TL;DR
A LinkedIn About section maxes out at 2,600 characters, but a recruiter only sees the first ~300 characters on desktop (~200 on mobile) before the “see more” cut. So write a tight 1,800-2,200 characters (about 300-350 words): a positioning sentence that survives truncation, two defensible numbers in the first three lines, and a specific “open to” line that filters inbound. AI is good at stripping filler and producing persona variants; it cannot pick the two metrics that matter for the role you actually want. Feed it the target role, not just your current one. Best tools as of June 2026: Claude Sonnet 4.6 for voice fidelity, GPT-5.5 for fast iteration, Gemini 3.1 Pro when you want live industry context.
The task
Your LinkedIn About section is either empty or it’s a paragraph from 2019 that opens “Passionate, results-driven professional with a proven track record…” A recruiter spending 15 seconds on your profile reads exactly the first sentence, the bold role under your name, and the first job title. You need an About section that earns its words: positioning in line one, two real numbers in the next three lines, and a specific “open to” sentence that actually filters inbound, without sounding like every other Senior PM on the platform.
The single most important fact about the format: LinkedIn shows only about the first 300 characters on desktop, and roughly 200 on mobile, before it collapses the rest behind “see more.” Most recruiters do not click. So the hook is not a nice-to-have — it is the entire bio for the people who skim.
Where AI helps — and where it does not
AI is excellent at stripping corporate filler (“seasoned professional with a passion for…”), varying paragraph rhythm so the page does not feel like a wall, and producing 3-4 variants targeted at different recruiter personas (in-house tech recruiter, agency executive recruiter, peer-hire warm intro). It is also good at front-loading the hook before the “see more” truncation point. What AI cannot do: pick the two metrics that will resonate with the specific role you want next. Feed AI the type of role you want, not just your current role; otherwise it averages your career into generalist phrasing that filters nobody.
The named failure mode is the dating profile: AI fills the About with adjectives the reader cannot verify (“collaborative,” “passionate,” “innovative”). Every adjective must be followed by an example or deleted. Adjectives without artifacts are noise.
Which AI tool, as of June 2026
You can do this in any chatbot’s free tier; the prompt below is what carries the quality, not the model. That said, blind-test comparisons in 2026 consistently rate them differently for this kind of voice-sensitive writing:
| Tool | Best for the bio job | Notes (June 2026) |
|---|---|---|
| Claude Sonnet 4.6 | Voice fidelity, killing filler, following the “no adjective without an artifact” rule | Free tier covers this; Pro is $20/mo. Tends to over-trim — keep your numbers |
| ChatGPT (GPT-5.5) | Fast iteration, persona variants | Free tier works (now ad-supported in the US); Plus is $20/mo. Default model since ~April 2026 |
| Gemini 3.1 Pro | Pulling in live industry phrasing and current role-title conventions | In Google AI Pro at $19.99/mo (the former “Gemini Advanced”) |
LinkedIn Premium Career ($30-40/mo, often a free trial) also ships an AI profile-rewrite that drafts your headline and About from your existing profile. It is convenient but tends toward the same generic phrasing recruiters tune out — useful as a first pass, not a final draft. Whatever you use, you supply the metrics; the model only arranges them.
See also our deeper guides: ChatGPT vs Claude vs Gemini for the full comparison, and AI resume writing for the tied resume.
What to feed the AI
- Your current role and years of experience, plus the next role you want, even if hypothetical
- 3 keywords for what you do best (technical or domain: “marketplace pricing,” not “results-oriented”)
- 1-2 real metrics that survive scrutiny (revenue, retention, team size, latency, downloads)
- What you are open to: specific role title, company stage, location, contract or full-time
- 1-2 sentences about the kind of team or problem you work best in (not “fast-paced environment”)
- Constraints (work visa status, remote/hybrid/onsite, geography)
- A personal touch worth one sentence: a hobby, a podcast, a side project, a community you contribute to
- The reader profile (recruiter, peer, prospective customer, conference organizer)
Copy-ready prompt
Replace each [bracketed] placeholder with your own details before sending.
Write my LinkedIn About section.
Current role: [role]
Years of experience: [years]
Next role I want (even if not posted yet): [target role and seniority]
3 keywords for what I do best: [kw1, kw2, kw3] — domain-specific, not "results-oriented"
2 real metrics: [r1 with number and timeframe], [r2 with number and timeframe]
Open to: [specific role title, company stage, location, full-time vs contract]
How I work best: [1-2 sentences, no "fast-paced" or "dynamic"]
Personal touch (1 sentence at the end): [hobby, side project, community]
Constraints: [visa, remote/hybrid, geography]
Reader profile: [recruiter / peer / customer]
Structure:
1) Positioning sentence — names what I do for whom, with a measurable edge. Not "I am a..."
2) 2-3 sentences of evidence — at least one number in the first 3 lines.
3) 1 paragraph on how I work / what I gravitate to — specific verbs, no adjectives without artifacts.
4) "Open to" — concrete title + stage + location.
5) One human line at the end.
Rules:
- The first ~300 characters must stand alone, because that is all a desktop reader sees before "see more" (about 200 on mobile).
- Total length 1,800-2,200 characters (roughly 300-350 words). Do not pad to the 2,600 max.
