I spent almost ten years using LinkedIn Recruiter to find senior candidates. LinkedIn profile coaching with me rebuilds your profile around how recruiters actually search, so you show up, get clicked and get remembered.
Most LinkedIn advice comes from marketers and influencers who have never sat on the other side of the hiring process. This comes from the other side of the search bar.
For mid-to-senior professionals, managers and executives.
Most people only focus on one.
When I was recruiting executives, I wasn't scrolling my feed for candidates. I was searching LinkedIn Recruiter by job title, industry, location, years of experience, skills, keywords and company background. If your profile wasn't built for those searches, you didn't appear.
It didn't matter how experienced or brilliant you were. If I couldn't find you, I couldn't hire you.
Recruiters search LinkedIn the way you search Google. They type in keywords, scroll the results and click the profiles that catch their eye in under three seconds.
Most people write their job title. That's not a headline. That's a name tag. Your headline needs the keywords recruiters search for and an outcome you deliver, in under 220 characters.
This isn't the place for a quirky personal overview. It answers one question: what problem do you solve? Lead with the problem your ideal employer is trying to fix, then add two or three concrete results. Numbers, outcomes, proof.
Think of them as search tags: hard skills, industry focus, systems, software and tools. You can add up to 100, and every one helps you rank when recruiters search those terms.
Senior professionals describe responsibilities instead of outcomes. "Led a team of 500" explains what you did. Reduced costs, improved efficiency or enabled growth explains why it mattered.
Once a recruiter connects with you, they see you almost every day. A simple mix of personal, valuable and credible posts makes you the person they associate with your expertise. Three times a week is plenty if the quality is there.
Qualifications matter. Experience matters. But the most qualified person doesn't always get the opportunity. The person who's known usually does.
Here's the difference a rewritten headline makes. Instead of the LinkedIn default:
"Marketing Director at Company X"
Try something like:
"Marketing Director | 10+ years in Tech | Helping SaaS brands grow revenue 30%+ through performance marketing"
That's searchable. That's specific. They can see what you do, who you do it for and the results you deliver, and it's exactly the kind of thing that shows up in LinkedIn Recruiter.
Then your content does the second job. When hiring managers feel like they've met you before the interview, you reduce their uncertainty, and at senior level that's often how you avoid six and seven-stage interview processes.
What I appreciated most was that the program helped me take more control of the process. Instead of only applying online and waiting to hear back, Lucy helped me think more strategically about my search, my positioning, my network, and how to be more proactive in reaching out to the right people.
Lucy helped me refine my positioning and coached me to approach every conversation with greater clarity and confidence than I did at the start of my search. I’ve just accepted an offer as Head of Business Value, a role that’s an excellent fit in every way.
The online program was exceptional and the one-on-one sessions with Lucy were even better. Lucy and her colleagues were incredibly helpful in all aspects of this process, including valuable tips regarding preparing cover letters, optimizing my CV and LinkedIn profile, searching for positions, preparing for interviews, and final negotiations.
Your LinkedIn is one part of the system. Both programs cover it alongside outreach, interviews and negotiation.
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Learn more & apply →If recruiters aren't messaging you, your profile probably isn't built for how they search.
Your LinkedIn is effectively an SEO-optimised website about you. Whatever you include in your headline, About section and skills is searchable in LinkedIn Recruiter, so don't skip any of it.
It's rebuilding your profile so you appear in the searches recruiters run in LinkedIn Recruiter and get clicked when you do. That means a keyword-rich headline with an outcome, an About section built around the problem you solve, a full skills section and experience that shows results, not responsibilities.
Yes. When I was recruiting executives, LinkedIn Recruiter was how I built shortlists, searching by title, industry, location, experience, skills and keywords. If your profile isn't optimised for those searches, you simply don't appear.
Not just your job title. Include the keywords recruiters search for and the outcome you deliver, for example your role, your years of experience in a sector and the result you help companies achieve. You have 220 characters, so use them.
You can add up to 100, and I'd recommend taking the time to do it. Treat them as search tags: hard skills, industry focus and the systems, software and tools you use.
You don't need to be an influencer, but posting helps people remember you. A mix of personal, valuable and credible posts, about three times a week, keeps you visible to the recruiters and hiring managers you're connected with.
Make yourself easy for recruiters to find, then give them a reason to remember you. Start with Job Search Unlocked, or apply to work with me in the Career Growth Accelerator.
Want to start with free advice? Read my career articles