Writing a LinkedIn profile for the search that finds it

Which profile fields the recruiter search actually matches on, how to write a headline that carries search terms, and what the About section is for.

The short answer: A recruiter does not browse LinkedIn; they search it, with terms drawn from a job specification, and your profile either appears in the result set or it does not. That single fact should drive how the profile is written. The headline and the job titles carry the most weight in that search, so a headline that says "Aspiring Professional | Passionate about Finance" removes you from every query that matters. Write the headline as what you are plus the terms you want to be found for, use recognisable job titles rather than internal ones, and put the substance in the experience entries — where it is both searchable and readable by the person who clicks through.

Key points

The headline is the highest-weighted field and the most commonly wasted one — it should carry search terms, not adjectives.
Use the industry-standard job title, not your employer's internal one; nobody searches for "Analyst II, Grade 7".
Empty experience entries are invisible to search — two lines per role beats a title with nothing under it.
Turn on the "open to work" recruiter-only setting rather than the public banner if you are employed.

How recruiters actually find people

A recruiter with a vacancy opens a search tool, enters terms from the specification — a title, a skill, a location, sometimes a current employer — and receives a list. They work down that list. Nothing about the process resembles browsing, and the feed plays no part in it at all.

So the operative question for every field on your profile is: would a term in here appear in a search someone runs to find a person like me? Fields that carry search weight deserve care; fields that do not are cosmetic.

Fields, by how much they affect whether you are found
Field	Search weight	What to do
Headline	High	What you are, plus three or four terms you want to match
Job titles	High	Recognisable industry titles, not internal grade names
Skills	High	Fifteen to twenty specific ones; remove the generic filler
Experience text	Medium	Two to four lines per role, in the vocabulary of the field
About section	Medium	Three short paragraphs; the first two lines are what shows
Location	High as a filter	Set to the market you want to work in
Banner image	None	Cosmetic. Fine to ignore.

The title problem

Employers use internal titles that mean nothing outside the building. "Officer, Grade 4", "Associate II", "Specialist, Business Services" — none of these is a term anyone searches for, and using them as your LinkedIn title makes you invisible to the searches that would otherwise find you.

The fix is to use the recognisable industry title and put the internal one in the description if you want it recorded. This is not misrepresentation as long as the level is honest: "Credit Risk Analyst" where your badge says "Officer, Risk Grade 4" is a translation, not a promotion. Inflating the level is a different matter and it is checked at reference stage.

The parts worth doing after the headline

Photo. An ordinary, current, well-lit photograph of your face. It does not need to be professionally taken. A profile without one is passed over more often, fairly or not.
About. Three short paragraphs: what you do, what you have done that is relevant, what you are looking for. Only the first two lines display before "see more", so put the substance there.
Skills. Fifteen to twenty specific ones. Remove "Microsoft Office", "Teamwork" and "Communication" — they match nothing useful and dilute the list a recruiter scans.
Open to work. The recruiter-only visibility setting is the one to use while employed; the public green banner is visible to your current employer and to everyone else.
Custom URL. Thirty seconds, and it is what goes on your resume instead of a string of digits.

Together this is under an hour of work, and the headline alone accounts for most of the effect. Once the profile is findable, the remaining lever is outreach — which is a different skill and is covered in LinkedIn outreach.

Frequently asked questions

What should my headline actually say?

What you are, and the terms you want to be found for, in that order. "Credit Risk Analyst | IFRS 9, Portfolio Monitoring, SQL" is searchable and instantly legible. "Aspiring finance professional passionate about making an impact" contains no term any recruiter has ever searched for. If you are between roles, name the thing you do rather than the thing you want: "Financial Crime Analyst" beats "Seeking opportunities".

Does posting content help?

Marginally, and much less than people hope. Recruiters find candidates through search, not through the feed, so a well-written profile outperforms regular posting for job-search purposes. Posting builds a reputation over years and in specific professional communities, which is a real but slow benefit and a poor use of time if you need a role this quarter.

Should my profile just repeat my resume?

The substance should match, but the register differs. A resume is a targeted document for one application; a profile is a standing description for anyone who arrives. That means the profile can be broader, written in the first person, and can include context a resume has no room for. What it must not do is contradict the resume on dates or titles — that inconsistency is checked and it is damaging.