The rule
Your LinkedIn headline has 220 characters. Use them. Do not use "Open to work" as your headline — LinkedIn already has a separate flag for that.
Formula 1: Role + Stack + Outcome
Senior Backend Engineer — Go, Postgres, AWS | Shipped payments infra processing $2B/yr
Works for: engineers, data, product
Formula 2: Transition line
Army Signal Officer transitioning to Cybersecurity | Sec+, CySA+, TS/SCI | Available April 2026
Works for: transitioning military, veterans, all job seekers
Formula 3: Outcome-first
I help SaaS companies cut CAC by 30%+ | Growth Marketing Lead | Ex-HubSpot, Ex-Notion
Works for: marketing, sales, consultants
Formula 4: Problem statement
Making enterprise data pipelines boring again | Staff Data Engineer | Airflow, dbt, Snowflake
Works for: senior IC roles
Formula 5: Credentials + niche
CPA + MBA | Fractional CFO for pre-Series-B startups | 12 exits
Works for: fractional / consulting
What every one of these has in common
Concrete nouns. Recruiters search LinkedIn using boolean strings. If the noun isn't in your headline, About section, or a job title, you don't appear in the search. Adjectives ("passionate," "results-driven," "seasoned") match nothing.