LinkedIn Headline Examples for Every Profession (2026)
LinkedIn headline examples are one of those things everyone searches for but few actually nail. Your headline is the first line people see after your name - in search results, connection requests, comments, and messages. It's 220 characters of prime real estate, and most people waste it on a default job title.
In this guide, I've pulled together 60+ headline examples organized by profession, plus 12 LinkedIn summary examples for your About section. I've been building Wave Connect since 2020, and every week I see professionals who've nailed their online brand but completely blank on their LinkedIn profile. These examples will fix that.
TL;DR
The best LinkedIn headlines follow a simple formula: Role + Who You Help + Proof or Keyword. Skip the default "Job Title at Company" and lead with the value you bring. This guide has 60+ headlines by profession (sales, marketing, tech, real estate, HR, finance, healthcare, executives, job seekers, and students) plus 12 About section summaries you can customize. The #1 mistake is being too vague - specificity wins.
What You'll Learn
- The headline formula: A simple framework that works for any profession
- 60+ examples by role: Copy-paste headlines for sales, marketing, tech, real estate, HR, finance, and more
- 12 summary examples: LinkedIn About section templates to complete your profile
- 5 mistakes to avoid: The patterns that make recruiters and prospects scroll past you
- How to update it: Step-by-step on desktop and mobile
What Makes a Great LinkedIn Headline
A great LinkedIn headline tells people what you do, who you help, and why you're credible - all in 220 characters or less. LinkedIn gives you a default headline that's just your job title and company name. That's fine if you want to blend in. If you want to stand out, you need a formula.
Here's the one I recommend:
[Your Role] | [Who You Help or What You Do] | [Proof, Keyword, or Differentiator]
For example, instead of "Marketing Manager at Acme Corp," try: "Marketing Manager | Helping B2B SaaS brands grow organic traffic 3x | Content Strategy & SEO."
Why does this work? Because LinkedIn has over 1 billion members. When someone searches for a skill, keyword, or job title, your headline is the first filter. If it's generic, you're invisible.
A few quick rules before we get to the examples:
- Use the full 220 characters. LinkedIn shows more of your headline in search results. More text = more keywords = more visibility.
- Include keywords people search for. If you're a project manager, say "Project Manager" somewhere - don't just say "I help teams ship on time."
- Use pipe symbols (|) or bullet points to separate ideas. They're easier to scan than long sentences.
- Avoid buzzwords without context. "Visionary thought leader" means nothing. "Grew revenue from $2M to $10M" means everything.
LinkedIn Headline Examples by Profession
Here are 60+ LinkedIn headline examples organized by profession, each following the formula above. Don't copy these word-for-word - swap in your own specifics, metrics, and industry. The goal is to spark an idea, not clone someone else's profile.
Sales Professionals
1. Account Executive at [Company] | Helping mid-market SaaS teams close faster | President's Club 2024 & 2025
2. Senior Sales Rep | I help manufacturing companies cut procurement costs by 20%+ | Always happy to connect
3. Enterprise AE | Selling to Fortune 500 CIOs | $4.2M closed in 2025 | Let's talk digital transformation
4. B2B Sales Leader | Building pipeline for [Company] | If you sell to CFOs, let's trade notes
5. SDR at [Company] | Booking 40+ meetings/month for our AE team | Outbound & cold email nerd
6. VP of Sales | Scaling teams from 5 to 50 reps | I write about sales leadership every week
Sales pros: your headline is a mini elevator pitch. Prospects and hiring managers search LinkedIn before they ever reply to your cold email. Make sure what they find is compelling. If you're looking for ways to stand out at events and conferences, your LinkedIn headline is the follow-up they'll check after meeting you.
