LinkedIn Optimization Leads To Offer

Before we being:

I’m still running the promotion for free resume/linkedin reviews for all founding subs. Right now it’s only $55, and when you compare to how much career coaches and resume writers that’s an absolute steal.

I increased the price by $5 already since it’s getting a ton of inbound requests, and will have to increase the price again if it keeps increasing, so get on it now if you’re on the fence with it.

Someone asked me why I’m doing this, and it’s simple:

1. The more paid subs I get, the better visibility on the rankings here, which will help increase my subscribers. So it’s a win for you, and a win for me.

2. Yes, it’s already starting to add up lol. Eventually I will have to only provide this for “founding members” and increase the price of that

Remember, paid subs will also get:

• 2+ paid posts per week which will be a combo of:

  • Outlines of my accepted offers like this issue will be

  • Outlines of my career coaching calls

  • In depth lessons I’ve learned in recruiting that will break down from all angles for recruiters, job seekers, and hiring managersMost people hear the word "networking" and immediately picture conference rooms, name tags, and awkward small talk with strangers. But networking isn’t limited to those events. In fact, some of the best networking happens outside the room entirely.

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In This Issue

• Why job seekers are invisible in 2025

• What recruiters actually see in LinkedIn Recruiter

• The case study: how a Java dev in Charlotte went from ignored to hired

• Step by step teardown of his LinkedIn optimization

• Bonus: 10-step checklist to make your profile recruiter ready

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The Invisible Candidate Problem

Two months ago, I had a call with a Java developer in Charlotte.

Let’s call him Chris.

He wasn’t out of work. He wasn’t desperate. He had a stable job at a national insurance company. Solid pay. Decent team. Hybrid setup.

But he was ready for more. A bump in comp. Better brand. So he had his foot out the door.

He didn’t have time to mass apply. Like most senior engineers, he was heads-down all day. He wanted to flip the script and make recruiters come to him.

He assumed the inbound messages would start once he flipped his LinkedIn to “open to work.”

Except… they didn’t.

Not one recruiter DM in three months.

Chris had 8 years of experience. Java, Spring Boot, AWS, microservices, CI/CD. His résumé showed impact. His communication was sharp. But his LinkedIn?

Barron.

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The 2021 Mindset Is Dead

Chris’s mistake was assuming the 2021 playbook still works in 2025.

It doesn’t.

In 2021:

• Recruiters were desperate

• Candidates had the leverage

• If you could code, you got interviews

• Companies competed over each other to close fast

Today:

• The market is slower

• More candidates are applying to fewer jobs

• Teams are leaner, pipelines are fuller

• Hiring managers want proof, not potential

Chris had never had to try that hard before.
He thought just being good was enough.
But he forgot something critical:

Good people still need visibility.

You don’t need to be a content creator.
But you do need to be findable.
And you need to look the part when found.

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How Recruiters Actually Use LinkedIn

Let’s clear this up once and for all:
The LinkedIn you use and the LinkedIn recruiters use are not the same product.

We use something called LinkedIn Recruiter.
It’s not just a premium plan, it’s a different platform altogether.

Here’s how it works:

• We don’t scroll our feed. We type Boolean searches like:

(“Java developer” OR “Backend Engineer”) AND “Spring Boot” AND “AWS” AND “Charlotte”

• We apply filters like:

  • Location (Charlotte, Remote, Atlanta, etc.)

  • Current company (to exclude direct competitors)

  • Years of experience

  • Industry

  • Job titles

• LinkedIn gives us a ranked list of profiles

• We skim headlines and About sections

• We click through only on profiles that clearly match our criteria

• We might message 5 out of 100 profiles we see

If your profile doesn’t include the right keywords, structure, or job titles, you don’t show up.
If your profile is hard to read you might get skipped.
If your experience is vague or outdated, you risk us thinking you’re not a fit.

You’re not just being judged on merit.
You’re being judged on visibility and clarity.

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The Problem with Chris’s Profile

Let’s go back to Chris.

He had the skills.
He had the background.
But his profile was invisible.

Here’s what his profile looked like when we first pulled it up:

• Headline: just his job title

• About: empty

• Work Experience: company names and dates

• Skills: none added

• Recommendations: none

• “Open to Work” turned on (private of course, how we like it), but not customized

In a recruiter’s search, this profile barely registers.

It’s like trying to get booked as a speaker with a blank website.

Chris’s problem wasn’t his experience.
It was how he presented it.

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The Fix: Rebuilding Chris’s Profile from the Ground Up

We tackled his profile in five areas: