How To Optimize Your LinkedIn For Executive Opportunities

Maya Grossman
Aug 4
9 min read

Most people’s LinkedIn profile says, “I’ve had jobs.”

But if you're aiming for building an executive brand, showing thought leadership and attracting a senior role, that’s not enough.

The most thought after executives don’t just do the work. They set direction. They drive impact. They shape perception.

Your LinkedIn profile is your positioning tool. not just the résumé you wrote two years ago and forgot about.

And if you want to attract executive opportunities - whether that’s a VP role, a strategic lateral move, or board invitations - you can’t afford to treat it like a digital job history.

You need to treat it like a landing page that advertises your value 24/7.

That means being intentional about every element:

What you say.

How you say it.

And what perception it creates.

But… more often than not people’s profiles are vague, outdated, or humble to a fault. They’re trying to be everything to everyone. As a result, they attract… nothing.

Think about it this way:

Your LinkedIn profile if how you commercialize your potential.

Building an executive brand is not something you do when you need a job. It’s a long-term strategy to build rapport and a reputation that opens doors.

You do it all the time so you can start attracting opportunities instead of chasing them.

I used my LinkedIn strategically to land not one but two VP roles while connecting with high profile executives to grow my network. I’ve also used it to launch my book into a best seller, secure keynote opportunities and start a coaching business that was profitable from day one.

This is one of the things we talk about inside Success Builders because whether you like it or not… it matters. And today you’ll learn how to use your LinkedIn profile like a pro.

Step 1: Start before you open LinkedIn

The biggest mistake that people make? They just go straight to the headline and start writing. That’s an amateur move. Strategic thinking requires… well a strategy.

Before you write a single word, get clear on two things:

1. What and Who are you trying to attract?

Are you targeting a Director or VP role? A specific industry? More strategic seat at the table? A consulting opportunity? Make sure your profile speaks to the specific next level you are after.

Plus, who are you trying to attract? What do they need to see from you? What do you think great looks like?

This is actually harder than it seems. If you’re aiming for a VP of Marketing role, do you know what CEOs look for in candidates? What scares them the most? What is their biggest problem is?

When you know the answers to these questions, you can build a much stronger profile.

Not sure where to start? Go talk to people who have the job you want to have. They had to solve the same problems, and they can share with you what mattered most.

2. What’s your unique value proposition?

What do you do best? What problem do you solve better than most? What’s the through-line in your work. The thing that gets results, no matter the role?

Executives get hired for clarity of value — not versatility. So instead of trying to be everything to everyone, focus on being the best something to someone specific.

If your secret sauce is people leadership, own it.

If your special skill is go-to-market strategy, lead with it.

If your impact comes from making finance make money - say it.

Being the best at one thing is so much more appealing that being ok with every buzz word on the planet.

It doesn’t have to be special (I’m the only person in the world who can juggle 4 balls while giving a board presentation), it just needs to be specific and valuable too the people you are attracting.

My old value prop?

I know how to take prospects from thinking “what is this?”, to saying “I want this. Take my money”.

It was aimed at CEOs of mid-stage startups who need a marketer who can grow revenue. Not just a brand.

Step 2. Don’t water yourself down

Another big mistake I see all the time… High performers with low-confidence language.

Your headline says “Director.”

Your About section says “cross-functional.”

Your tone says, “Please don’t think I’m bragging.”

(Or maybe you don’t realize how amazing you are because a manager once told you that you’re not good enough… so you feel insecure).

Don’t.

Don’t make yourself small. Don’t aim for humble. Your LinkedIn is the place to go all in and own your value.

Let me be clear:

This is not about pretending you’re a VP when you’re not.

It’s about writing for your potential and owning your impact.

You can call yourself a marketing leader, a product executive, or a head of strategy if those are accurate descriptions of what you do, regardless of your formal title.

And on the flip side, don’t overcorrect by stuffing your profile with buzzwords or fake claims. You don’t need to make things up. You need to position what’s already true in a strategic way.

Here’s an example:

Your headline should make it easy to immediately understand the value you will bring and create trust in your ability to back it up.

Step 3. Use your banner like a billboard

Did you know that before anyone reads a word on your profile, they see your picture and banner.

In fact, let’s look at what people focus on when they glance at your profile: Donny Widjaja ran an eye-tracking test on his profile page.

And the result? This is where people’s eyes go to:

Profile photo, banner, and then your headline.

And most people waste that space.

Your banner shouldn’t be a beach photo, a city skyline, or a random stock image. It should reinforce your value proposition.

Think about it like a landing page. What is the one thing people need to think or know about you? The main value proposition?

Before clicking on your LinkedIn profile, they knew nothing about you. Your banner can set the tone. Plan an idea or a title, or a value proposition in their heads. That’s how you direct the narrative.

Some ideas:

A tagline that reflects what you’re known for: “Driving B2B Growth Through Storytelling + Data”
Your top three areas of expertise: “Product Strategy | Team Leadership | Market Expansion”
Your unique or spikey point of view: ”Brand marketing done right is how you close deals before the first sales call.”
Social proof!! “Award winning product leader” , “30 under 30”, “Featured in Forbes, X,Y “, “Worked with [names of brands]”

You can create a banner in under 10 minutes using Canva, no design experience needed.