Marketing & Growth
7. Content Marketing Manager | Turning blog posts into pipeline for B2B brands | SEO & demand gen
8. Growth Marketer | Took [Company] from 0 to 50K organic visitors in 12 months | Paid + organic
9. Head of Marketing at [Startup] | Brand builder. Storyteller. Data nerd. | Previously at [Company]
10. Digital Marketing Director | Helping DTC brands scale from $1M to $10M | Paid social & email
11. Product Marketing Manager | I launch products people actually want | B2B SaaS | GTM strategy
12. Marketing Coordinator | Creating campaigns that drive leads, not just likes | HubSpot certified
13. CMO | Building the marketing engine at [Company] | Previously scaled [Brand] to $50M ARR
Software Engineers & Tech
14. Senior Software Engineer | Building scalable APIs at [Company] | Python, Go, AWS
15. Full-Stack Developer | React + Node.js | Open source contributor | I write about clean code
16. Staff Engineer at [Company] | Leading the platform team | Distributed systems & reliability
17. Frontend Developer | Making web apps fast and accessible | TypeScript, Next.js, Tailwind
18. DevOps Engineer | Reducing deploy times from hours to minutes | Kubernetes, Terraform, CI/CD
19. Engineering Manager | Growing teams and shipping products | Formerly at [FAANG] | Hiring!
20. Data Engineer | Building data pipelines that don't break at 3am | Spark, Airflow, dbt
Real Estate Agents
21. Realtor at [Brokerage] | Helping first-time homebuyers in [City] find their perfect home | 150+ closings
22. Commercial Real Estate Broker | Specializing in industrial properties in the Southeast | $200M+ in transactions
23. Real Estate Agent | [City]'s #1 team for luxury listings over $1M | Your home, my priority
24. Real Estate Investor & Agent | 30+ rental units | I help clients build wealth through property
25. New Construction Specialist at [Builder] | Guiding buyers from blueprint to move-in day | [City/State]
26. Property Manager | Managing 500+ units across [Region] | Maximizing NOI for property owners
Real estate is all about trust and local expertise. Your headline should mention your market area and specialization. And if you're networking at open houses or conferences, make sure your personal brand is consistent across LinkedIn and the business card you hand out.
Recruiters & HR
27. Technical Recruiter | Helping startups hire senior engineers | 200+ placements | Always sourcing
28. Talent Acquisition Lead at [Company] | Building diverse teams that ship great products | Open to referrals
29. HR Business Partner | Aligning people strategy with business goals | Employee engagement & retention
30. Executive Recruiter | Placing C-suite leaders in healthcare & biotech | Confidential search specialist
31. People Operations Manager | Building a culture people don't want to leave | Remote-first advocate
32. Corporate Recruiter at [Company] | We're hiring! | DM me about engineering & product roles
Consultants & Freelancers
33. Freelance Copywriter | I write landing pages that convert for SaaS brands | 50+ clients served
34. Management Consultant | Helping PE-backed companies cut costs without cutting quality | Ex-McKinsey
35. UX Design Consultant | Making complex products simple | Worked with Shopify, Stripe, and 30+ startups
36. Fractional CFO | Financial strategy for startups that have outgrown their bookkeeper | CPA + MBA
37. Independent Marketing Consultant | Helping founders build growth engines that work without them | Strategy + execution
38. Business Coach | Helping service-based businesses hit their first $500K year | 200+ clients coached
Finance & Accounting
39. Financial Advisor | Helping tech professionals build wealth beyond their stock options | CFP
40. CPA | Tax strategy for small business owners | Saving clients an average of $30K/year
41. Investment Banking Analyst at [Bank] | M&A and capital markets | Wharton '24
42. Controller at [Company] | Building finance teams that scale with the business | SaaS metrics nerd
43. FP&A Manager | Turning messy spreadsheets into clear financial stories | I love a good forecast
44. Wealth Management Advisor | Retirement planning for high-net-worth families | $150M+ AUM
Healthcare Professionals
45. Nurse Practitioner | Improving patient outcomes in primary care | Advocate for preventive health
46. Hospital Administrator | Running a 300-bed facility | Operational efficiency & patient satisfaction
47. Physical Therapist | Helping athletes get back to 100% | Sports rehab specialist | DPT
48. Healthcare Consultant | Reducing readmission rates for health systems | Data-driven clinical ops
49. Physician Assistant | Emergency medicine | Passionate about rural healthcare access
50. Medical Device Sales Rep | Bringing next-gen surgical tools to orthopedic surgeons | 130% of quota in 2025
