---
name: linkedin-profile
description: "Optimise a LinkedIn profile for recruiter search and first impressions: a clear target, a keyword set from real postings, headline and About formulas, achievement-led experience, ordered skills, Featured proof, recommendations, photo, banner, URL and location basics, safe Open to Work settings and consistency with the CV. Use whenever someone asks to optimise or rewrite their LinkedIn profile, headline or About section, wants more recruiter messages, is starting a job search or career change, or needs a freelancer or consultant profile."
license: CC-BY-4.0
metadata:
  author: Afeez Adebayo
  author_url: https://afeezadebayo.com
  author_linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/afeez-adebayo/
  author_x: https://x.com/za_icon
  source: https://afeezadebayo.com/skills-md/productivity/jobs-careers/linkedin-profile/
  category: productivity
  subcategory: jobs-careers
  version: "1.0.0"
  created: "2026-10-12"
  updated: "2026-10-12"
---

# LinkedIn Profile Optimiser

Recruiters use LinkedIn as a search engine. They type titles, skills and locations, filter by seniority and "open to work", then decide in a few seconds whether a profile is worth a message. Most profiles lose at both stages: the headline is just a job title, the About section is a vague mission statement, experience entries are empty, skills are random, and the location or job preferences quietly exclude the profile from the searches that matter.

This skill rewrites a LinkedIn profile so the right recruiters find it and the right people want to talk. It works from the user's career profile, matches the language of their target roles, fills every section that affects search and first impressions, keeps the profile consistent with their CV and background checks, and sets job-seeking options safely.

## Operating principles
1. **Write for search, then for people.** The words recruiters search for go where LinkedIn reads them: headline, current title, skills and experience.
2. **Target one direction.** A profile aimed at everything ranks for nothing. Pick the roles the user wants next.
3. **Proof over claims.** Results with numbers, named tools and real projects beat adjectives.
4. **Consistent with the CV.** Titles, employers and dates must match what a background check will find.
5. **Human voice.** First person, plain words, no slogans.

## Inputs
- Current profile text (paste each section) or a PDF export of the profile.
- Career profile (`career-profile.md`) or latest CV.
- Target roles: two or three titles, seniority, industries and locations, including remote regions.
- Job-seeking status: open publicly, open quietly, or not looking.
- Preferences: English variant, tone, words or punctuation to avoid.

## When to use, and when not to
Use it for profile rewrites, headline and About ideas, preparing for a job search, a career change, a move into consulting or freelancing, and before networking outreach.

Don't use it for LinkedIn posting and content strategy (the Social Media `linkedin-organic` skill), for the CV (`cv-writer`) or for messages to contacts (`networking-referral-outreach`).

## Field limits to respect
LinkedIn changes limits from time to time, so check the editor's character counter. At the time of writing: headline about 220 characters, About about 2,600 characters, each experience description about 2,000 characters. Only the first lines of the About section and each role show before "see more", so the opening must carry the message.

## Workflow

### Step 1. Define the target
Two or three target titles, industries, locations and the user's strongest proof points. Write the target in one line, for example "Senior lifecycle marketing roles in fintech, remote across EMEA".

### Step 2. Build the keyword set
Collect the words recruiters use for the target: title variants, core skills, tools, industries and methods. Take them from five to ten real job postings, then keep only those the user can support.

### Step 3. Rewrite the headline
Formula: target identity + specialism + proof or industries. Front-load the words recruiters search for.

| Weak | Strong |
|---|---|
| Marketing Manager at Example Ltd | Lifecycle and CRM Marketing Manager, Fintech \| Onboarding, retention, Braze, SQL \| +24% first-month deposits |
| Seeking new opportunities | Product Analyst moving into Product Management \| Experimentation, SQL, logistics |

### Step 4. Rewrite the About section
Structure:
1. **Opening two lines:** who the user is, what they do and for whom; this shows before "see more".
2. **Proof:** three or four results with numbers and context.
3. **How they work:** methods, tools and the kinds of problems they like.
4. **What they want next:** target roles or projects, stated plainly.
5. **Contact line:** how to reach them.

Keep it in first person, 200 to 350 words, with short paragraphs or a few plain bullets.

### Step 5. Rewrite experience
For each relevant role: one line of context about the company, then three to five achievement bullets from the career profile, using the target keywords where true. Older or unrelated roles get one line or a short summary. Match titles, employers and dates to the CV and official records.

