What to check, section by section
1. Profile photo and background banner
What to check: A recent, clear photo where your face is easy to see, and a banner that isn't the default blue.
Why it matters: Your photo appears next to everything you do on LinkedIn: search results, comments, messages. A clear photo makes you recognizable; a relevant banner adds context at a glance.
Tip: Use even, natural light and a plain background. For the banner, use something related to your field: a simple graphic with your focus area, your company's brand banner, or a calm photo of your workplace.
Example: A head-and-shoulders photo in natural light, with a banner that reads “Data analytics for retail teams”.
2. Professional headline
What to check: Your headline says what you do (or want to do), your main skills and, if useful, who you help.
Why it matters: The headline is shown in search results, comments and connection requests. LinkedIn also uses the words in it when matching searches, so a job title alone can leave useful terms out.
Tip: Put your role and the most relevant skills first, because only the start of the headline shows in many places. Use the terms people in your field actually search for, not internal job titles.
Example: Before: “Software Manager | IT Professional”. After: “Software Engineering Manager | AI-Enabled Product Development | SaaS Architecture | Engineering Team Leadership”.
3. About section
What to check: Your About section explains what you do, what you're good at, the kind of work you want next and how to reach you, in your own voice.
Why it matters: It's where readers decide whether to keep reading or contact you. Only the first two or three lines show before “see more”, so the opening matters most.
Tip: Open with a plain statement of what you do and for whom. Use short paragraphs, name 3–5 focus areas, add one or two specific examples of your work, and end with what you'd like readers to do.
4. Experience and achievement statements
What to check: Each recent role has a short description and 2–5 bullets that show what you did and what changed because of it.
Why it matters: Job titles mean different things at different companies. Specific actions and outcomes help readers understand your level and the kind of problems you solve.
Tip: Start bullets with an action verb, say what you did and why it mattered. Only include numbers you can stand behind; if you can't share a figure, describe the outcome in words.
Example: Before: “Responsible for reporting.” After: “Rebuilt the weekly sales report so regional managers could see stock levels by store [add a result you can verify].”
5. Skills and relevant keywords
What to check: Your skills list includes the core skills for the roles you want, with the most important ones pinned at the top.
Why it matters: Skills appear in search filters and help LinkedIn match your profile to roles and searches. Your top skills are also what visitors see first.
Tip: Compare 5–10 job posts for your target role and note the skills that come up repeatedly. Add the ones you genuinely have, and use the same wording in your headline, About and experience where it fits.
6. Featured section and portfolio
What to check: If you have work to show, your Featured section holds 2–4 items that prove your skills: projects, articles, case studies, talks or certificates.
Why it matters: It gives visitors evidence instead of claims, and it sits near the top of your profile.
Tip: Choose items that match the work you want next, give each a clear title, and remove anything outdated. If you have nothing to feature yet, skip this section rather than filling it with weak items.
7. Recommendations and credibility
What to check: You have at least one or two recent recommendations from people who've worked with you directly.
Why it matters: Recommendations add a second voice that describes how you work, which can be more convincing than your own description.
Tip: Ask specific people and suggest what they might mention (a project you worked on together). Offer to write one for them too.
8. Contact information and profile completeness
What to check: Your location, industry, current role, education and a way to contact you are filled in and up to date.
Why it matters: Location and other fields are often used as search filters. Missing or outdated details can make your profile harder to find or understand.
Tip: Check your location matches where you want to work, add a custom profile URL, and, if you're job hunting, review the “Open to work” settings, including who can see them.
9. Consistency between LinkedIn and resume
What to check: Job titles, employers and dates match your resume, and your LinkedIn tells the same story in more detail.
Why it matters: Mismatched titles or dates can raise questions during screening. Consistency makes your background easier to trust.
Tip: Keep facts identical (titles, dates, employers). Your LinkedIn can add context, projects and media that don't fit on a resume.
10. Final recruiter-readiness self-assessment
What to check: Read your profile as a stranger would: in 30 seconds, is it clear what you do, what level you're at and what you want next?
Why it matters: This is a quick way to catch gaps that are easy to miss when you know your own background well.
Tip: Ask a friend or colleague to read your profile for one minute and tell you what they think you do. If their answer doesn't match your goal, revisit your headline and About section first.
Before-and-after examples
Illustrative only. Build your own version from your real role, skills, audience and goals.
A vague headline
Before: Software Manager | IT Professional
After: Software Engineering Manager | AI-Enabled Product Development | SaaS Architecture | Engineering Team Leadership
- Uses a searchable job title instead of a general label.
- Names specific areas of expertise a reader can relate to their needs.
- Only works if it's true for you: build yours from your own role, skills and the audience you want to reach.
A generic About section
Before: I am a passionate and results-driven professional with excellent communication skills and a strong work ethic. I am always looking for new opportunities to grow.
After: I help retail operations teams make faster decisions with clearer data.
As a data analyst, I work mostly in SQL and Power BI, building reports that store and regional managers use every week. Recently I've focused on stock forecasting and on making dashboards simpler for non-technical teams.
Focus areas: retail analytics · forecasting · dashboard design · stakeholder reporting
I'm interested in analytics roles in retail or e-commerce. Feel free to message me here.
- Opens with what the person does and for whom, so the first lines are useful.
- Replaces adjectives with specific tools and types of work.
- Ends with the kind of role they want and how to get in touch.
Responsibility-focused experience
Before: • Responsible for social media
• Handled customer emails
• Worked on the website
After: • Planned and published the company's LinkedIn and Instagram posts, and introduced a monthly content calendar
• Answered customer emails and wrote a reply guide that new team members now use
• Rewrote the product pages on our website and set up basic analytics to track visits [add a result you can verify]
- Each bullet starts with an action and shows what the person actually did.
- Mentions lasting outcomes (a calendar, a guide) without inventing numbers.
- Leaves a clear placeholder where a real, checkable figure would strengthen it.
An incomplete skills section
Before: Microsoft Office · Teamwork · Communication
After: Top skills: Project Management · Stakeholder Management · Agile (Scrum) · Risk Management · Budget Tracking
Also: Jira · Confluence · Microsoft Excel · Vendor Management · Process Improvement
- Leads with the skills the target role (project manager) commonly lists.
- Adds named tools that appear in job posts and searches.
- Only list skills you could discuss confidently in an interview.