Executives & C-Suite
51. CEO at [Company] | Building the future of [industry] | Forbes 30 Under 30 | Investor & advisor
52. COO | Scaling operations from $5M to $50M ARR | SaaS, fintech, marketplace | Board member
53. CTO | Engineering leader turned founder | Building tools developers actually want to use
54. VP of Product | Leading product strategy at [Company] | Previously built 0-to-1 products at [Startup]
55. Chief Revenue Officer | Aligning sales, marketing, and CS for sustainable growth | B2B SaaS
56. Founder & CEO | Helping professionals ditch paper business cards | Serving 170+ countries
Job Seekers & Career Changers
57. Marketing Professional | Open to new opportunities in content strategy & brand marketing | Ex-[Company]
58. Software Engineer seeking next role | 5 years building fintech products | Python, React, AWS
59. Career changer: Teacher turned UX Designer | Google UX Certificate | Building my portfolio
60. Operations Manager | Exploring product management roles | MBA candidate at [School]
61. Recently laid off (and weirdly energized about it) | 8 years in B2B sales leadership | Let's connect
62. Transitioning from military to civilian career | Project management & logistics | PMP certified
If you're job hunting, don't be shy about saying so. Recruiters search for "open to work" signals constantly. LinkedIn's own data shows that members who signal openness get more recruiter messages. Just pair it with what you actually bring to the table.
Students & Recent Graduates
63. Marketing Student at [University] | Interning at [Company] this summer | Aspiring brand strategist
64. Computer Science '26 | Full-stack projects in React & Python | Looking for new grad SWE roles
65. Recent MBA Graduate | Focused on strategy & operations | Open to consulting and PM roles
66. Business Student | President of [Club] | Passionate about fintech and financial inclusion
67. Graduating May 2026 | Data analytics & visualization | Tableau, SQL, Python | Seeking analyst roles
68. First-gen college student | Double major in economics & CS | Building the career I dreamed about
Students: you don't need 10 years of experience to write a good headline. Lead with what you're studying, what you've built, and what you're looking for. That's enough.
LinkedIn Summary Examples (About Section)
Your LinkedIn summary (the "About" section) is where you turn that headline into a full story. You get 2,600 characters, and most people either leave it blank or write a resume paragraph. Both are missed opportunities. Here are 12 examples across different professions that actually work.
The recent networking statistics are clear: professionals who maintain complete profiles get significantly more opportunities. Your summary is the biggest chunk of real estate on your profile after your experience section.
1. Sales Professional
"I sell to people who hate being sold to.
Over the past 7 years, I've helped mid-market companies modernize their tech stack without the typical enterprise sales headaches. No 47-slide decks. No 6-month procurement cycles. Just honest conversations about what works and what doesn't.
Currently: Enterprise AE at [Company], focused on financial services. Previously at [Company] where I closed $8M+ and was named to President's Club twice.
If you're exploring [product category], I'm happy to share what I'm seeing in the market - even if we're not the right fit."
2. Marketing Leader
"I'm obsessed with the question: how do you get people to care?
For the past decade, I've been answering it for B2B SaaS companies. I've built marketing teams from scratch, launched products to new markets, and turned 'nobody knows us' into 'how do we keep up with demand.'
My approach: brand + demand, together. Not brand OR demand. The best companies do both.
Currently Head of Marketing at [Company]. Previously led growth at [Company] (Series A to C, $2M to $30M ARR).
I write about marketing strategy, leadership, and the occasional rant about bad B2B messaging. Connect or follow for the good stuff."
3. Software Engineer
"I build things that work at scale - and fix things that don't.
Staff engineer at [Company], leading our platform reliability team. We handle 2B+ API requests/day. Before that, I spent 4 years at [Company] rewriting a monolith into microservices (yes, it was as fun as it sounds).
I'm most interested in distributed systems, developer tooling, and making on-call less painful.
Open source: contributor to [project]. Speaker at [conference].
Always happy to chat about systems design, career growth, or your favorite monitoring stack."
4. Real Estate Agent
"Buying or selling a home is the biggest financial decision most people make. I take that seriously.