### Step 6. Set skills
Add skills recruiters search for in the target roles, put the most important first and remove irrelevant ones. Link skills to the experience entries where they were used, and ask colleagues for endorsements on the top few.

### Step 7. Complete the supporting sections
- **Featured:** two to four items that prove the claims: a case study, article, portfolio or talk.
- **Education, certifications and courses** that matter for the target.
- **Recommendations:** ask two or three former managers or clients, suggesting a specific project to mention.
- **Languages, volunteering and projects** where they support the target.

### Step 8. Fix the basics
- Clear, recent photo of the face and shoulders; plain background.
- Banner that states the specialism or shows the work, not a stock image.
- Custom URL using the user's name.
- Location set to where the user lives or the main market they target; remote seekers can state target regions in the headline or About.
- Contact info: a professional email and, if useful, a website.

### Step 9. Set job-seeking options
- **Open to Work, visible to recruiters only:** quieter option; LinkedIn tries to hide it from the user's current employer's recruiters but cannot guarantee it.
- **Open to Work, visible to all members:** adds the green frame; useful when not employed or openly looking.
- Add target titles, locations, remote preference, start date and employment types; these settings affect which recruiter searches include the profile.

### Step 10. Check and deliver
Run the checklist and deliver every section ready to paste, with character counts.

## Career changers and freelancers
- **Career change:** headline names the target role with "moving into" or the overlapping specialism; About explains the logic; experience foregrounds transferable results; never claim the new title.
- **Consultant or freelancer:** headline states who you help and with what; Services section filled; Featured shows client results; About ends with how to start a project.

## Checklist
- Headline contains target titles and two or three searchable skills, within the limit.
- About opens with the value in two lines and includes three or more numbers.
- Every relevant role has achievement bullets, not duties.
- Titles, employers and dates match the CV.
- Skills reflect the target roles, most important first.
- Featured, photo, banner, URL and location are set.
- Job-seeking settings match the user's chosen visibility.
- No buzzwords: `results-driven`, `passionate`, `go-getter`, `thought leader`, `guru`, `ninja`, `proven track record`, `synergy`.

## Edge cases and judgement calls
| Situation | What to do |
|---|---|
| Currently employed, searching quietly | Recruiters-only Open to Work; avoid "seeking opportunities" in the headline |
| Official title is unclear | Use the official title plus a functional descriptor, as on the CV |
| Several unrelated careers | Pick one target; summarise the rest briefly |
| Gap in employment | One honest line in About or a short entry for the period if it helps |
| Target is remote work abroad | Location stays truthful; add target regions and time zone overlap in About |
| Non-English market | Add a second-language profile if LinkedIn supports it for that language |

## Handoffs to related skills
- CV that matches the profile: `cv-writer`
- Career profile and evidence: `career-profile`
- Outreach after the profile is ready: `networking-referral-outreach`
- Posting and visibility on LinkedIn: the Social Media `linkedin-organic` skill
- Remote and international searches: `remote-international-jobs`

## Worked example
A lifecycle marketer's headline reads "Marketing Manager at a bank" and the About section is three lines of slogans. The rewrite targets "Lifecycle and CRM marketing roles in fintech, remote across EMEA". The new headline names lifecycle, CRM, fintech and two tools with one result. The About section opens with who they help, gives four results, lists tools and states the roles they want. Each recent role gets four bullets from the career profile, skills are reordered around lifecycle and CRM, a case study goes into Featured and Open to Work is set to recruiters only. Recruiter messages for relevant roles increase over the following weeks.

## Output format
```
1. Target (one line) and keyword set
2. Headline: 3 options with character counts
3. About section, ready to paste, with character count
4. Experience entries for each relevant role
5. Skills list in order
6. Featured, recommendations and basics to fix
7. Job-seeking settings
8. Facts to confirm
```

## Self-check before you answer
- Would a recruiter searching for the target title find this profile?
- Does the opening of the About section make the value clear before "see more"?
- Does every claim match the career profile and CV?
- Are the job-seeking settings safe for the user's situation?

---
Created by Afeez Adebayo, Marketing, SEO & Growth Expert
Website: https://afeezadebayo.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/afeez-adebayo/
X: https://x.com/za_icon
Source: https://afeezadebayo.com/skills-md/productivity/jobs-careers/linkedin-profile/

Licence: CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). You may copy, share and adapt this skill, including for commercial use, as long as you credit Afeez Adebayo and link to the source URL above. Keep this notice in any copy or adapted version.