Once you’re between jobs, do you have to rewrite your LinkedIn headline? Ought to it specify that you just’re open to new alternatives? On this publish you’ll study what to place in your LinkedIn headline when unemployed. I believe you’ll be stunned.
Don’t rush to replace your headline & profile after leaving your job.
When you left your outdated job a comparatively quick time in the past (a couple of days, weeks and even months in the past), it might not profit you to replace your profile to indicate your departure.
Recruiters want candidates who’re already employed, believing that at present employed staff are more likely to be extra up-to-date on their trade and abilities. They could additionally assume employed candidates, being much less anxious to be employed, usually tend to be sincere about themselves. Recruiters’ assumptions could also be false, however their choice is well-known.
Due to this fact, I recommend you postpone including an ending date to your previous job, and in addition depart your LinkedIn headline as it’s.
Is that this misleading? Everyone knows that individuals aren’t essentially immediate about updating their profiles. All you’ve executed is neglect to replace. In fact, if you happen to’re contacted by a recruiter, when the topic of your “present” job comes up, inform them truthfully that the job has ended. Then present a resume displaying the precise ending date.
I can guess what your subsequent query could be.
“Thea, I perceive your technique, but when I lead recruiters to assume I’m nonetheless employed, received’t they be disenchanted once I inform them I’m not?”
Perhaps a bit, possibly not. The primary level is that now they’re speaking with you or your resume, seeing your glorious {qualifications}, and you’ve got an opportunity to impress them. When you put your unemployment up entrance in your profile, chances are you’ll by no means come to their consideration in any respect.
Now, what if you happen to’ve already up to date your headline and dates of employment? Can you set it again the best way it was? That’s dangerous. What if somebody noticed in your profile that you just’d left your job, after which later noticed that you just’d modified your profile to indicate you had been nonetheless there . . . what would they assume? And while you spoke to recruiters, you couldn’t truthfully say you hadn’t up to date your profile.
Nevertheless, if you happen to’ve already up to date your profile, contemplate re-updating it as follows.
The smarter approach to replace your LinkedIn headline when unemployed.
The next methodology is extra forthcoming, whereas nonetheless being good on your LinkedIn search rankings.
For example, let’s say you’ve been working as a technical program supervisor. That occupational label nonetheless applies to you, whether or not you’re at present employed or not. So if you happen to’re looking for the identical sort of function once more, write a headline that features that designation.
Your headline ought to ideally embody different essential key phrases you’ve seen in job postings, and doubtless a key promoting level or two as effectively. For instance:
Technical Program Supervisor | Driving Finish-to-end Execution of Complicated Tasks | Staff Management | Cloud Infrastructures | Recognized for constructing a tradition of alignment & strong communication.
Do you have to embody one thing like “open to alternatives”? Not within the headline, as a result of doing so will solely emphasize that you just’re unemployed. It’s additionally pointless, as a result of recruiters don’t hesitate to succeed in out to “passive candidates,” those that aren’t actively wanting.
What if you wish to transfer into a brand new sort of labor? Let’s say you’ve been a program supervisor however now you wish to transfer into product administration, and you’ve got some expertise doing that inside your previous roles. You may begin your headline with one thing like “Program/Product Supervisor” or “Expertise Skilled with Product Administration Expertise.”
Vital Tip: Your goal job title is commonly the #1 most precious key phrase/key phrase in job search communications. Don’t pretend it, but when there’s an sincere approach to embody that key phrase someplace in your profile, do it.
Subsequent, edit your expertise part. Click on the “+” as if you happen to’re creating a brand new job entry. However as an alternative of including a job, write a keyword-rich entry to indicate off who you’re professionally. Within the Title discipline, write one thing related however not equivalent to your skilled headline. Within the Firm discipline, enter one thing about your trade and/or previous corporations, resembling “Telecomms expertise with QRScomm and TUVnet.” Ensure your wording doesn’t indicate that you just at present work at both of these corporations.
For a begin date, enter the yr (and month, optionally) while you left your final function, and test the field marked “I at present work right here” so the date will present up as ” – Current.” Within the Description of the function, you possibly can specify what you’re searching for in your subsequent function, though it’s not the place to say necessities about office tradition and so forth. For now, your aim is to get recruiters to succeed in out. In my publish, “How one can Replace Your LinkedIn Profile When You’re Unemployed,” I provide further suggestions.
Final, while you’ve checked over your modifications and all of it appears to be like good, enter an ending date for the job you’ve simply left.
The beauty of this method is what it does on your LinkedIn search rankings. Within the instance above, if recruiters arrange a LinkedIn seek for individuals at present employed as Technical Program Supervisor, this profile would flip up within the listing of outcomes. Despite the fact that the recruiters’ search standards was set as much as discover present program managers, if this candidate’s {qualifications} appeared good, they may effectively interview them anyway.
With this method, recruiters studying your profile will see that you just’re unemployed, however the essential factor is they’ll be studying your profile.
Now that you already know what to place in your LinkedIn headline when unemployed, chances are you’ll wish to learn my posts, “How one can Discuss Being Unemployed (and Nonetheless Get a Job).” and “What To Do When Laid Off.” And bear in mind, no matter job search challenges you’re dealing with, there’s a greatest approach to deal with them. Hold studying this weblog, and contemplate contacting me for a free session about how I can assist. (This publish has been up to date in 2025.)
