Your Headline Is The Most Underrated Part Of LinkedIn
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In this issue
Why your LinkedIn headline is the most underrated part of your profile
How recruiters actually search
What makes a headline pop
How to write yours so you get found and get hired
Let’s get into it
If you’re serious about getting interviews, your LinkedIn headline needs to be more than a job title.
It’s not just a label. It’s your hook.
It shows up in search results, messages, emails, and mobile previews. It follows your name everywhere. And when a recruiter is scanning hundreds of profiles, it's the first thing that can stop the scroll.
Yet most people treat it like an afterthought.
This is a mistake. Especially in this market.
Let me explain why.
How recruiters actually use LinkedIn
If you’ve never seen LinkedIn Recruiter before, let me paint the picture.
Recruiters don’t sit around scrolling the feed. They’re running targeted searches using filters, keywords, and Boolean logic. Think of it like Google for resumes.
Here’s what a typical recruiter workflow looks like:
Run a search for “Senior Java Developer”
Filter by location, years of experience, and past companies
Get 500+ results
Skim the list for eye-catching headlines
When your profile shows up, the recruiter only sees four things:
Your name
Your headline
Your location
Your current company
If your headline is just “Software Engineer at XYZ Corp,” you look like everyone else.
But if it says “Senior Backend Engineer | Java, Spring Boot, AWS | Fintech Experience,” you instantly look more relevant.
Same recruiter. Same search. Same goal: stop the scroll.
And your headline is your best shot.
Why the headline matters more than your job title
Your job title is often vague, inaccurate, or boring.
Companies love fancy titles like “Software Craftsman” or “Customer Experience Wizard.” But recruiters don’t search those terms. They search keywords like “Java Developer,” “Product Manager,” or “Data Analyst.”
Your headline is where you translate your experience into searchable, readable language.
It’s the first line of your personal sales pitch.
It’s not just about SEO. It’s also about relevance, clarity, and differentiation.
A good headline does three things:
Shows who you are
Shows what you do
Makes someone want to click
Examples that work
Here are a few before-and-after examples of better headlines:
Before:
“Software Engineer at ABC Corp”
After:
“Full Stack Engineer | React, Node.js, AWS | 5 YOE in Healthcare Tech”
Before:
“Product Manager at DEF”
After:
“Senior PM | B2B SaaS | Roadmaps, GTM, Customer Research | Series B–D Experience”
Before:
“Data Analyst”
After:
“Data Analyst | SQL, Python, Tableau | Marketing & Growth Analytics”
Why do these work?
They tell me exactly what the person does
They highlight relevant keywords
They’re written in plain language
They show immediate value
The best ones read like they were written by someone who understands how hiring works.
Let’s talk keywords
LinkedIn’s search engine reads your headline like it reads your About Me, job descriptions, and skills section.
So when a recruiter types “data pipeline Python ETL,” LinkedIn surfaces the profiles that use those keywords prominently.
And guess what carries the most weight? Your headline.
That’s why keyword placement matters. It’s also why you should use vertical bars ( | ) or commas to separate skills. It makes them scannable and recruiter-friendly.
If you don’t include the terms recruiters are searching for, you won’t show up no matter how strong your experience is.
What not to do
Here are some common mistakes people make:
1. Getting too clever
“Digital Sherpa” might sound fun, but no one is searching for that.
2. Using full sentences
“This is where I share insights and help connect the dots” sounds like a LinkedIn post, not a headline.
3. Wasting space on fluff
“Passionate about learning” or “Helping companies grow” says nothing specific about what you do.
4. Not updating it
If you were a QA Engineer two jobs ago but now do DevOps, your headline should reflect that shift.
How to write yours
You don’t need to overthink this. Use this simple formula:
[Role] | [Core Skills] | [Industry or Value Add]
Pick 2 to 3 relevant keywords. Make them searchable. Make them accurate. Make them specific.
And test it. Search your own keywords. See who comes up. Take notes from profiles that rank high.
Then ask yourself: Would I click my own profile?
If not, change it.
One final tip: match it to your resume
Your LinkedIn profile should feel like an online extension of your resume, but more searchable and more human.
The headline should echo your resume summary or title. That consistency helps reinforce your brand across channels.
If your resume says “Data Scientist – NLP and LLMs,” your LinkedIn headline should reflect that.
Hiring managers notice when things match. They also notice when things don’t.
TL;DR
Your headline is the most visible part of your profile
Recruiters use search filters and keywords, not your feed
A good headline is clear, keyword-rich, and clickable
Stop being vague, clever, or lazy
Use simple formatting: Role | Skills | Industry
This is the easiest fix that can get you more interviews
Great tips. I hate the clever title: Data Sherpa…no.