How Do I Optimize My LinkedIn For Better inMail From Recruiters?

Alexia Palau
6 days ago
5 min read

Let me challenge you with a controversial question.

If people land roles today primarily through networking, what would you update or fix first, your LinkedIn profile, or your resume?

If your answer is LinkedIn, then this is for you

Over 50% Of Roles Are Filled Via Networking

And many sources state over 80%.

You may be in one of these positions at the moment:

You have a very strong network, know exactly how to advocate for yourself, have ensured an impeccable track record of Business impact and don't care for LinkedIn.
You have a good network, know how to leverage it but don't have a strong personal brand and still need LinkedIn as a Marketing tool you share when needed.
You believe* you have no network, were never proactive at building it or have just moved and need to start from scratch*. LinkedIn is absolutely essential for you to showcase your experience while networking.

I say *believe* and *from scratch* because you always have a network, what you may need to work on is how to leverage it. If you'd like to work on your networking, DM me.

For the purpose of this exercise, let's say you are in the third position. And you decide to improve your LinkedIn and do the basics:

Professional photo: Upload a high-quality, professional-looking headshot with a clean background.

Headline: You write a compelling and keyword-rich headline that highlights your skills and personal brand.

Custom background image: Add a background image that complements your professional brand. Not of the beach in Hawaii please (unless you work a related industry) - think past company logos, business level testimonials, etc. Make the top of your profile count.

Custom URL: Personalize your profile's URL to make it more recognizable and professional.

And as you add more information, you start getting InMail for roles.

But...

70% Of The Roles In Your Inbox Are Irrelevant

You may be receiving roles that are:

Not your industry, and that matters in this job market if that is one of the patterns when you find the people selected for the roles you interviewed for.
Not your specialty. You work in MarTech but are targeted for Engineering roles...
Not your level of seniority: the last 3 roles you received stated 3 years of experience when you have 20+.

And many other discrepancies vs what you believe your profile shows and the roles you are targeting.

This was me a while back too. But I decided to approach it from a Performance perspective (because if we are true Growth Marketers, we just have to fix things):

How to I get more relevant roles in my inbox?

Applying Performance Marketing Principles To LinkedIn Inbox Optimization

1. Diagnose the Problem (The "Why")

Review Goals & KPIs: Define your target role, industry, companies... spend as long as you need on this stage. Without this, this exercise will not work.
Analyze Data: Tag all the InMail from recruiters, hiring managers, etc. Right click on chat, click on "Label as Jobs". You will then be able to filter by this category.
Check Targeting: Time to copy paste the last 3-4 roles you received in your inbox in your GPT of choice.
Assess Creative/Messaging:

Please make sure you are happy with the T&Cs of your GPT of choice before this next step. You want to avoid sharing any personal information in them.

“But in pasting the notes from the meeting into the prompt, you’re suddenly, potentially, disclosing a whole bunch of sensitive information.” - Steve Mills (BCG Chief AI Ethics Officer)

Download a PDF of you LinkedIn Profile and attach to the GPT of choice.

2. Implement Strategic Fixes (The "How")

Refine Audience: Ask what keywords, skills or other elements should be removed. And which ones should be added. Add in your prompt the target role, industry, companies, etc.
Optimize Creatives & Copy: The GPT will provide a set of recommendations and it will surprise you. Things you thought "completed" your profile or made it look, in your eyes, a more accurate depiction of your experience... may be the cause of why you are getting targeted for the wrong roles.
Improve Landing Pages: Implement the changes you think makes sense. There will be some that will and some that won't.

For example, I have helped develop attribution, integrated MMM and incrementality testing, defined predictive modeling... and although that is of very high value for those hiring Marketers, it may be detrimental for you depending on how you reflect this relatively technical experience on your LinkedIn profile if you are targeting Leadership positions.

Not all the information on your resume is needed on your LinkedIn profile. Be selective of the information that will help you to be found for the roles you are targeting.

Here is some of my feedback:

"Your strong AI expertise and automation keywords are being read as a technical software development profile, especially by recruiters filling roles in finance/IT"

Who would have thought...

Focus Channels: Make the changes you feel make sense on your LinkedIn profile. This doesn't mean you need to change on your resume. Remember they have a different purpose.
Align with Customer Journey: Track the results. Did you get more InMail? Less but more relevant? How many were relevant vs not?

3. Continuous Optimization (The "Loop")

Test & Learn: While you observe these results, repeat the exercise as you evolve your Linkedin profile. Do it every 2-3 weeks. Are you getting more relevant roles after a few rounds?
Scale What Works: If yes, do it regularly until 90% of your InMail is for relevant roles.
Streamline Tech: Save that GPT prompt. You will need it in the future.
Iterate: Do this exercise again whenever you need it if your Goals change.

Final Thoughts

In a job market where networking is the primary driver of success, your profile functions as your most important marketing asset.

Transitioning from a generic presence to a high-performance profile requires you to stop viewing it as a static CV and start treating it like a targeted conversion engine.

By applying growth principles - diagnosing irrelevant InMail, auditing your keywords through the lens of an recruiter's AI, and ruthlessly pruning technical details that might obscure your leadership seniority - you can shift your results from high noise to high relevance.

If you are still wondering, "How Do I Optimize My LinkedIn" to attract the right opportunities, the answer lies in this continuous loop of testing and refinement; stay focused on your specific career goals, iterate based on the data in your inbox, and ensure your digital personal brand finally aligns with the high-stakes roles you are actually targeting.