I've been a licensed Realtor in [City] since 2018 and have closed 200+ transactions, from $250K starter homes to $3M waterfront properties. My specialty is helping first-time buyers navigate a competitive market without losing their minds.
What you get with me: straight talk, fast responses, and someone who actually knows the neighborhoods (I've lived in [City] for 20 years).
Let's connect - even if you're not buying or selling yet."
5. Consultant / Freelancer
"I help companies figure out what's broken - then fix it.
As an independent consultant, I work with PE-backed companies going through rapid growth (or rapid change). My focus: operational efficiency, team structure, and the messy people stuff that spreadsheets can't solve.
Previously: 8 years at [Consulting Firm], where I led engagements for Fortune 500 clients in healthcare and manufacturing.
If you're scaling fast and things are starting to break, let's talk."
6. Job Seeker
"After 6 years building marketing programs at [Company], I'm looking for my next challenge.
I've managed teams of up to 12, launched into 3 new markets, and built a content engine that generates 15K+ leads/quarter. I'm looking for a Head of Marketing or Director-level role at a growth-stage B2B company.
What I bring: a blend of brand and performance marketing, a bias toward action, and the ability to build teams from scratch.
Open to remote or hybrid in [City]. Happy to connect - referrals are the best kind of job search."
7. Healthcare Professional
"I became a nurse because I wanted to help people. I stayed because I realized I could change how healthcare works.
15 years as an RN, 5 as a Nurse Practitioner. Currently in primary care at [Health System], where I see 20+ patients/day and somehow still find time to advocate for better staffing ratios.
Passionate about preventive care, health equity, and making sure patients understand their options - not just their diagnosis."
8. Finance Professional
"Numbers tell stories. I translate them.
FP&A manager at [Company], supporting a $200M P&L. I build the models, forecasts, and dashboards that help leadership make faster decisions. Before this, I spent 4 years in public accounting at [Big 4 firm].
CPA. Excel power user. Recovering perfectionist.
If you work in SaaS finance and want to geek out about metrics, let's connect."
9. Student
"I'm a junior at [University] studying computer science, and I've already shipped more side projects than most people ship in their first job.
This past year I built [project description], interned at [Company], and taught myself Rust for fun (yes, for fun).
Looking for new grad SWE roles starting June 2026. Interested in developer tools, infrastructure, and anything that makes engineers more productive.
Let's connect - I promise I'll actually engage with your posts."
10. Executive
"I've spent 20 years building and scaling B2B companies - and I've learned that the hardest problems are never technical.
As CEO of [Company], I lead a team of 200+ across 4 countries. We serve [industry] and have grown from $5M to $80M in revenue over the past 6 years.
Before [Company], I was COO at [Previous Company] and started my career as a management consultant at [Firm].
I write about leadership, scaling, and the unglamorous parts of running a company. Connect or follow - I post weekly."
11. Recruiter
"I match great people with great companies. Sounds simple. It's not.
I've been in talent acquisition for 9 years, specializing in engineering and product hires for high-growth startups. 300+ placements and counting. My approach: honest conversations, fast timelines, and zero ghosting.
Currently building the recruiting function at [Company]. Previously at [Recruiting Firm].
If you're hiring or exploring, DM me. I respond to everyone."
12. Career Changer
"I spent 8 years as a high school teacher. Now I'm a UX designer. Here's the connection most people miss.
Teaching IS user experience. Understanding your audience, simplifying complex information, iterating based on feedback - I was doing UX before I knew what to call it.
I completed [Bootcamp/Certificate], built 4 case studies, and landed my first UX role at [Company] in 2025.
If you're thinking about switching careers, I'm happy to share what worked for me."
5 LinkedIn Headline Mistakes to Avoid
The most common LinkedIn headline mistakes all have the same root cause: being too vague about what you actually do. Here are the five patterns I see most often - and what to do instead.
1. Just using the default. "Marketing Manager at Acme Corp" is what LinkedIn auto-generates. It tells people your title and employer, but nothing about what makes you different from the 500,000 other marketing managers on the platform.
