The career-focused social media platform, LinkedIn, has become the go-to place where job seekers and recruiters connect. So, chances are high that you are going to be leveraging LinkedIn to land your next job.
If so, you need to know that the headline is one of the most important elements of your LinkedIn profile that prospective employers on the platform are likely to consider. The headline also plays a cardinal role in the search algorithms both within and outside LinkedIn.
So, here’s an idea for you: you’ve got to take time to highlight your LinkedIn profile headline if you want to be easily noticed and quickly considered by prospective employers.
Linkedin Headline Examples For Job Seekers
To help you with this important task, I hereby share a couple of LinkedIn headline examples to inspire you. Which of the examples you end up using in a particular case will depend on several factors.
Some of these are your expertise, your present or past job positions (if any), the kind of job you’re looking to find, and more.
Here are the examples:
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1. Fresh Accounting Graduate With A Focus In Corporate Recovery, Internal Audit, And Forensic Accounting
This is one of the favored LinkedIn headline styles for entry-level graduates. It makes it easy for recruiters looking for recent graduates in your field to locate you.
Here is the formula: “Fresh XYZ Graduate With a Focus In A, B, and C” where ‘XYZ’ refers to your area of study while A, B, and C refer to three of your specialties within your field.
Note that three of your specialties are enough, even if you have more. This is to avoid making the headline unwieldy.
2. Developer – Java/PHP/MySQL – Seeking entry-level opportunities
Here is another LinkedIn headline example for entry-level job seekers. The formula is stated as follows: Job title – skill set with individual skills separated by slashes – announcement about seeking entry-level jobs opportunity.
This LinkedIn headline example is particularly good with search engines. This is because most prospective employees searching for their next hire are known to be in the habit of typing job titles side by side with the hard skills associated with the title.
For example, using the example under consideration, one of the keywords most recruiters would likely use is “Java developer”. When they do, a headline that places these two terms together would be preferred to the one where there are non-keywords intervening between the two.
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3. Graphic Designer Specializing In Brand Identity, Logo Design, And Packaging
This LinkedIn headline example is similar to the one discussed in item one above. The only key difference is that item one focuses on entry-level graduates while this formula is available for someone with past job experience in the industry.
The formula: XYZ Specializing/With A Focus In A, B, and C. ‘XYZ’ stands for your job title while A, B, and C represent three of your favorite areas of specialization.
4. Experienced Finance Professional Seeking New Opportunities
This LinkedIn headline example is for you if you already have a work history to show and you are open to any job opportunity that is related to your field.
It immediately tells a prospective recruiter the specific area you fit in. At the same time, it leaves the window of opportunity wide enough for a good number of recruiters to be knocking on your door.
The formula for this headline example is: “Experienced XYZ Seeking New Opportunities”. Here, ‘XYZ’ may stand for your particular field or the generic sector where your area of specialization belongs.
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5. Finance Expert Seeking To Work In Anti-Money Laundering Compliance Position
This LinkedIn headline example is very similar to the one sampled in item four above. For instance, it immediately tells a prospective recruiter that you are experienced in your field.
However, it differs from the example in item four by telling the recruiters the exact position you want to work in.
A good instance where this headline example can be applied is when you are seeking to gain more experience in a particular area of expertise. There could be other use cases too.
The formula is: “XYZ Expert Seeking To Work In ABC Position” where ‘XYZ’ stands for your area of specialization while ‘ABC’ refers to the exact title of the job position you are seeking.
6. Urban Planner | Designed The Land Use For 7 City Districts
This LinkedIn headline example is suitable where the job seeker has specific results to show from past jobs. It immediately tells a prospective recruiter your area of specialization while summarizing your key achievements in your past jobs.
The formula for this headline example is: “Job Role | Specific (ideally quantified) Past Achievements Stated In Past Tense”.
This immediately informs a prospective employer that you are laying credence to your past achievements as grounds for seeking to do more. It’s a discreet way of saying “I want to do for you what I’ve been doing elsewhere”.
If you are using this LinkedIn headline example, you should be ready to supply proof for the past achievements you claim in case the recruiter asks for them.
Here are other examples like this:
- Head of Sales | Generated $10 Million In Sales In 2020
- Writer | Written Over 700 Tech-related And Lifestyle Articles
- Orthopedic Surgeon | Carried Out Over 40 Musculoskeletal Procedures
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7. Supply Chain Manager | 9+ Years In FMCG
This is similar to the example just treated in item six. The only difference is that the specific achievements are replaced with the number of years of experience in the industry.
Here is the formula: Job Role | Number of Years of Experience In A Particular Job Position.
8. Independent Insurance Broker | 14+ Years In Vehicle Insurance | Seeking New Opportunities
This LinkedIn headline example is similar to the one just sampled in item seven. Thus, it states your job title and your job experience in terms of years, separating the two elements with a pipe.