Make it clear at a glance what kind of leader you are and why it matters to THEM.

And no, the design doesn’t matter that much, as long as it’s easy to read (no weird fonts).

Step 4. Craft a headline that positions you for what’s next

Your headline follows you everywhere on LinkedIn. In search, in DMs, in comments. Don’t let it default to your job title.

Use it to tell people who you are, what you do, and the kind of role you’re ready for.

Formula:

[Executive positioning for role] | [Credibility Signal] | [Strategic Outcome or Niche]

Examples:

GTM Leader | Scaling SaaS from $0–$100M | Growth Strategy + Team Development
Product Executive | Driving 10x adoption in Healthcare | Former Google, Amazon
Head of Ops | Culture-Driven Leadership at Scale | Growing F100 companies efficiently

Avoid fluffy words. Lead with substance. Sell the transformation, not the action.

BONUS: Your profile section includes an option to add a link.

This is your opportunity to share a website, portfolio or value validation project that sets you apart. It’s one more opportunity to show social proof.

Step 5. Turn your About section into your executive narrative

This part is often underutilized for most LinkedIn profiles, but can be powerful when done right.

It’s your opportunity to tell the story of who you are as a leader — not just what you’ve done.

While not everyone will read it (most people only glance), the right people will.

Structure:

Opening line: A bold statement of value, e.g., “I scale early-stage products from $0 to $50M.” Remember that people only see the first 2 lines before having to click “see more” so make those two lines stand out.
Summary paragraph: Highlight your leadership style, strengths, and track record. Don’t include your whole resume again. Think about it as the executive summary of your greatest hits.
Call to action: Depending on what you’re looking for, you can use this section to invite connection. Schedule a call with you, email you, or even share what you’re looking for.

Keep it tight, purposeful, and aligned with the next level. No one will read 2 pages. The goal is to tease and intrigue enough that they want to reach out or take the next step.

This is also where you can add some personality. Make a joke, be less “professional”.

One VP I admire wrote, “And I’m obsessed with Christmas movies like Die Hard. Yes, it is a Christmas movie. It happens in Christmas”.

Step 6. Write your Experience section like an executive — not a task list

Repeat after me: LinkedIn is not a resume. No need to list every project. You’re not trying to prove you’ve been busy, you’re showing you’ve been impactful.

Each role should answer three questions:

What was the context or challenge?
What did you do to make a difference?
What were the business outcomes?

This is a mini story framework:

Problem —> Solution — > Impact

Before:

Managed cross-functional marketing projects responsible for go-to-market, product launches, webinars, customer education and enablement.

After:

Led 12-person global team to launch GTM campaign resulting in $17M in pipeline.

Executives don’t give full résumés. They give proof points.

2–3 bullets per role is enough. Just make them count.

And whenever possible connect the dots to the bottom line - the metrics the company cares about.

Step 7. Demonstrate thought leadership (without becoming a content creator)

You don’t need to write daily posts for 3 years to show thought leadership.

But if your profile is silent — no activity, no engagement — you’re missing an opportunity to shape the message and demonstrate thought leadership.

Executives don’t just lead behind the scenes. They have a point of view.

You probably have one, so this is your opportunity to share it.

You’ll reinforce your value proposition, attract the right opportunities, and position yourself as the best solution for their problem (which makes you the obvious choice for the role they’re hiring for).

You don’t need to be the best in the world to get started. You don’t need to be an expert. You don’t need to be a writer. You just need to be strategic.

Don’t comment on random stuff, and don’t share what you had for lunch.

Share content strategically designed to show your value proposition. Your expertise and your experience.

Here are three easy ways to start:

Repost an article on a relevant topic with 1–2 lines of commentary giving your perspective
Think about the biggest problem you solved in the last 2 weeks and break it down. What was the problem? What did you do? What was the result? (Our biggest product launch to date happened right after the worst product launch. Imagine this…)
Share a new tool, framework, or idea that helped you become better at your job or solve a big problem (Did you know there is AI for Jira that writes all of your tickets for you?)
Share a personal story or observation (I never realized it up until recently, but being an engineering leader is like trying to fix a car while it's speeding down the highway—blindfolded)

You can share it in the form of a LinkedIn post (on your feed) or a LinkedIn article (for long form blog post style).

Advanced tips:

You can feature your best or most impactful posts and articles on your profile (pinned posts)

You don’t need to post 100 times… You just need some recent activity. Post twice a week and you’ll be fine
If you’ve been interviewed, featured, or tagged by someone else (company, community, etc) these posts show social proof. Repost them and feature.
If you’re worried about what to write, ask ChatGPT. I’m an aspiring [role] in [industry]. I want to share content on LinkedIn to show my expertise and build thought leadership. Please suggest 20 post ideas for me to write about

This isn’t about visibility for likes. It’s about credibility.

Building the right narrative and showing your value. Thought leadership builds perception — and perception drives opportunity.