In today’s business environment, your LinkedIn profile is more than a digital resume; it’s a strategic asset.
For senior executives, it serves as a credibility marker, a thought leadership platform, and a powerful signal to the market.
Whether you're engaging stakeholders, attracting top talent, or positioning yourself for board opportunities, LinkedIn should reflect your calibre and commercial impact.
We have identified some key areas to focus on when looking to improve this profile.
Lead with a Commercial Headline
Your headline should lead with your current title and company, but don’t stop there. Add a strategic edge by linking your role to enterprise-level outcomes or sector expertise.
- “Chief Operating Officer at Company | Driving Asset Performance Across Tier-1 Mining Operations”
- This format maintains clarity while signalling commercial value. This is perfect for investors, search firms, and peers scanning at pace.
Use the ‘About’ Section to Tell a Strategic Story
Executives often leave this section for a short experience summary, which can often times be a missed opportunity. Use it to distill your leadership narrative:
- What sectors do you operate in? What problems do you solve? What results have you delivered?
- Write in first person, keep it concise, and focus on outcomes. This is what will make you stand out.
Optimise for Search Without Sounding Robotic
Include key terms that align with your remit (e.g., “capital projects,” “digital transformation,” “operational turnarounds”).
- This improves visibility to headhunters and analysts, but balance it with authentic, human language.
- Using keywords in your profile is essential, but doing it in a natural way is equally important.
Curate Your Activity Intentionally
You don’t need to become a LinkedIn thought leader, but do consider engaging with content purposefully.
- Share articles that reflect your strategic interests, comment on industry developments, or repost thought leadership with a short insight. This positions you as an active, considered voice, not just a passive observer.
- On the flip side, be aware that anything you engage with on LinkedIn is public. Be mindful of this before contributing to overly controversial or questionable content.
Don’t Just List Roles; Articulate Impact
Each role under ‘Experience’ should show where you moved the needle. Use metrics and commercial language.
- “Responsible for a team of 100+ across operations”
- “Led multi-site operations team of 100+, delivering 15% uplift in productivity and $12M in cost efficiencies over 18 months”
- Executives are measured by outcomes; your profile should reflect that.