But, while item seven may be guessed wrongly by prospective employers, this formula adds a line to make it immediately clear that you are seeking a new job opportunity. Thus, such lines as “seeking new opportunities”, “open to new opportunities”, and “ready to work” after another pipe serve this purpose.
Here are other instances of this LinkedIn headline example:
- Truck Driver | 9 Years In Haulage | Open to New Opportunities
- Builder | 11 Years Experience | Ready to Work
9. I help manufacturers source quality raw materials
This LinkedIn headline example just states what you do using a simple sentence (in the first person). Without any specific formula, this example maximizes simplicity. Yet, it could easily become one of the most effective in pulling recruiters’ attention to your profile.
However, to succeed with this example, the service you render must be really unique. In other words, it should be based on a special ability you possess at doing something. That’s what would get it to stand out.
For example, it wouldn’t make much sense to say, “I help people to sell their products” or “I work on companies’ accounting records”. Instead, you could re-state these headlines as…
“I help car dealers to multiply their sales by 300%”
and
“I identify tiny but damaging errors in companies’ accounting records”.
Note that this LinkedIn headline example is rendered as a normal sentence. This is to say that you don’t need to capitalize the first letter of every word.
10. I assist property companies to negotiate better deals | NAR-accredited | Realtor
This LinkedIn headline example is best for anyone who is seeking consulting or freelance jobs. Like item eight above, it starts by you stating the value you bring to your clients. Then, you add keywords that are related to that value, one after another, separated with pipes.
The formula is: A normal sentence stating the value you bring in the first person | Keyword 1 | Keyword 2 | Keyword 3. Two or three keywords should be enough.
Each keyword should state one of your points of advantage. It could be a certification or a skill-set you possess, an association you belong to, or anything else you think would enhance your chances of success.
For the best results in using this LinkedIn headline example, you can research the exact keywords that most people are using to look for someone with your kind of background. To make this easier for you, you need to use a keyword research tool. Some good free ones are Wordstream, Ubersuggest, and Google Keyword Planner.
11. JavaScript Developer at Verizon Communications | Software Engineer | IT Consultant
I recommend this LinkedIn headline example for you if you have a regular job in a popular company and also seeking to provide some freelance or consulting service on the side. The formula is…
Your Present Job Position at Your Company | Your Area of Specialization | The Consulting/Freelance Service You Are Seeking To Provide
Other instances of this LinkedIn headline example are:
- Cashier at General Motors | Diploma In Mathematics | Finance Blogger
- Director of Operations at Boeing | Aviation Engineer | Airline Technician Trainer
- Professor at UCLA | Ph.D. (Education Management) | School Management Systems Developer
12. Senior Project Manager | Project Scheduling | Strategic Planning | Project Life Cycle Management
This LinkedIn headline example simply mentions your job title. Then, it lists your areas of specialization, separating each lot from the other with a pipe.
Formula: Job Position | Specialty 1 | Specialty 2 | Specialty 3
13. Senior Project Manager | Agile | Kanban | Open to full-time opportunities
This headline example looks like the one in item 12. The difference however lies in the fact that there is an outright announcement of the kind of job you’re looking for at the last lot.
Formula: Job Position | Specialty 2 | Specialty 2 | Announcement about the kind of job you’re looking for (whether full-time, part-time, internship, etc.)
14. Content Marketing Strategist – Highly skilled in marketing-oriented story-telling
This example of a LinkedIn headline for job seekers simply mentions your job position and then states a unique hard skill you have to offer to that job position.
Formula: Job title – A statement of a unique skill you have to offer in the job position.
15. Business Analyst – Data and metrics interpreting – Seeking A Part-time Opportunity
This example of LinkedIn headline for job seekers is essentially similar to the one sampled in item 13. A major difference between the two is that here, hyphens are used to replace pipes (as in item 13). Another core difference is that, here, your specialty is stated in a single lot.
Formula: Job position – Specialty stated in a single lot – Announcements about the kind of job you’re looking for.
16. Programmer – I developed an app to allow voice control of home heating and cooling systems.
If I was allowed to name this LinkedIn headline example, I would identify it as the bragging right style. That’s because you simply state your job title and then state a major achievement you have made in that job position in the first person rendering.
Formula: Job title – A line bragging about a unique achievement you have made in that job position.
17. Adept in digital marketing | SEO/SEM | PPC | A/B Testing
This is another LinkedIn headline example that is stated in a bragging style. But, in this case, the bragging is not quite prominent. You simply state that you are particularly good in some skill area and then you state your hard skills in that position. The elements are placed in lots separated by pipes.
Formula: A statement about a skill you are particularly good at | hard skill 1 | hard skill 2 | hard skill 3
18. Highly Skilled in UX/UI Design
This is yet another ‘bragging’ style of LinkedIn headline example for job seekers. You simply use it to brag about a skill area you are particularly good at.
