LinkedIn Profile Optimization 2026: 25 Things Recruiters Look For

LinkedIn profile optimization isn't about looking polished. Recruiters search LinkedIn by keyword - job title, technology, location - and the results favor profiles where those words appear in the right places. A profile that's a copy of your resume, or that hasn't been touched since your last job change, simply doesn't surface.

The list below follows the order a recruiter actually experiences your profile: the photo and headline in search results first, then About and experience, then activity and settings. Work through it top to bottom and tick off what you've already done.

What do recruiters see before they open your profile?

Search results show only your photo, name, headline and location. The first three items decide whether anyone clicks at all.

• 1. A clear, current profile photo: your face, a plain background, good light. You don't need a photographer - a phone next to a window is enough. The photo is cropped to a circle, so leave space around your head. LinkedIn recommends at least 400x400 pixels.
• 2. A background banner that says something: the default blue banner signals a profile nobody has touched. Use 1584x396 pixels for your field, a product you built, or even a clean solid color.
• 3. A custom profile URL: change linkedin.com/in/dana-cohen-8a3b72194 to linkedin.com/in/danacohen in your public profile settings. It's the link that goes on your resume, so it should look deliberate.

What should your LinkedIn headline say?

The headline is the most important field for search: up to 220 characters, and recruiters search the words in it. Write your role, your specialty and what you bring - not "looking for opportunities".

• 4. Role + specialty + stack: "Backend Developer | Node.js, PostgreSQL, AWS | Building payment systems" beats "Passionate software engineer". Every word in the headline is a search term.
• 5. The exact words recruiters type: copy the job titles and technologies straight from the postings you want. If they say "Customer Success Manager", don't write "Client Happiness Lead".
• 6. Proof instead of adjectives: if one result sums you up - "Took a B2B product from 0 to 40 customers" - part of it belongs in the headline. "Open to Work" doesn't; it has its own setting (item 23).

How do you write an About section people read to the end?

About allows up to 2,600 characters, but only the first lines show before "see more". Open with who you are and what you've done, add two or three results with numbers, and close with what you're looking for.

• 7. Two opening lines that stand alone: "Product manager, 5 years in B2B SaaS. Last year I led the payments launch that lifted checkout conversion 12%." If someone reads only that, they already know why to reach out.
• 8. A story with numbers, not a list of traits: everyone is "detail-oriented, a team player, passionate about challenges". Two or three measurable results from recent years say the same thing, convincingly.
• 9. Keywords inside sentences: the tools, technologies and domains that keep appearing in the roles you want should appear in About too - woven into sentences, not dumped as a list at the end.
• 10. Close with what you want and how to reach you: "Looking for a Product Manager role at a B2B company. Message me here." Then pin your five core skills as Top skills, which show right under About.

How should you write your LinkedIn experience?

Experience should match your resume - same titles, same dates - without being a copy of it. Two to four achievement lines per role, each with a number, is plenty.

• 11. Achievements with numbers, not duties: "Rebuilt the API layer and cut response time from 800ms to 180ms" instead of "Responsible for backend development". Verb, what you did, what changed.
• 12. The same dates and titles as your resume: recruiters open both, and a mismatched end year raises a question you don't need. Update them on the same day. If your resume needs the same pass, start with our ATS-friendly resume checklist.
• 13. Translate specialized or military roles: "Planning NCO, Air Force - scheduled 40 technicians across shifts" says more than "meaningful service". We wrote a full guide on translating military experience for a tech resume.
• 14. Add links and work samples: each role can carry a link, deck or image. A GitHub project, an article you wrote or a live product is worth more than any line of description.
• 15. Explain gaps instead of hiding them: LinkedIn lets you add a "Career break" with a reason - travel, study, parenting, a career change. An empty year reads worse than one explained in a line.

Which skills should you list, and how many recommendations do you need?

Recruiters filter by skills, so the list should reflect the role you want next - not everything you've ever touched. Two or three genuine recommendations from managers or close colleagues beat dozens of endorsements.

• 16. Skills for your next role, not your history: moving from manual QA to automation? Selenium and Python should rank above "manual testing". Remove skills you wouldn't want to be quizzed on in an interview.
• 17. Connect skills to roles: each skill can be linked to the job where you used it. That turns a keyword into evidence.
• 18. Two or three written recommendations: ask a manager or close colleague, and tell them what to focus on - "if you could mention the migration project, that would really help". One specific recommendation beats ten generic ones.

Do you need to post to get noticed by recruiters?

You don't have to become a content creator. But visible activity - thoughtful comments, an occasional post, a tidy Featured section - shows the profile is alive and puts you in front of people in your field.

• 19. A Featured section with 2-3 things you're proud of: a project, article, deck or recommendation. It's the only visual area on the profile, and it sits right after About.
• 20. Comments with substance, not "congrats!": three lines of opinion or experience on a post by a manager in your field exposes you to their whole network. Ten minutes a day is enough.
• 21. One post every two or three weeks: something you learned, a project you shipped, a mistake and what came of it. It doesn't need to go viral - it needs to show you work in the field.
• 22. Check your SSI: the Social Selling Index is LinkedIn's 0-100 score across four areas - professional brand, finding the right people, engaging with insights, and building relationships. You can see yours at linkedin.com/sales/ssi. Recruiters don't see it, but it shows where your profile is weak.

Which LinkedIn settings affect recruiters?

Three settings most people never touch: Open to Work, your job preferences and location, and profile language. Each one decides whether you pass a recruiter's filters.

• 23. Open to Work with the right visibility: show the green frame to everyone, or choose "Recruiters only" so that only recruiters using LinkedIn Recruiter see it. If you're currently employed, "Recruiters only" is the safer choice; LinkedIn tries to hide it from recruiters at your own company but doesn't guarantee it.
• 24. Precise job preferences: in Open to Work you can set up to five job titles, locations, and remote or hybrid preferences. Recruiters filter on exactly these fields, so a vague title simply won't match.
• 25. A profile in a second language: LinkedIn lets you add a secondary-language version of your profile. If you're applying across markets, make sure each version is complete rather than half-translated.

The bottom line

If you only have an hour, start with items 4, 7, 11 and 23: a searchable headline, two strong About lines, numbered achievements, and Open to Work. Those four move your search visibility fastest. Once the profile is ready, the next step is reaching out directly - here are 10 LinkedIn message templates for recruiters you can adapt.

If you'd rather not do it all by hand, Custro's LinkedIn Optimizer (on the Pro plan) suggests improvements to your headline, About and experience for the role you're targeting, and helps you draft recruiter messages through the Chrome extension.