Is Your LinkedIn Headline Boring?

Your professional headline on LinkedIn is the text that shows up below your name in the introduction card on your profile. It's displayed in search results and can be completely different from the title of your current position.

Your profile photo and headline are more critical than you might realize. It's what people will first see about you when they scroll through LinkedIn search results. Will you catch the eye of a recruiter, hiring manager, or potential client? Or will they scroll right past you because you don't seem like a good match, or you look like everyone else in the list?

Most people make the mistake of only having their job title and current employer as their headline. It’s hard to get noticed when someone searches for a product manager, for example, and receives an endless list of results with:

• Product Manager at Google
• Product Manager at Facebook
• Product Manager at Twitter
• Product Manager at Oracle
• Product Manager at SAP

Yawn. Borrrrrrrring!

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Stand out!

One of the biggest mistakes people make is that they don’t edit their LinkedIn headline at all. If you don't touch it, LinkedIn will use your most recent job title and company from the Experience section.

But did you know that you can enter up to 220 characters for your headline? Be creative! This is your chance to describe who you are, what you do, and your expertise in a way that stands out.

Also, the more information you put in your headline, the better your chances are of showing up in search results. LinkedIn search, like any search, relies on keyword matches (and I'm sure their algorithmic secret sauce) to return a list of people for queries.

For example, my?LinkedIn headline ?shows what I do, where I used to work, and some personal info about me to be a?little?more interesting:

The search results pull the text from your headline and display the first few words under your name. When I view the results in a web browser on my laptop, only the first 95 characters are shown.

However, the LinkedIn iOS app only displays the first 55 characters from the headline. That's not much!

So, choose your words wisely and make sure the first few count. Think about the words, skills, and credentials you want to emphasize to attract attention when people see your name in a list of potential competitors. Make it personal, and have some fun with it, too!

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What is your goal on LinkedIn?

Also, consider what your goal is with Linkedin and target your headline accordingly:

• Do you want someone to hire you as an employee?
• What words position you for your next ideal role (i.e., don't constrain your future with a past role)?
• Are you happily employed, but you’d like to do more public speaking?
• Are you a hiring manager and trying to attract talent?
• Do you want to showcase your consulting expertise?
• Are you trying to promote the services of your company?
• Are you proud of being a board member?
• Are you an author and want to promote your latest book?

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Some examples of intriguing headlines

The next time you're looking around LinkedIn, take note when someone's headline catches your eye. What do you notice? Here are a few more intriguing headlines than the usual ones I see.

• Bestselling author of QUIET, QUIET POWER, and BITTERSWEET (on sale 4/5/22). Unlikely award-winning speaker. Top Ten LinkedIn Influencer. Lover of quiet, seeker of kindred spirits. susancain.net/book/bittersweet/
• I Put Your Thoughts Into Your Own Words | Blogs + Social Media + SEOm + Advert Solutions
• Who do you call when IoT has to work? IoT StormChaser at Samsung, Director of Product & Devices Zigbee, Z-Wave & LAN
• Let’s make your competition jealous. Marketing consulting/management, rebranding, web/graphic design, social media, and PR are just the tip of the iceberg of what I can do for you. Seeking new opportunities, message me.
• Workplace Mental Health Expert| International Keynote Speaker| Stigma Crusher
• Do you enjoy mysteries set in untamed wilderness, where danger lurks at every turn? Message me!
• Strategic Communication Consultant, Coach. Consider me your secret weapon.

Take a pass at updating your headline on LinkedIn today and share the link to your profile in the comments. I would love to see what you come up with!

By the way, I’m writing a book this year.?Subscribe now ?to gain access to draft chapters as I complete them.

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Larry Cornett?is a?leadership & career coach and business advisor ?who hosts a private?mastermind community for ambitious professionals ?with weekly challenges, office hours, and ongoing support. If you’re interested in starting your own business someday (or accelerating an existing one), check out his “Employee to Solopreneur ” course (launching later this year).