In life, sometimes, less is more. So, the simplicity of this headline example endows it with a unique power of its own.
19. Experienced executive in data-driven marketing
This is, in a way, like the LinkedIn headline example just discussed in item 18. In both items, you simply brag in a subdued tone and a single line only.
However, while you brag about a particular skill set in item 18, in item 19, you also focus on making the recruiters understand that you are a highly placed personality in your field.
Hence, the use of the word ‘executive’ in the mix.
20. Child, Family, and School Social Work Major Graduating in December 2021
This LinkedIn headline example is recommended for finalist students expected to graduate in months. It helps recruiters looking to employ entry-level graduates in your field to plan.
It also saves you the embarrassment of waiting for months before securing a job following your graduation.
Formula: <Field of study> Major Graduating in <expected month and year of graduation>
21. Seeking Summer Internship for Python and C++ Development Roles | Grad Student at University of East London
This headline example is for students seeking internship positions. Formula: Announcement about the Internship position you are seeking, the time and the field | statement of your study level and educational institution.
Optimizing LinkedIn Headlines for Seeking Job Opportunities: The Dos And Don’ts
Having gone through the above examples of LinkedIn headlines for job seekers, let’s now discuss some of the most important points to consider whenever you are optimizing such job-trotting LinkedIn headlines:
1. Don’t make it immediately obvious that you are unemployed
Many of the LinkedIn profiles I sampled in view of this post have variations of statements saying that the candidates are “unemployed“. It can be understood that those candidates are making it known that they are unemployed so that prospective employers would know this and employ them.
But, how can recruiters employ you when they don’t know what you can do for them or their clients? To just state that you are unemployed makes you come across immediately as someone who has nothing to offer anybody. So, don’t do that.
2. Be As Specific As Possible
Far from stating that you are unemployed on your LinkedIn headline when you are looking for a new job, you should use the space to market the value you have to offer your future employer. And, the more specific you are in doing this, the higher would be your chances of success with securing your dream job.
Many subscribers on LinkedIn have a habit of stating it point-blank that they are “actively looking for a job”. That is only a step away from saying that they are unemployed. That’s because they have not told any prospective employer what they have to offer them.
To be as specific as you should on your LinkedIn headline, you should focus on stating your skills (hard skills especially), certifications, and affiliations as clearly as possible.
Maximize the 220 LinkedIn character limit to ensure that you have expressed the best of yourself the way you want your ideal prospective employer to see you.
3. Be Thoroughly Honest
You’ve got to use your LinkedIn headline as an opportunity to present the best of yourself to your prospective employer. But then, that doesn’t mean you have to misrepresent facts and figures just to impress your prospective employer. It only means you’ve got to put on your best creative cap.
If you sit down and think deeply enough, you can always identify unique abilities in you that someone somewhere would need to improve their lives and work.
Once you identify such abilities in you, carefully write them down. Then, think of a way to express those abilities attractively, yet honestly. The above examples are there to inspire you in doing just this.
Life is always better when we’re honest. So, that provides the motivation for why you don’t need to lie about yourself before those you want to work for.
But if you want a really strong reason why you don’t need to lie on your LinkedIn headline, this is it: It’s now relatively easy for employers to get background information on anyone they are looking to employ. So, I know you wouldn’t want them to find out that you are a liar. Of course, you know what that would result in.
4. Assume The Position of Your Prospective Employer
Lastly, I am advising you to take a philosophical pose regarding your job search. Look at it from the perspective of your future employer. The same philosophy should apply when you are optimizing the headline of your LinkedIn profile in view of your job search.
I found that most job seekers who fail to land their dream jobs are standing things on their heads. Hence, the reason they fail to get their desire fulfilled at the end of the day.
When you are viewing your job search from the point of view of someone you are looking to serve, you put a value offer ahead of a paycheck.
Focus more on where you are going than where you’re coming from.
If a formula for LinkedIn headline makes it compulsory that you make reference to your past job position, then do that. Otherwise, every job position you mention should be the one you want to occupy rather than the one you once occupied or are currently occupying.
See why this point is necessary: your LinkedIn headline plays the role of a signpost. It, so to speak, tells someone scrolling by, this is what you can get here. So, if you tell him where you are coming from rather than where you are going to, he might be mistaken.
Let’s use example number seven to explain this. Suppose you are transitioning from being an active supply chain manager to becoming a writer, you would be sending the wrong message if you should use example number seven as your LinkedIn headline.
That’s because a line that reads, “Supply Chain Manager | 9+ Years In FMCG” makes someone think you still want to work as a supply chain manager. Instead, you should be better off with a line that states, “Content Creator in Supply Chain Management”.
Conclusion
As earlier stated, these examples are meant to inspire you in being communicative in your LinkedIn headline while searching for a new job.
Ultimately, your unique situation would determine what you write at the end of the day. At last, it boils down to marketing yourself the best you can.
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