Level Up Your Linkedin Profile To Inspire Candidates
By Paul Freed, Managing Partner – Herd Freed Hartz Executive Search
Hiring managers will talk about “the brand,” “the opportunity,” and “the culture deck.” But candidates hear something quieter and more decisive: Who would I actually work for? As an executive search firm filling 1,000+ roles over the last 25 years – we have found the #1 reason a candidate takes a role is their manager (and #1 reason they leave too). Research data from Gallup, Monster and SHRM all show that workers who are satisfied with their managers overwhelmingly lean toward staying, and those with highly effective managers are more than twice as likely to feel a deep sense of commitment to the organization.
People do not join an org chart. They join a relationship they can imagine themselves inside. People work for people – not logos. Executives will also often tell me “Well I’m not looking for a job, so why should I care about my Linkedin profile?” Whether you like it or not, your public Linkedin profile is what top candidates will check out first so see if you might be someone they would like to work for.
Most executive LinkedIn profiles are accurate and forgettable. They read like a business card taped to a résumé: title, company, a third-person paragraph about “strategic leadership,” and a photo from 2018. That is a missed first impression for candidates.
So my encouragement is to level up your Linkedin profile to help people get to know your career journey, current role, hobbies/interests and recent thoughts and activity. When I’ve had candidates review a great Linkedin profile of the hiring manager prior to an interview, I will hear “Hey, I checked out the hiring manager’s profile I’ll be meeting later this week and I feel inspired and looking forward to the conversation. After reading more, I think we have several things in common in our leadership approach, how we solve problems and even some shared interests outside of work.” That candidate is going into the initial conversation leaning in with interest and prepared to have a more engaging conversation. Investing in a compelling Linkedin content sends a positive signal to a candidate and helps them decide if they can do their best work on your team.
Bonus win beyond recruiting: 82% of B2B buyers check a Linkedin profile before taking a meeting so these concepts below also apply (Cognism article).
10 ways to level up your Linkedin profile to be interesting instead of “official”
1. Use a photo that looks like you on a good Tuesday.
Not a cropped wedding shot, not a distant stage photo, not a heavily filtered AI head that no one would recognize in a lobby. Face fills most of the frame, eyes visible, light on your face, expression that would not scare a candidate. Dress one notch above how you actually work. Update it when your hair, glasses, or role change. The photo is the handshake before the headline.
2. Treat the banner as a billboard, not leftover blue.
Default banners say “I never opened the settings.” A simple banner can carry one line: the problem you work on, the industry you serve, or a short proof point. Keep text large enough to read on a phone. Do not turn it into a brochure.
3. Rewrite the headline so it is not only your job title.
The headline follows you into comments, search, and connection requests. “CEO at Acme” is true and invisible. Name the work, the audience, and a sliver of point of view.
Before: CEO | Acme Industries | Passionate Leader
After: CEO, Acme Industries | Building operators who can run multi-site service businesses
Before: VP Human Resources at Northline
After: CHRO, Northline | Hiring leaders people actually want to work for
4. Open the About section like a person talking, not a press release.
Only the first few lines show before “see more.” Lead with a sentence someone would finish. Write in first person. Skip “results-oriented professional with a proven track record.” Say what you care about, what you have actually done, and who should message you.
Here is a test: Read your Linkedin profile wording to someone across the table. Would you talk that way to another person? Sometimes capturing your authentic and conversational tone is a better starting point than a formal HR resume feel.
Before (3rd person):
“John is a seasoned executive with over 20 years of experience driving organizational excellence and stakeholder value across complex global enterprises. He is passionate about leadership, innovation, and building high-performing teams.”
After (1st person):
“I have spent 20 years helping service companies grow without breaking the people who run them.
Most of that work looks unglamorous from the outside: operators, margins, messy integrations, and the manager who determines whether talent stays.
If you lead a multi-site business—or you are considering joining one—I am useful to talk to. I am less useful if you want a keynote about synergy.”
5. Use Featured as a small portfolio, not an empty shelf.
Pin three to five things that prove the headline: a post that sounded like you, a talk, an article, a customer or team story, a short note on how you hire. Most profiles leave this blank. That is free space at the top of the page—and a chance to show the person behind the title before anyone scrolls.
6. Rewrite experience as outcomes, not job descriptions.
Nobody needs “Responsible for P&L, strategy, and team development.” They need what changed because you were there. One or two quantified lines beat eight vague bullets. Balance facts and emotion (“steak and sizzle”) in explaining your role and what you accomplished.
Before: Responsible for leading the national sales organization and implementing process improvements to drive growth and alignment.
After: Took a 180-person sales org from founder-led heroics to a repeatable system. Grew revenue 34% in 24 months while cutting ramping time for new reps from 9 months to 5.
7. Be visible in the feed, or the profile feels abandoned.
A polished page with no recent comments reads like a vacant storefront. You do not need to become a creator. One useful comment once a week—and an occasional post that sounds like you—beats a quarterly essay no one asked for. People click through from comments more often than executives think. That click is often a candidate deciding whether they can picture working for you.
Don’t want to write a unique article or post? Your company marketing and sales team likely has regular social media posts you can simply repost and add 1-2 sentence comment on that for simplicity.
8. Put the words in the profile that people actually search.
Candidates search the way they talk: “multi-site operations,” “PE-backed CFO,” “labor relations,” “franchise,” “turnaround.” Use words and phrases you would in-person and what a candidate would hear when meeting with you. Place them naturally in the headline, About, and the first lines of current and recent roles. Skills should match that language, not a leftover list from 2014.
9. Collect a few recommendations that sound like humans.
One specific paragraph from a peer, a direct report, and a board or customer beats twelve generic “great to work with” notes. Ask for a story: a hard week, a decision, a result. Offer to write one in return, and make yours specific too. Social proof is how strangers borrow trust from people who have already worked with you.
10. Hobbies and interests.
What do you do outside of work? Are you involved in any community non-profit, school or service organization? This shows you are a real person and have a life and passions outside of work which can sometimes be unique connection points with candidates.
Good: On weekends I enjoy hiking, BBQ and woodworking in the garage.
Great (with more interesting details): On weekends I’m working through my 12-peak summer hiking challenge for Oregon peaks (S. Sister was my favorite), perfecting my pork shoulder Treager BBQ recipe, and working on a live edge table with colored epoxy in my garage.
The test that matters
Our clients know they are in a battle for top talent and ensuring the best candidate first impression can make a difference in finding the right fit. It is an authentic relationship conversation and not just a business transaction. LinkedIn plays a part of that first impression whether you intend it or not. If you lead a company, a function, or a talent function, the practical test is simple: Would a candidate who only saw your Linkedin profile – know your career story/leadership philosophy/role today, and be inspired to leave their current company to work for you?
A LinkedIn profile is not a compliance document. It is the public version of a private truth: people work for people. Show them the person.
As an executive search firm, we partner with you to help tell your story in a compelling way that will inspire the caliber of candidates you really want. Some of this is found in our unique job description approach, but we also work with our clients on ensuring the best possible candidate experience which includes leveling up your Linkedin profile. Let’s connect and learn more about your story and if we can help you too.