LinkedIn bios fail because they describe a current title — recruiters scan for outcomes, expertise, and search keywords. These 12 prompts force the signal: every output is specific, opinionated, and avoids the “Results-driven professional with a passion for…” filler that gets skipped. For the full About-section workflow, see How to Use AI to Write a LinkedIn About Section.
TL;DR
- Paste each prompt into ChatGPT (GPT-5.5) or Claude (Sonnet 4.6) and replace every
[bracketed]value with your own. - Claude tends to keep your voice and won’t fabricate metrics; GPT-5.5 follows rigid length/format rules more tightly. Both are free to try.
- Size your output to LinkedIn’s real 2026 limits: headline 220 chars (only ~60 show in search), About 2,600 chars (only ~300 show before “See more”).
- Your headline plus current role carries roughly 60% of recruiter-search ranking weight, so front-load the keyword a recruiter would actually type.
Best for
- Active job seekers and career switchers
- Founders and independent consultants
- Senior ICs building inbound opportunities
- New grads with thin formal experience
LinkedIn character limits that shape these prompts
Every prompt below caps length on purpose. These are the limits that matter (as of June 2026):
| Field | Hard limit | What actually shows |
|---|---|---|
| Headline | 220 characters | First ~60–70 chars in search, comments, connection requests |
| About / Summary | 2,600 characters | First ~300 chars (desktop) before “See more” |
| Experience title | 100 characters | Indexed for recruiter keyword search |
| Featured caption | 250 characters | Shown under the pinned item |
| Skills | up to 50 listed | Keep the 15–20 most relevant — recruiters filter on these |
Two algorithm facts to keep in mind: LinkedIn now uses semantic search, so one or two natural mentions of your target keyword beats stuffing, and a profile with three or more recommendations is treated as more credible by both the ranking model and human recruiters.
1. Headline that earns the click
My current role: [role]. My specialty: [specialty]. Write 10 LinkedIn headlines, each under 200 characters but front-loading the keyword in the first 60. Mix these formats: title + 2 specialties, "I help X do Y", outcome-led with a number, contrarian stance. Mark top 3 with reasoning.2. About section — narrative voice
Write a 250-word LinkedIn About in first-person narrative voice. The first 300 characters must work as a standalone hook, because that is all that shows before "See more". Structure: opening hook (one thing I keep coming back to), 2 short paragraphs of journey with one specific anecdote each, current focus in one paragraph, what I want next in one line. No corporate filler.3. About section — scannable bullets
Write a LinkedIn About in scannable bullet style: a 1-line hook at top (under 300 characters), a "What I do" bullet list (5 specific items), a "Past lives" bullet list (3 prior roles or projects), and a 1-line "Currently open to" or "Currently building." First-person.4. About section for a career switcher
I am switching from [previous field] to [target field]. Write a 250-word About that addresses the switch directly in paragraph one. Then list transferable evidence as 3 specific bullets — projects, certifications, side work. End with one line on the kind of role I am looking for.5. About section for a founder
I am building [product or company], which [one-line description]. Write a 250-word LinkedIn About that: (1) names the specific problem we attack, (2) names who we attack it for, (3) gives the background that makes me credible to solve this, (4) ends with how to reach me.6. Experience bullet rewrite
Here is my current LinkedIn Experience entry for [role]. Rewrite as 4 quantified bullets that read like resume bullets but with slightly more personality — verb-led, one metric each where possible, no buzzwords like "synergize" or "leverage".
[paste current entry]7. Skills section picker
Given my role ([role]) and target role ([target role]), pick the 15 best LinkedIn Skills to list. Order by what a recruiter searching for [target role] is most likely to filter on. One-line reason per skill.8. “Open to work” headline (not desperate)
Write 8 LinkedIn headlines for someone openly job-searching for [target role] after [transition reason, e.g., layoff, relocation, sabbatical]. Tone: confident and specific, not apologetic. Put "Open to [target role]" in the headline text itself, not just the green frame. At least 3 should signal what I want to do, not just that I am available.9. Recommendation request template
Write a LinkedIn recommendation request message to [name], who I worked with on [project, duration]. Specify exactly what to highlight (2 concrete contributions) so they do not write something generic. Keep the request under 120 words and warm.10. Recommendation I write for someone else
I am writing a LinkedIn recommendation for [name], who I [relationship + duration]. Highlights to include: [2-3 specifics]. Write a 150-word recommendation in my voice — concrete, specific, not LinkedIn-default. End with one line on what [name] should do next.11. Featured section caption
I want to pin [artifact: talk, article, project, repo] in my LinkedIn Featured section. Write a caption under 250 characters that: names what it is in one line, says why it matters to my target audience, ends with one line on what to do after they look at it.12. Banner one-liner
Write 5 one-line LinkedIn banner tagline options for [role + specialty]. Each under 80 characters. Mix: outcome-led, contrarian, niche-specific, plain-spoken, playful. Mark which works on a dark vs light banner background.Which AI to run these in
Both major free tiers handle these well; the difference is in tone control:
- Claude (Sonnet 4.6) preserves your original voice and tightens structure rather than over-dramatizing, and it won’t invent metrics — useful when a recruiter can verify your claims. Free tier is enough for one-section-at-a-time editing.
- ChatGPT (GPT-5.5) is stricter about hard limits like “under 200 characters” and rigid bullet formats, so it’s the safer pick for the headline and banner prompts.
Work section by section — paste your draft back and ask for one targeted fix — rather than generating a whole profile in one shot. See ChatGPT vs Claude vs Gemini for the wider comparison.
Common mistakes
- Generic headlines like “Senior Engineer at X” — wastes the field that carries ~60% of search weight
- About section written in third-person — reads as a press release, not a person
- Burying the hook past character 300, where “See more” cuts it off
- Buzzword soup (“synergize”, “results-driven”, “thought leader”) in Experience bullets
- Listing 40+ skills instead of the 15–20 a recruiter actually filters on
- Featured section pinned but uncaptioned — wastes the click
FAQ
What’s the ideal LinkedIn headline length? The field allows 220 characters, but only the first ~60–70 show in search results and connection requests. Put your keyword and value in those first 60 characters; use the rest for additional searchable terms.
Will recruiters notice a profile was written with AI? Not if you edit. AI-default phrasing (“dynamic professional,” “proven track record”) is the tell. Run the prompts, then cut anything you wouldn’t say out loud and add one specific detail only you would know — a metric, a project name, a real anecdote.
How long should my About section be? The limit is 2,600 characters, but the recommended sweet spot is about 1,800–2,200 characters (roughly 300–350 words). Make the first ~300 characters a standalone hook, since that’s all anyone sees before “See more.”
Should I write “Open to Work” in my headline or just use the green frame? Both help, but many recruiters filter on headline text directly, so spelling out “Open to [target role]” in the headline catches searches the green frame alone misses. Prompt 8 builds this in.
How many skills should I list? List the 15–20 most relevant rather than maxing out the 50 slots. Profiles with a focused, recruiter-relevant skill set surface more often and read as more intentional. Prompt 7 picks them.