Best LinkedIn Headline Examples For Job Seekers

It shouldn’t come as a surprise that almost everyone I know is on LinkedIn. With almost 800 million users, LinkedIn is the largest online platform that connects professionals with recruiters from all over the world.

If you’re searching for a job, you should seriously consider creating an account. A LinkedIn profile will allow you to get in touch with thousands of recruiters and will exponentially increase your chances of finding the right job for you. However, opening an account is not enough! To stand out from other candidates to be noticed by a recruiter.

One of the most important sections in Linkedin is the headline. So, today we’re going to take a look at some of the Best LinkedIn Headline Examples For Job Seekers to help guide you.

Are you ready to start your LinkedIn journey?

What Is a LinkedIn Headline?

If you’re new to LinkedIn, you probably don’t even know what the headline is or why it is so important. A LinkedIn headline is the section next to your name where you can write in no more than 120 characters what you do. It is usually used to highlight your job title, skills, goals, or some of your accomplishments.

Any user can write whatever they want in the headline, as long as they respect the User Agreement, which states not to add your phone number, email address, or street address. When you create a new profile, a standard headline that contains your current job title is automatically generated. Many people decide to use it instead of writing a customized Linkedin headline.

Is this a mistake? Well, if it wasn’t, nobody would need an article like this one, and I’ll explain exactly why in a bit…

So why is the headline important?

When recruiters use LinkedIn to find potential candidates, the only two things they will see are your picture and your headline. Based on that, they will decide whether to click on your profile or not. Now, imagine that you are a recruiter that is looking for a Web Developer. Your query has produced thousands of results, and almost all of them have “web developer” as their headline.

And then you find somebody with this headline:

“Web Developer @ (company) | Helping small businesses to optimize their website | Increasing traffic by 60% in two months.”

Which profile would you click on to get more information? This is exactly why the purpose of a Linkedin headline is to give somebody a reason to open your profile and check out all the other sections. If you want to stand out from everyone else, your job title is not enough! You have to show what you bring to the table.

Common Mistakes You Should Avoid

There are five major mistakes that people make constantly:

1 Using only the job title

Whether you leave the automatically generated Linkedin Headline or you change it to a different job title, this is not enough to be noticed. Since you can use 120 characters, why not take full advantage of this possibility?

2 Not including your job title

Creativity is always a good skill to show, but skipping your job title altogether might be seen as a lack of professionalism. Moreover, if it matches the words used by the recruiter in their search, it will help you to appear on the top of their results. Make sure that you use a traditional job title: Bartender is better than Chief Beverage Officer if nobody knows what it means.

3 Wasting precious space with meaningless information

When you start counting the characters you’re using; you’ll quickly find that 120 are not that many. Avoid using useless words that don’t add any significance to your message.

Therefore, don’t write anything like “looking for opportunities” or “actively seeking a job.” Recruiters know this already, but also it will make you look desperate, and they’re less likely to check your profile.

4 Sounding arrogant

Avoid using words like best, top, or exceptional in combination with your job title. As long as you can prove that you’re the best one in your field, it means nothing to a recruiter. A much better way is to include accomplishments and measurable results using numbers and statistics. That will show your skills without sounding arrogant.

5 Forgetting keywords

Your Linkedin headline should use as many keywords as possible. What are keywords, and how do you choose the right ones?

Keep reading, and we’ll get back to that soon…

How To Write An Effective LinkedIn Headline?

A LinkedIn Headline should consist of three parts:

You can use | or • to separate them, but don’t forget white spaces, even when you’re running out of characters. They will make your headline easier to read and more incisive. You don’t always have to follow this formula and include all three key points. I will show you examples of effective Linkedin headlines that focus only on one or two aspects.

However, if you’re new to LinkedIn, this is the safer approach. Once you get the hang of it, you can get more creative. We already talked about job titles. Let’s now focus on the other two parts…

What you can do for them

Saying in a few words how you can be beneficial to an employer is tough, but is essential to spark interest in the reader. If you’re specialized in any particular field, focus on that. The more specific you can be, the better chances you have to match the recruiter’s search.

Highlight your major accomplishments

Now that they know what you do and how you can help them, employers want to know how good you are at your job.

Again, avoid generic expressions like excellent, proficient, or competent. Instead, use numbers to highlight an impressive achievement. How much did sales grow last year because of you? How much money did a client save after you provided him with that new energy solution? Did bookings at the restaurant increase since you became the manager?

The Importance Of Keywords

We already mentioned keywords, but for why they’re so crucial. Keywords are essentially the words or short phrases that recruiters use in the search box when they are looking for candidates.

Your job title is just an example, but other common keywords are relevant skills, competencies, certificates, languages, geographical areas, and so on. It’s important to include them throughout your entire profile, as they will help you rank higher whenever somebody searches those keywords.

