Your LinkedIn headline, also known as your tagline, is one of the most important parts of your LinkedIn profile. It’s often the first thing people notice when viewing your profile, and it can make a lasting first impression. When changing careers, crafting the perfect headline takes on added importance. Your headline needs to clearly communicate your current career transition so you can attract the right opportunities.
Here are some quick tips for writing an effective LinkedIn headline when changing careers:
– Focus on where you want to go, not where you’ve been. Don’t get stuck focusing on your previous industry or role. Highlight your target industry or job titles instead.
– Include key skills and areas of expertise you want to leverage in your new career. This shows employers you have transferable abilities.
– Consider adding niche or emerging roles to stand out, like “Aspiring Data Scientist” or “Future Healthcare Analyst.”
– Keep it concise. You have 120 characters so make them count. Lead with your most important info.
– Include keywords recruiters search for. Make sure your headline includes relevant terms for your new field.
– Show off credentials like degrees, certifications or awards that support your career change.
– Add numbers or metrics if relevant, like years of experience or budgets managed.
– Use power words and phrases like “Passionate”, “Expert”, or “Proven leader” to project confidence.
– Test different headlines and tweak based on profile views and message responses.
Should you include your previous or new industry?
When changing careers, there are pros and cons to including your previous or new industry in your LinkedIn headline. Here is a comparison:
Pros of including your previous industry:
– Demonstrates domain expertise and experience level.
– Shows breadth of knowledge by highlighting varied background.
– Gives context if transitioning to a related field.
– Establishes credentials and foundation for pivoting roles.
Cons of including your previous industry:
– Can pigeonhole you or limit opportunities if field is unrelated.
– Makes you appear less focused on new career direction.
– Takes up valuable real estate that could highlight aspirational roles.
– Dwells on the past rather than looking forward.
Pros of including your new/target industry:
– Communicates your current career direction and goals.
– Attracts opportunities in your desired new field.
– Shows you are open to and focused on this next move.
– Establishes you as committed to breaking into a new area.
Cons of including your new/target industry:
– May seem overly aspirational without proven experience.
– Actual pivot may still be in early stages so appears misleading.
– New field likely still lacks credentials or qualifications.
– Highlights where you want to be but not where you have been.
Should you include your previous or new job title?
Similar pros and cons apply when considering whether to highlight your previous or new/aspirational job title in your LinkedIn headline during a career transition:
Pros of including your previous job title:
– Backs up your experience level in actual roles held.
– Provides legitimacy through specific, recognizable positions.
– Reinforces your baseline qualifications and past duties.
– Shows tangible evidence of your capabilities.
Cons of including your previous job title:
– Fixates on your past versus future trajectory.
– May not demonstrate abilities relevant to your new field.
– Doesn’t communicate your current career pivot.
– Limits you to your prior type of position.
Pros of including your new/aspirational job title:
– Signals where you want to take your career next.
– Positions you for opportunities aligned with new target role.
– Conveys your goals and where you see yourself headed.
– Acts as a magnet for your chosen new job title.
Cons of including your new/aspirational job title:
– Will lack credentials to back up stated role.
– Downplays your actual experience if role is a stretch.
– Makes pivot seem farther along than it is.
– Risks appearing falsely overconfident.
How to showcase transferable skills
One effective way to bridge the gap between your old and new career in your LinkedIn headline is to highlight transferable skills. This shows how your expertise and abilities from one field can translate and apply to another.
Here are some tips for featuring transferable skills:
– Identify cross-cutting hard and soft skills that meet demands of new role. These might include analytical, communication, leadership and other versatile skills.
– Use concise keyword phrases like “Proven Data Analytics Skills” or “Expert Organizational Abilities.”
– Back up claims with certifications, metrics, awards or other proof points.
– Weave in adjacent or emerging skills needed for your new career path.
– Balance broad transferable skills with more niche industry-specific abilities.
– Mention must-have baseline qualifications for intended roles.
– Align language and terminology with common requirements for target field.
– Emphasize abilities that demonstrate potential and ability to take on new challenges.
Here are some examples of LinkedIn headlines showcasing transferable skills:
– Finance Professional with Proven Data Analytics and Project Management Skills
– Award-Winning Marketing Leader with Deep Digital and Social Media Expertise
– Top-Performing Sales Executive with Natural Leadership Skills
Keywords to include
Using targeted keywords in your LinkedIn headline is critical when changing careers to ensure you come up in relevant employer searches.
Here are some tips for which keywords to include:
– Research in-demand job titles, skills and certifications for your target roles. Identify terms that constantly arise.
– Incorporate 1-2 of your aspirational job titles like “Product Manager” or “Software Engineer.”
– Sprinkle in essential hard skills like “Data Analytics” “Financial Modeling” or “CAD Design.”
– Add any key credentials like degree types or specific technical programs.
– Include versatile soft skills like “Leadership” “Strategic Planning” or “Creativity.”
– Feature crucial software, platforms or programming languages expected for your new roles.
– Consider sought-after traits like “Entrepreneurial” “Innovative” or “Multilingual.”