- Replace every adjective without an example. If "collaborative," give the example. Otherwise delete.
- No filler words: passionate, seasoned, results-driven, dynamic, proven track record.
- First person. Short paragraphs (1-3 lines each). No bullets unless absolutely needed.Shorter variant — single positioning sentence only
Write the single best positioning sentence for the top of my LinkedIn About.
Role: [current]. Target: [next role]. Edge: [1 number or 1 specific capability].
Format: one sentence, max 300 characters, must work as the only thing visible before "see more."
Variants: give me 3 — one technical, one outcome-led, one peer-warm.Sample output
A useful positioning sentence (Senior PM): “I ship pricing and packaging experiments at marketplace companies — usually two-sided ones at $50M-$500M GMV — and I’ve moved take-rate or LTV by 8-15% on three of the last four launches.” (That is ~190 characters, so it survives the desktop cut.)
A useful evidence paragraph: “Most recently I led the merchant-tier rebuild at Acme Marketplace (15M monthly buyers, 220K sellers), which lifted GMV per seller 12% in two quarters and cut churn-from-pricing-confusion by half. Before that, I built the pricing experimentation framework that’s now run 60+ live tests across the org.”
A useful “open to” line: “Open to: Director or Group PM roles at Series B/C marketplaces, US East Coast or remote, full-time. Not pursuing IC roles or pre-seed.”
A useful human line: “I host a small Slack for marketplace PMs (≈300 members) and write monthly notes from the conversations there.”
How to refine
- Strip filler in one pass: “Delete every instance of: passionate, seasoned, results-driven, dynamic, proven track record, leverages, robust, scalable. If the sentence still works, leave it. If not, rewrite without those words.”
- Front-load the hook: “Rewrite line one so it would work as the only thing a recruiter sees before clicking ‘see more’ — under 300 characters, containing who I work with and a measurable edge.”
- Replace adjectives with artifacts: “Every adjective must be followed by an example or deleted. ‘Collaborative’ becomes ‘I co-ran the design–engineering sync that shipped the May redesign.’”
- Make ‘open to’ a filter: “Rewrite the ‘open to’ line so it filters inbound. Specific title, specific stage, specific geography. Vague ‘open to’ is the same as not open.”
- Variants for personas: “Give me 3 versions of the bio: one for in-house tech recruiters, one for executive recruiters, one for peers considering a warm intro. The middle paragraph changes; the positioning sentence stays.”
- Check the length: paste the draft into a character counter and confirm the first 300 characters carry the hook and the total lands at 1,800-2,200. If it’s longer, the recruiter never reaches the end.
Common mistakes
- One-paragraph wall. Recruiters scan and skip; break into 1-3 line paragraphs.
- Buzzword soup. “Passionate, seasoned, results-driven” is a tell that you copied a template.
- No metrics in the first 3 lines. The hook is invisible; the recruiter has already scrolled to your jobs.
- “Open to any opportunity” is equivalent to “open to none.” Recruiters filter on specifics, not enthusiasm.
- Padding to the 2,600-character max. Nobody reads past “see more”; a tight 2,000 outperforms a maxed-out wall.
- Same About text for years across role changes. Last promotion was 18 months ago and the bio still names the role before that.
- Letting AI invent metrics. Every number must be defensible in a 20-minute call.
- Adjectives without examples. “Collaborative, strategic, hands-on” without artifacts is filler that survives because nobody can disprove it.
- Personal touch eating 3 lines. One sentence at the end is enough; more makes the bio feel unfocused.
FAQ
- First-person or third? First person. Third person sounds like a press release written by an intern and signals you weren’t sure what you wanted to say.
- How long should it be? The hard cap is 2,600 characters, but aim for 1,800-2,200 (about 300-350 words). Only the first ~300 characters show before “see more” on desktop (~200 on mobile), so the first sentence does the heaviest lifting. After the cut, write for skim: short paragraphs, named projects, real numbers.
- Should I include a personal touch? One line at the end is enough. It humanizes the bio and saves the recruiter from guessing at culture fit. Three lines of hobbies makes the bio feel unfocused.
- What if I’m between roles or laid off? Lead with the work, not the status. The “open to” line addresses status precisely without making the bio feel defensive. “Open to: Senior PM roles, Bay Area or remote, starting within 4 weeks” is stronger than “Currently exploring opportunities.”
- Should I keyword-stuff for LinkedIn recruiter search? Slightly, in the keywords sentence, but not at the cost of readability. Recruiter search does weight the About text, but the human who searches and clicks still has to read it. A bio full of keywords no human would read is the worst of both worlds.
- Will AI-written text get flagged or hurt my reach? No. LinkedIn does not penalize AI-assisted profiles, and it ships its own AI rewrite in Premium. What gets ignored is generic phrasing — which is exactly what you’re editing out, regardless of who drafted it.
Related
- Self introduction — interview-spoken counterpart
- AI resume writing — tied resume
- LinkedIn bio prompts — additional phrasings
- Profile bio — short-form bios for other platforms
- Personal brand statement — broader brand positioning
- STAR interview answers — translate bio claims into stories
- JD matching analysis AI — tailor for a specific target
Tags: #AI writing #Job search #Workflow