2. Buzzword stuffing. "Passionate | Innovative | Thought Leader | Change Agent | Synergy Enthusiast." I've actually seen that last one. None of these words mean anything without context. Replace them with what you've actually done.
3. Being too clever. "Chief Happiness Officer" or "Storytelling Ninja" might feel creative, but they fail at the one job your headline has: telling people what you do. Recruiters aren't searching for "ninjas."
4. Emoji overload. One or two emojis can add personality. Ten of them make your headline unreadable and harder to find in search. 🌟🚀😍💪✨🏆✅⚡🔥 - don't be this person.
5. Being outdated. If your headline still says "Looking for new opportunities" from a job search you completed two years ago, it's confusing everyone who lands on your profile. Update it every time your role or goals change.
How to Update Your LinkedIn Headline
Updating your LinkedIn headline takes less than 60 seconds on both desktop and mobile. Here's how to do it on each.
On Desktop
- Go to your LinkedIn profile (click your photo in the top nav, then "View Profile")
- Click the pencil icon next to your name and current headline
- In the "Headline" field, delete the default text and type your new headline
- Use all 220 characters - separate ideas with pipe symbols (|) or bullet points
- Click "Save"
On Mobile
- Open the LinkedIn app and tap your profile photo
- Tap "View Profile"
- Tap the pencil icon at the top of your profile
- Scroll to the "Headline" field and edit it
- Tap "Save"
Pro tip: after updating, check how it looks on someone else's device. Sometimes longer headlines get cut off differently on mobile versus desktop. Ask a friend to search for you and send a screenshot.
Complete Your Professional Brand Beyond LinkedIn
Your LinkedIn headline is your digital first impression online - but it's not the only first impression you make. Every networking event, conference, and in-person meeting is another chance to present yourself professionally.
Think about it: you spend 30 minutes optimizing your LinkedIn headline, but then what happens when you meet someone at a conference? You hand them a paper card that ends up in a jacket pocket, or you fumble through your phone trying to spell your name while they watch. 😬
This is where your online and offline brand need to match. Your LinkedIn profile represents you in digital search. A digital business card represents you in person - and the best ones link directly to your LinkedIn, your portfolio, your calendar, and whatever else you want people to see.
I've seen professionals who nail their LinkedIn presence but completely drop the ball at in-person events. The strongest personal brands are consistent across every touchpoint.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a good LinkedIn headline?
A good LinkedIn headline includes your role, who you help or what value you deliver, and proof or relevant keywords. Avoid the default job title - use all 220 characters to differentiate yourself.
How long can a LinkedIn headline be?
LinkedIn headlines can be up to 220 characters. Use the full space - longer headlines include more searchable keywords and give viewers more context.
Should I put "Open to Work" in my LinkedIn headline?
Yes, if you're actively job searching. Recruiters often search for candidates signaling openness, so including it (along with your skills and target role) increases your visibility.
How often should I update my LinkedIn headline?
Update it whenever your role, goals, or target audience changes. At minimum, review it quarterly to make sure it still reflects what you want to be known for.
Can I use emojis in my LinkedIn headline?
Yes, but sparingly - one or two max. Emojis can add visual interest, but overusing them makes your headline look unprofessional and harder to read in search results.
What should a student put in their LinkedIn headline?
Lead with your major and school, then add your target role and relevant skills. Example: "Computer Science '26 at [University] | Seeking SWE roles | Python, React, AWS."
Does my LinkedIn headline affect search results?
Yes - LinkedIn's search algorithm heavily weighs your headline. Including relevant keywords (your job title, skills, industry) directly impacts whether you show up when recruiters and prospects search.
Your LinkedIn Is Your Online Brand. What About In Person?
Create a digital business card that matches your professional presence. Link your LinkedIn, portfolio, and contact info in one shareable profile.
Create My Free CardAbout the Author: George El-Hage is the Founder of Wave Connect, a browser-based digital business card platform serving 150,000+ professionals worldwide. With 6+ years helping organizations transition from paper to digital networking, George has deep expertise in professional branding across both online and in-person channels. Wave Connect is SOC 2 Type II compliant and integrates with leading CRM platforms like Salesforce, HubSpot, and Pipedrive.
