Will your headline help you get the interview? Here are 3 important LinkedIn headline tips for job seekers.
1 – Know the Value of Your Headline
Your LinkedIn headline is one of the most valuable spots in your entire profile. It’s the few lines right under your name that recruiters and potential employers see first. Your headline is crucial in their first impressions of you.
Remember that your job search is a sales process, so your headline is a little bit like a commercial. What’s a short phrase that sells you? What’s the benefit you provide? What do you do for a company or an employer? That’s what will get them to check you out.
2 – Don’t Limit Yourself
Most people just have their job title and company as their headline, but you don’t have to. It many cases (such as vague or generic job titles like ‘Account Manager’), it’s more interesting to have a few words that describe what you do. What do you say when you tell others what you do? (The short version 😊)
If you’re in the job search, you have even more leeway to write whatever you want. Think about what you do, what you offer that’s unique, what value you bring to the table, what problems you can solve. Figure out how to sum that up into a keyword-filled, attention-getting phrase.
And if you’re moving into a new career field, this is a great place to say what you want, which will give you some valuable keywords. “Chemistry major seeking laboratory sales rep position.” You might have no other place to legitimately include “laboratory sales” in your profile, but that could get you some traction.
(See some good LinkedIn Headline examples here.)
3 – Utilize Keywords
Keywords are possibly the most important part of your profile. They cause your name to appear when a recruiter or hiring manager searches for candidates.
What keywords should you use? Use the words that recruiters and hiring managers will use to find you. Check out job descriptions or postings in your field. See what terms pop up over and over again and try to work those in. Use the bigger description of what you do (for example: accountant) and something that describes your specialty (like ‘forensic,’ ‘non-profit,’ etc.).
Get Expert Help
Does your LinkedIn Profile need some fine-tuning or sharpening up? (Most do.) Check out my LinkedIn Profile Tutorial for tips and examples for your headline, summary, photo, experience, and more.