Frequently used words are key…

However, keywords in the headline are even more effective, since the LinkedIn algorithm uses them as the primary parameter to select who will come up at the top. So, check your job listings and take note of the words that show up constantly, and choose the most frequent.

For example, if you’re a salesperson, you might consider popular keywords will be sales, revenue, customer service, sales representative, and sales manager.

7 Examples Of The Best LinkedIn Headline Examples For Job Seekers

It’s now time to take a look at some practical examples that can inspire you to write an effective headline.

Example 1 – Financial Advisor

” Financial Advisor @…| Providing retirement plans to business owners in New York | Ensuring your future since 1995″

This is a very standard and professional headline that ticks all the boxes. It contains the job title; it explains what the user can do for the client and what they specialize in. Moreover, it adds where they operate, and it shows their extensive experience. Also, it includes many relevant keywords: Financial Advisor, retirement plan, future, ensuring.

Example 2 – Content Writer

“Fashion Content Writer • Turning your ideas into words • Averaged 25000 views per article in 2019”

Again, a typical approach that works well. If you have a fashion blog and you want to increase traffic, a content writer that can bring thousands of views is what you’re looking for. You need to make you stand out among the thousands of “Experienced Content Writers” that they will find.

Example 3 – Restaurant Manager

“Restaurant Manager @ [ ] • 99% positive reviews on TripAdvisor • I’ll take your customer service to the next level”

If you’re looking for a restaurant manager on LinkedIn, you’re likely to consider TripAdvisor as an important mention. The last part might sound a bit arrogant, but it still works for two reasons. Firstly, it’s backed up by the TripAdvisor statistics, and secondly, it contains the most important keywords for this profession: customer service!

Example 4 – Marketing Specialist

“Marketing Specialist | Helping startups to generate revenues | From $0 to $250000 in six months with my last client”

What is the main responsibility of a marketing specialist? Increased sales! And if you have a startup, you want this to happen quickly! The user in this example proves he knows how to do it, and a potential employer will be tempted to check his profile for more details.

Example 5 – Music Teacher

“Jazz guitar teacher | Teaching the world how to play jazz since 2005 | 250000 YouTube subscribers”

If you’re an online music teacher, LinkedIn is the perfect tool to expand your network. Not only will it help you connect with students from every corner of the planet, but it also generates traffic on your social media. If you’re specialized in one genre, make sure to include it in your headline! The reason is always the same: keywords!

Example 6 – Life Coach

“Life coach • #1 Bestselling author on Amazon • TEDx speaker • Happy father and husband • 3 times marathon finisher”

This one seems to break a few rules, but if you’re looking for a life coach, you will want to hire him.

Why does it work? A life coach can help you with your profession, your health, and your personal life. The user in this example is proving that he’s successful in all those areas, and therefore, is the right person to give you advice. Instead of telling you what he does, he lets his achievements speak for themselves.

Example 7 – Tattoo Artist

“Tattoo artist in Pasadena | You’re already unique, but I can still make you look cooler | Want to see how I work? 👇”

This example has nothing to do with everything we said. But as I mentioned before, you can be creative if you still manage to get your message across.

What do most people want when they decide to get a tattoo? For somebody, a tattoo has a deep personal meaning, but some of us just want to look cool. Whenever you meet your potential customer needs, then your headline is relative. Moreover, the call to action is a simple yet effective way to make the reader click on your profile.

More Advice On Getting That Job

Firstly, we’ve found some great books available online to better familiarise yourself with the Linkedin process. Check out How to Write a KILLER LinkedIn Profile… And 18 Mistakes to Avoid and LinkedIn Riches: How To Use LinkedIn For Business, Sales and Marketing!. As well as the LinkedIn Profile Optimization For Dummies, LinkedIn For Dummies, and how to Ignite Your LinkedIn Profile in 2023.

I’ve also written my Best Linkedin Recommendation Examples to take you even further.

But at the end of the day, a profile is great, but it’s nothing without a superb resume. So, take a look at my advice with what Hobbies Interests To Put On Resume, Achievements To List On Your Resume, Job Titles On Resume, How To List References On A Resume, How To Write A Letter of Interest as well as the Most Important Skills To Put On A Resume.

For your interview, why not read up on the Amazing Interview Answers: 44 Tough Job Interview Questions with 88 Winning Answers, or Hiring Squirrels: 12 Essential Interview Questions to Uncover Great Retail Sales Talent books available online today.

Final Thoughts

Every section is important on a LinkedIn profile. They all have different purposes, and all contribute to making you stand out from the crowd.

Although, if I had to choose which one could immediately increase your chances, that would be the headline. You can change your future with just 120 characters, so be sure you make them count! And if you have no idea where to start, the Best LinkedIn Headline Examples For Job Seekers and tips I have mentioned should point you in the right direction.

All the best with your networking!