How to Write a Great Linkedin Headline

How to Write a Great Linkedin Headline If youve been following my Linkedin advice, youll know Im big on Linkedin profile optimization and how to make your Linkedin profile work for your career goals.  In this post, I want to take profile optimization one step further to ensure that you are creating the right first impression when found AND leaving hiring managers and recruiters wanting more. Your first impression on Linkedin will make the difference between your profile being clicked on (and explored further) or skimmed past by the right people, so it’s important that you get it right! The 2 Most Important Profile Parts The first thing people see when browsing their list of returned search results on Linkedin is your photo headline. These two profile pieces make up your  first impression to the outside world, so they’re worth spending time on. While fairly easy to set-up, the photo and headline can just as easily be overlooked so take some time to carefully craft both. Whether you realize it or not, your photo and headline communicate who you are, what you do and whether or not you have potential to be the best person for the job (all within a few seconds). This message you are communicating  is your professional brand and will determine how you are perceived by hiring managers and recruiters throughout your career.  Check this out if you need a refresher on Linkedin profile photos. Your Headline Strategy Most people tend to think of the Linkedin headline as the perfect place for a job title but this is not entirely correct. Since job titles vary from one company/industry to the next, they tend to tell the reader very little in terms of what you actually do, making for a potentially confusing brand. As I mentioned, your goal with the headline is to communicate immediately what you do and what you’re all about so avoid sticking just to titles if you don’t want to leave your reader confused.  You should also incorporate a description with your title that paints a picture for the reader of exactly what you do. The Basics: Characters, Sentences, Phrases That Sleek  Separator Line Linkedin allows 120 characters for the headline and places specific importance on the keywords in your headline in terms of how you’ll be returned in search results.  Therefore you’ll want to max out the character limit so that you are taking full advantage of your strategic keywords. Don’t worry about forcing complete sentences if they don’t fit.  It’s perfectly fine to use short phrases or words using the separator line “|” to create a more high-impact easy-to-scan headline.  (The separator line is located below the delete key on your keyboard using Shift + backslash). What to Write Think of the headline as a condensed version of your elevator pitch. In fewer characters than a tweet, you want to communicate: who you are, what you do, results you’ve produced, and credibility or proof. This may seem near impossible but it’s actually quite simple if you’re focused on who you’re trying to attract to your profile. One way to do this is by putting yourself in the hiring manager’s shoes. If you were trying to hire the best person for the job, what would they do and what results/credentials would stand out as being impressive at first glance?  For example, if you’re hoping to be hired as a social media marketer in the non-profit space, your hiring manager is looking for strong social media results and thinking of their limited budget. Your headline might look something like this: “Social Media Digital Marketer driving successful campaigns on a tight  budget. 500% increase in ROI in the past 6 months.” If you’re hoping to be noticed as an executive assistant, your target hiring manager is likely looking for someone who can multi-task, maintain order in a busy office and understands what it means to support an executive.  You might consider a headline like this: “Executive Assistant | Right Hand to CEO VPs | Flawless Office Organization Administrative Duties | Complex Scheduling” Notice how these headlines immediately communicate value? I’ll break these headlines down further to explain each part. Who You Are “Social Media Digital Marketer” speaks to who this person is as a professional.  The easiest way to communicate this is your job title or a broader industry/profession title. For example, if your title is “Social Media Marketer,” adding “Digital” into the mix will help to ensure that you are picked up in the right category searches. Research other common titles for what you do and try incorporating several so that you are catering to a wider variety of search terms.  For example Executive Assistant | Coordinator | Administrative Assistant What You Do While some titles may be more than obvious in telling someone what you do, you still want to share specifics to guide the reader in the direction of your professional value. For example, “Social Media Marketer” doesn’t offer insight into the day to day value this person brings to the organization, but “driving successful campaigns on a tight  budget,” gives me a very clear picture of what this person is working on. Think about your tasks as well as the big-picture vision for your role and what makes you valuable to your manager (or future manager). Results You’ve Produced Leading with your results is always the best move when it comes to your professional marketing materials (resume, cover letter).  The best way to communicate results is through numbers or metrics.  In the Social Media Marketer example, “driving successful campaigns” is backed up by the fact that this Marketer increased ROI by 500% over several months.  Results are important because they tell the reader that you not only can do the job but you are actually quite good at what you do. (There’s a big difference between doing something and doing something well).  If you’re not sure about your results or haven’t produced any yet, try to incorporate language that speaks to your skill around various tasks.  The Executive Assistant example is what you want to aim for in this case. Proof of Credibility If you’re looking for ways to stand out and speak to proof of your credibility around a certain skill or industry, be sure to include certifications, specialized degrees (ie. MBA, CPA) and recognizable awards or accolades. For example, if you’re a blogger who’s been featured on a major website or publication, work that into your headline.  Your first impression and level of credibility are vastly different when you go from “Blogger” to “Blogger featured on Mashable.” Keep it Fresh Professional branding is one of those career management activities that can take relatively little time but does require ongoing maintenance in order to keep your brand current, relevant and aligned to your end goal. It’s important that your branding not be left to go stale. Don’t be afraid to try out new headlines and continually tweak as your career goals change.  This way you will always be appearing in the right places and more likely to be considered for the right opportunities. Take a moment and update your Linkedin profile so you can start attracting the right hiring managers and/or clients. After its up to date, leave it in the comments below to show it off and receive feedback! To learn more about Linkedin and how to be fully optimized for your job search, click here.