How to improve your LinkedIn profile: 5 tips from a recruiter

By: Janice Mejías Avilés, Edited by: Gabriela Pérez Jordán

Published: August 28, 2025

While LinkedIn profiles haven't replaced résumés and cover letters in recruiters' assessments, a strong profile can offer recruiters a broader view of who you are as a professional.

Optimizing your LinkedIn profile with formatting and keyword strategies can be helpful, but for Dan Howie, a senior recruiting specialist at Red Ventures, authenticity and credibility should be the priority when improving your professional storytelling.

Howie emphasizes that reputable employers still manually review each résumé, cover letter, and LinkedIn profile.

At the same time, he encourages individuals to stay true to their voice when describing their experiences rather than feeling pressured to conform to rigid guidelines. "While there are really good starting points and suggestions for ways to format your LinkedIn or your résumé that probably are really helpful in terms of guiding principles, I do think it's also important to find ways in which you stand out," says Howie.

Meet Dan Howie

Dan Howie is a senior talent acquisition leader at Red Ventures* with more than a decade of experience in executive search, creative, and technical hiring. He focuses on shaping recruiting practices that are thoughtful and transparent, while building candidate experiences that are engaging, respectful, and deeply human.

*Red Ventures is an edX partner.

5 Tips for improving your LinkedIn profile

Improving your LinkedIn often involves aligning it more closely to your résumé, genuinely presenting your professional journey, and showcasing your unique experiences.

Here are some considerations:

1. Align your LinkedIn with your résumé to avoid red flags

Consistency between your LinkedIn profile and résumé is crucial. According to Howie, discrepancies in titles, job descriptions, and dates are red flags for recruiters. Make sure your LinkedIn accurately mirrors your professional experience to present a cohesive and credible narrative to potential employers.

2. Keep your profile updated with recent skills and projects

Howie recommends updating your LinkedIn profile every six months. This will highlight your active professional growth and engagement and prevent outdated information from deterring recruiters.

3. Show how you've used AI tools in your work

Highlight projects or tasks where you've leveraged AI tools to showcase adaptability and a willingness to learn emerging technologies. Howie emphasizes that employers value candidates who demonstrate commitment to continuous learning and flexibility in an evolving job market.

4. Explain how you've applied a certificate or training

While showcasing professional certificates and credentials on your LinkedIn profile is good practice, you may need to expand on this section.

Howie says that recruiters tend to prioritize candidates who can demonstrate how they've applied their new skills in real-world projects. To optimize, highlight specific projects or experiences where your upskilling or reskilling efforts directly impacted your work and produced tangible results.

5. Use LinkedIn thoughtfully — your online activity matters

Remember that LinkedIn is a social network, and people are analyzing your online presence. Howie suggests being mindful of what you share and how you interact with content. The posts you like, comment on, or share contribute to your professional image. He notes that how you behave online can paint a picture of your personality and indicate how you might conduct yourself professionally.