Estimated Runtime: ~10 minutes
Tone: Strategic, marketing-minded — treating your profile as a product page
Here's a stat that should change how you think about LinkedIn. Ninety-seven
percent of recruiters use LinkedIn as their primary sourcing tool. Before they
read your resume, before they schedule a phone screen, they look you up on
LinkedIn. And what they find there either confirms their interest or kills it.
But LinkedIn is not just a passive profile — it's a lead generation engine. When
used correctly, it attracts opportunities to you. Recruiters find you in search
results. Hiring managers check your profile after a referral. Industry peers
discover your content and think of you when they hear about an opening.
Today, we're turning your LinkedIn from an online resume into a machine that
generates inbound interest. Seven sections matter. Let's go through each one.
Your headline is the most important text on your entire profile. It appears in
every search result, every comment you leave, every message you send. And most
people waste it with their current job title. "Marketing Manager at Acme Corp"
tells me nothing about your value. Instead, treat it as a billboard. What do you
do, for whom, and what results do you drive?
Your About section is your career story from Lesson One, written in first
person. It should feel like a conversation, not a corporate bio. End it with a
clear call to action. Something like, "I'm exploring opportunities in product
leadership at growth-stage B2B companies. If that's your world, let's connect.
Your Experience section mirrors your resume but with more depth. You can add
context, media, presentations, and links. And because LinkedIn is searchable,
keywords matter even more here than on your resume.
Your Skills section drives search visibility. LinkedIn lets you list fifty
skills. Use all fifty. The top three are the most important because they appear
prominently and influence which searches you show up in. Get endorsements for
those top three.
And your Featured section is prime visual real estate. Pin articles you've
written, presentations you've given, portfolio pieces, or even a graphic summary
of your career highlights. Most people leave this section empty. That's a wasted
opportunity.
Posting on LinkedIn does two things. It increases your visibility in the
algorithm, meaning more people see your profile. And it positions you as a
thought leader, making people more likely to think of you when opportunities
arise.
You don't need to be a content creator. You need to be a consistent contributor.
Two to three posts per week is plenty. And the format that works best is simple
text posts — no links, no articles, just your thoughts in plain text.
Here's a simple calendar. Monday, share an industry insight or react to a trend.
Wednesday, share a professional story or a lesson learned. Friday, share
something helpful — a tool, a framework, a resource.
Every post should follow the hook-story-insight format. Your first three lines
are your hook — they appear before the "see more" button, so they need to grab
attention. Then the story or substance. Then a closing insight or question that
invites comments.
Comments are even higher leverage than posts. Find the five to ten most
influential people in your target industry and engage with their content.
Thoughtful comments on high-visibility posts put your name in front of thousands
of people you couldn't reach on your own.
Think like a recruiter. When they're looking for someone like you, what do they
type into the search bar? Those are your keywords. And they need to appear in
your headline, your About section, your experience, and your skills.
If you're targeting Senior Product Manager roles, the phrase "Senior Product
Manager" should appear multiple times across your profile — naturally, not
stuffed.
Also turn on the "Open to Work" feature — but use the recruiter-only setting,
not the green banner that's visible to everyone. This tells recruiters you're
available without broadcasting it to your current employer.
Your LinkedIn profile should work for you around the clock. Optimize all seven
sections. Start posting two to three times a week. Engage strategically with
industry leaders. And make sure your keywords match what recruiters are
searching for. In the next lesson, we'll expand beyond LinkedIn to audit your
entire digital presence.