What Works on LinkedIn: The Key to Getting Noticed

What makes a difference on LinkedIn—and what doesn’t?

There’s a lot of advice out there, but here’s what I *don’t* see moving the needle for people:

🚫 Listing 100 skills. That's....a lot of skills.

🚫 Attaching 10+ skills to every single job in your experience section.

🚫 The particular roles that you add in your "Open to Work" section.

🚫 Listing LinkedIn courses you’ve completed.

🚫 A static profile. Meaning, it's filled out but you have 0 activity.

These things might fill out your profile, but they don’t differentiate you.

Here’s what *does* work—and what I see consistently moving the needle (in this job market, it's not quick for executives, but it does help):

✅ A sharp headline that points to where you want to go next—not just where you’ve been.

✅ Professional experience that tells a story: Who are you? What have you achieved? Why should people care?

✅ Showing up with purpose: Thoughtful, germane comments on posts where you know the right people will see you—whether that’s Fortune 500 CEOs, recruiters, or clients.

✅ Connecting with outliers: Connect with people in the outer reaches of your network - think external partners, vendors, fellow alumni, that guy you met in the checkout line, etc. New people see you differently and may have opportunities or connections you haven't thought of.

If you want to get noticed, it’s not about filling out every possible box. It’s about strategy, clarity, and showing up intentionally.

What about you? What are you seeing work—and not work—on LinkedIn?