Careers
How to make a LinkedIn profile that gets you noticed
A practical guide to a LinkedIn profile recruiters actually engage with — headline, About, experience, skills and the signals that matter, without the buzzword bingo.
June 30, 2026 · 8 min read
For better or worse, your LinkedIn profile is often the first thing a recruiter sees. A strong one doesn't require a personal-brand makeover or daily posting — it requires being specific, complete, and easy to find. Most profiles fail on those basics, which means small fixes go a long way.
Headline and About
Your headline is the most-read line — make it say what you do and for whom, not just a title. Your About should open with your strongest, most specific impact in the first two lines (the part shown before “see more”), then a short, human summary of what you do and what you're looking for. Skip the third-person buzzword paragraph.
Experience and skills
Treat each role like a résumé entry: a line on scope, then bullet points of concrete results with numbers. In the skills section, list the real, searchable terms for your field — these are literally what recruiters filter on. The same principle as a good résumé: evidence over adjectives.
Getting found
Completeness and keywords drive whether you surface in recruiter searches. Fill out every section, turn on the “open to work” signal (privately to recruiters if you prefer), and ask a couple of colleagues for specific recommendations. A photo and a custom URL help too. None of this is gaming — it's making accurate information easy to find.
Beyond LinkedIn
LinkedIn judges you partly on network and presentation. Skills-first platforms judge you on ability — Spoon Hire gives you one profile and a fair AI interview, with your contact details private until a company connects. Build your profile, then see a smarter job-search strategy.
Frequently asked
What makes a good LinkedIn headline?
Specificity. Instead of a job title alone, say what you do and for whom — e.g. “Backend engineer — payments & reliability”. It's the most-read line on your profile.
How do I get recruiters to find me?
Use the real keywords for your role in your headline, About and skills; keep your profile complete; and signal you're open to work. Recruiters search on skills and titles, so plain, accurate language beats clever wording.
Should my LinkedIn match my résumé?
It should be consistent but not identical — LinkedIn has room for a fuller story, projects and recommendations. Lead with the same evidence of impact.
Put it into practice with Spoon Hire.
Run fair, skills-first AI interviews and review anonymized, merit-ranked shortlists.