Imagine a world where we all walk around with our job title, employer, and top skills tattooed on our foreheads. Sure, we might look funny, but it would make certain business dealings a lot easier. You could quickly assess opportunities. You could easily network. You could approach interviewing with eyes wide open!
Well, there is a world where all of that info resides directly next to our image and can be consumed and judged in a matter of seconds. Where, you might ask? Your LinkedIn profile. And, it’s your LinkedIn headline that is there to provide that information at a quick and easy glance.
What is my LinkedIn headline and where is it?
There are some basic facts about your LinkedIn headline that you’ll need to know before we dive in. First of all, your headline appears in search results, directly next to your profile photo and under your name. Once someone clicks to view your profile, your headline can be found under your banner image, profile photo, and name.
Your LinkedIn headline is limited to 220 characters. Yes, that’s characters, not words. Simply put, your headline is going to be quite short – but it can still be impactful.
If you do not set your own headline, LinkedIn will formulate one for you. They will do so by using your current job title and current company. That is not ideal and honestly can be a bit boring.
So, what is best to showcase and include in your LinkedIn headline? Let’s dig in!
Here are Three Items to Include in an Engaging LinkedIn Headline:
1. What you do and where you do it.
So, what do you do? Pretty simple, right? Oftentimes, what you do can be as straightforward as your job title. If your job title sounds a bit, well, dull, do what you can spruce it up a bit. Additionally, if you have a non-standard job title (something that no one will understand outside of your corporation), you’ll want to instead include your job function.
If you work for a company that would be viewed favorably, include the name of your company. If however, you work for a company that would not elevate a viewer’s impression of you, leave that “where you do it” out of your headline.
2. Evidence that you’re good at what you do.
It’s important to find a way to give your viewer a sense of scale in your LinkedIn headline, as well as a sense that you are good at what you do. If you think about it, running the operations for a deli counter in a corporate cafeteria is quite different from running the operations for General Motors or BMW.
There is a bit of an art to this. You can look at things like career numbers, the size of your team, or whether your clients are Fortune 50, 100, or 500 companies – to give a sense of the scale of your role and how good you are at your job.
If you are a subject matter expert in a particular topic, include that in your headline, too.
If at all possible, add a quantifiable metric. I can remember working with a Chief Revenue Officer who had been at a high level of sales for a very long time. We did a quick calculation and came to the conclusion that he had sold over a billion dollars worth of software in his career. This is a great quantifiable metric to include in a headline. Now, I can’t guarantee he’d get every single job he interviews for, but if you’ve sold over a billion dollars of software, the chances are you’re going to at least get the interview.
Adding that quantifiable metric to your LinkedIn headline drives home the fact that you’re good at what you do and demonstrates the scale at which you operate.
3. Round it out.
It’s often a good idea to round out your professional image in your LinkedIn headline by adding some soft skills to what you do. This is where you might see things like, “trusted advisor,” or “valued business partner,” or “mentor.”
Add some personal flair and begin to craft an image of who you are aside from your job title and metrics. What is it that makes you stand out among everyone else with that same job title? What makes you unique? What makes you different? Add that to your headline.
One Size Does NOT Fit All.
At the end of the day, there is no single LinkedIn headline formula that will work for all people in this space. You’ll need to adjust as appropriate. If you’re an undertaker, including quantifiable metrics may not be the best way to go. Think about it, exact metrics are probably not what grieving families want to read about.
Remember, aside from your profile photo, your LinkedIn headline will be the first thing people see when they find you on the platform. It is imperative that you make a lasting impression in that fraction of a second that you hold their attention.