytics.
💡 Let’s Connect!
I’m always open to new opportunities, collaborations, and conversations around digital marketing, brand growth, and data-driven advertising. If you’re looking for someone to optimize your marketing efforts and drive business growth, feel free to connect or send me a message. Let’s make an impact together! 🚀
📩 Reach me at [email protected] | Let’s connect!
4. Highlighting Your Skills and Experience
Your experience and skills are the heart of your LinkedIn profile. Recruiters want to know what you’ve accomplished and are good at, so be sure to list both in detail.
❌ Common Mistakes:
- Listing skills that aren’t relevant to the roles you’re targeting.
- Forgetting to mention achievements or results.
💡 Tips:
- Focus on the skills that match your career goals and the roles you’re interested in.
- Instead of just listing job titles, mention specific achievements and use numbers when you can—like how you increased sales by 30% or reduced processing time by half.
- Make sure to add top skills to each job experience. Do not worry about repeating skills.
- In the Skills section of LinkedIn, reorder your skills so that your top two appear first. Since profile visitors only see the first two skills when scrolling, placing your most relevant ones at the top ensures they get noticed.
5. Building a Strong Network
Networking is one of the most effective ways to find new job opportunities. Having a strong LinkedIn network can help you stay updated on job openings, make valuable connections, and even get referrals.
❌ Common Mistakes:
- Only connecting with people you already know.
- Not engaging with your network by liking, commenting, or sharing content.
- Forgetting to follow up with new connections.
💡 Tips:
- Make a point to connect with people in your industry, even if you don’t know them personally.
- Send a brief, personalized message when you connect, and keep engaging with your network by commenting on posts or sharing useful content.
- Follow LinkedIn Top Voices to connect with like-minded people.
- Join communities/groups on LinkedIn of people in your field or expats in the country you are relocating to expand your network.
- Attend virtual events and send connection requests to other participants based on the fact that you both attended the same event.
If you’re unsure of what messages to send or who to connect with, make sure to check out this blog post, where we share some exemplary connection request messages.
Conclusion: How to build an impressive LinkedIn profile
By optimizing these five key areas, you can create a LinkedIn profile that not only highlights your unique skills and experience but also makes you more visible to employers and recruiters. Think of your profile as your digital business card—it should clearly reflect your expertise, career goals, and professional brand.
Take the time to refine it, stay active on the platform, and engage with your network to maximize opportunities. The right connections and career opportunities could be just one profile update away!
Looking to take your job search to the next level?
If you want to get even more tips on improving your LinkedIn profile, your job search, and creating standout application materials, check out our Job Search Masterclass. It’s packed with expert advice, proven strategies, and tools to help you land the job you want.
