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With 120 characters of space available, your LinkedIn headline can make you or break you. Standing out amongst 400 million LinkedIn users is tough. What about when 94% of recruiters are sourcing job candidates on there?
Related: 4 Things The Executive Resume Needs To Impress?
Having a strong headline on LinkedIn will increase your chances of having recruiters reach out to you. Not sure what keywords you should be including in your headline? Here are some helpful tips.
Many professionals default their LinkedIn headline to encompass their current job title and company. Unfortunately this does nothing to allure the reader. Advising the reader that you are the Vice President of XYZ Corporation does not give way to the industry you are in, the departments you lead, or your sales philosophy.
How do you make your headline more compelling? Consider your unique value proposition. Who are your ideal clients? What are your areas of focus? What do you do for your clients? If you are an attorney, you will want to include the specific area of practice such as civil litigation or criminal defense. If you are in sales and marketing, you want to consider using buzz words such as "award-winning" or "high-impact" to describe being a sales and marketing executive. If you are in accounting or finance, you will want to include the types of clients you serve, and the work you are known for doing. Being a problem-solver, client-driven, and consultative sales advisor does more than just listing a standard boring job title. Adding in powerful adjectives can ultimately boost the allure of your profile.
Consider this example: a luxury watch buyer wants to draw in more clients. Instead of just listing himself on LinkedIn as a luxury watch buyer and sales consultant, his headline can be jazzed up with a creatively worded one that hinges on the movement of a watch, such as: "Knowing what my customers want and what makes them tick!" Including creativity in the headline can increase your profile views, expand your connections, and generate more leads.
For a professional seeking a new position, consider generating interest by adding in a bullet point to your headline with a compelling statement that says, "Seeking to transform sales and marketing profits with innovative solutions." Letting your reader know that you are seeking new opportunities will draw more attention to your profile at first glance. But don't forget to add in your contact information such as your phone number and email address in your summary on LinkedIn so that recruiters can easily contact you to pursue those opportunities.
Don't be afraid to change your headline every few months to remain intriguing to profile viewers and your connections. Be enthusiastic in crafting your headline. It is your branding statement, after all.
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