Profile basics (10 minutes)
- A clear, recent photo where your face is visible. Profiles with photos are generally viewed more often.
- Location set to the city where you want to work (for example Greater Vancouver). Recruiters filter by location.
- A custom URL such as
linkedin.com/in/firstname-lastnamethat you also put on your resume. - Contact email visible to connections, and the same one you use on applications.
Headline: say the role, not just your current job
The headline appears in search results, comments and connection requests. By default it shows your current job title, which may not describe what you are looking for. Write the role you target, your specialty, and one or two proof points.
Looking for opportunities | Hard worker
Administrative Assistant | Scheduling, records and client communication | Microsoft 365
Student at SFU
Computing Science student at SFU | React & Node.js | Seeking 2027 co-op
Android Developer at Maplewell
Android Developer | Kotlin, Jetpack Compose, offline-first apps | 5 years shipping to Google Play
About section: a short version of your pitch
Three short paragraphs are enough. First, what you do and for whom. Second, two or three pieces of evidence. Third, what you are looking for and how to reach you. Write in first person and keep it consistent with your resume summary.
I'm an administrative assistant with five years of experience keeping busy operations teams organized in the Lower Mainland. I manage calendars for managers, keep shared records clean, and follow up so nothing stalls.
Recently I rebuilt our intake log so staff can see request status at a glance, and trained two new coordinators on our filing standards.
I'm looking for an administrative or office coordinator role in Surrey or Burnaby. The best way to reach me is by message here or at the email on my profile.
Experience and skills
- Titles, employers and dates must match your resume. Inconsistencies are the first thing a recruiter notices.
- Under each role, add two to four bullets or a short paragraph. You can reuse your resume's strongest bullets.
- Add the skills that appear in postings you target, and pin the three most relevant to the top.
- Add projects, certifications and volunteer roles if they support your target role.
- Ask one or two former managers or colleagues for a short recommendation about a specific piece of work.
Open to Work and job alerts
The Open to Work setting lets you choose between recruiters only and all LinkedIn members (the green photo frame). Recruiters-only is more discreet if you are currently employed; LinkedIn notes that it cannot guarantee your current employer's recruiters will not see it.
- Job titles in Open to Work match your headline (up to five).
- Locations and workplace types (on-site, hybrid, remote) are set.
- Job alerts are saved for each target title and city, with daily emails.
- You check the Easy Apply label but still read the full posting; many good roles send you to the company's own ATS.
Outreach that gets replies
A short, specific message to the hiring manager or a team member often does more than another application. Keep it under 300 characters for connection requests.
Hi Sam, I just applied for the Data Analyst role on your team. I built a Power BI sales dashboard across 38 stores at Prairie Retail and saw you're consolidating reporting too. Would you be open to a 15-minute chat about the team's priorities?
Weekly LinkedIn routine
- Review new job alerts and save the roles worth tailoring for.
- Send three to five personalized connection requests to people in target teams.
- Comment thoughtfully on two posts in your field.
- Update your pipeline: applied, messaged, replied, interview, follow-up due.
Keep LinkedIn and your applications in sync
- Build your resume first in the free builder so your headline and About section can reuse the same, reviewed wording.
- In your ApliBot account, run a job search across LinkedIn and other boards and keep the roles you save in one pipeline.
- Use the LinkedIn follow-up step for each job to draft a short, specific message to the team, and record when you sent it.
With a free account, ApliBot finds up to 3 matching jobs a day in Canada and tailors your resume to each one. You review everything before you apply.
Frequently asked questions
Should I use the green Open to Work frame?
It helps some people, especially when unemployed or changing careers, and it signals availability to everyone. If you are employed, the recruiters-only setting is more discreet.
Is Easy Apply worth using?
It is fast, which also means many people use it. Tailor your resume anyway, and add a short message to someone on the team for roles you care about.
How long should my LinkedIn About section be?
Around 100 to 200 words. Long enough to explain what you do and what you want next, short enough to read in 30 seconds.