– Weave in relevant industry buzzwords and emerging roles characteristic of your field.
– Use acronyms and abbreviations common for your target jobs like PMP, CSS, CPA, etc.
– Avoid overusing keywords. Only include terms an ideal recruiter would actually search for.
Tracking which keywords drive profile views and messages can help refine your headline language.
Examples of power words and phrases
Power words and phrases that convey confidence, expertise and leadership abilities can take your LinkedIn headline to the next level when changing careers.
Here are some examples:
– “Proven” or “Demonstrated” – Backs up claims with evidence of skills mastered.
– “Expert” or “Specialist” – Positions you as an authority in a specific area.
– “Leader” or “Manager” – Communicates you can spearhead teams and initiatives.
– “Award-Winning” or “Top-Performing” – Quantifies your talent and achievements.
– “Innovative” or “Creative” – Shows you can generate original solutions.
– “Strategic” or “Analytical” – Conveys methodical, metric-driven capabilities.
– “Entrepreneurial” or “Self-Starter” – Highlights initiative to turn ideas into reality.
– “Data-Driven” or “Technical” – Underlines hard skills grounded in expertise.
– “Passionate” or “Driven” – Demonstrates motivation for your new career.
– “Multilingual” or “International” – Underscores global abilities valuable to employers.
Highlighting credentials
Including relevant credentials you’ve earned can maximize your LinkedIn headline’s impact when transitioning between careers:
Types of credentials to highlight:
– Degrees like MBA, JD, MD, PhD in subject tied to new role
– Industry-specific certifications and designations
– Technical qualifications like PMP, CFA, CSS, PE, CPA status
– Training program or bootcamp certificates
– Apprenticeships or clinical rotations completed
– Clearances like Security or Engineering Licenses
– Awards won and organization memberships
Tips for featuring credentials:
– Only include abbreviations after spelling term out in full once.
– Balance degree types with specific majors or concentrations.
– Mention certificate names but leave off generic “Certificate” terms.
– Emphasize selective programs with competitive admission.
– Spotlight credentials most relevant to target role.
– Strategically order credentials for maximum impact.
Examples:
– MBA – Financial Analyst
– JD, Licensed Attorney, Award-winning Litigator
– Stanford CS Masters | PMP | IT Project Manager
Adding metrics and numbers
Hard numbers and metrics can enhance your LinkedIn profile during a career transition by quantifying your qualifications.
Here are some examples of metrics to include:
Years of experience:
– 10+ years of Marketing Experience
– 5 years of Non-Profit Leadership
Budgets managed:
– $5M Annual Budget Oversight
– Managed $350K+ Project Budgets
Team sizes led:
– Led Software Teams of 12+ Engineers
– Managed 20+ Person Sales Organizations
Metrics driven:
– Grew Revenue 43% in 2 Years
– 90% Client Retention Rate
Ranks achieved:
– Top 10% Sales Performer Nationally
– #1 Ranked Associate Attorney in Law Firm
Tips for including metrics:
– Only highlight metrics relevant to future roles.
– Round numbers for conciseness and impact.
– Include time ranges for proper context.
– Balance hard numbers with qualitative achievements.
– Remember: quality over quantity. Only cite your strongest statistics.
Example LinkedIn Headlines
Here are some real examples of effective LinkedIn headlines for various career changes:
Moving from banking to tech:
– Ex-Investment Banker pivoting to FinTech | Columbia MBA
Law to consulting transition:
– Attorney seeking Consulting roles |6 yrs Legal Exp.
Finance to marketing pivot:
– CPA repositioning as Market Research Analyst
Engineering to data science switch:
– Petroleum Engineer transitioning to Data Science | Python | SQL
Teaching to corporate training change:
– Award-winning Teacher leveraging Instructional Design skills
Non-profit to government relations move:
– Nonprofit Leader with Policy and Partnership Experience
A/B Testing Headlines
A/B testing different versions of your LinkedIn headline when changing careers can help maximize your profile’s visibility and impact.
Here’s how to A/B test headlines:
1. Draft 2-3 different headline options using the guidance provided.
2. Set each version as your headline for 1-2 weeks at a time.
3. Use LinkedIn’s analytics to compare profile views and engagement for each headline.
4. Ask trusted contacts for feedback on which headlines resonated most.
5. Refine and adjust headlines over time based on data and reactions.
6. Consider mixing and matching elements from top performing headlines.
A/B testing allows you to iterate and improve your LinkedIn headline when in career transition while leveraging quantifiable data and qualitative feedback. This ensures your headline accurately reflects your capabilities and attracts your target roles.
Conclusion
Crafting a compelling, keyword-optimized LinkedIn headline is critical when changing careers to maximize your profile’s visibility. Focus on showcasing transferable skills and credentials relevant to your new field while highlighting aspirational roles and abilities. Use power words and metrics to convey your qualifications and capacity for growth. Experiment with different headline versions and tweak based on profile analytics and reactions. With a targeted, data-driven headline that clearly communicates your career pivot, you can propel your transition forward.