The 3 LinkedIn Elements Headhunters Actually Search For

(Get These Wrong and You're Invisible)

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Welcome to issue #066 of LinkedIn Unlocked. Twice a week, I share practical, unfiltered advice for free to help senior executives land their next role—faster, and without wasting time on strategies that don’t work.

I’ve spent 20+ years in the medical devices industry, including a 5 at the C-level.

Today, I lead the global life sciences practice at one of the top 10 executive search firms worldwide. I know exactly how headhunters use LinkedIn—because I do it every day.

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It's absolutely mind-blowing how many brilliant executives spend hours crafting "authentic" LinkedIn stories while completely missing the 3 basic elements that actually determine whether I can find them.

Here's the uncomfortable truth: When I get a search mandate, I don't browse LinkedIn hoping to stumble across your inspiring career journey.

I type specific search terms into LinkedIn Recruiter, and 94% of my initial filtering happens based on just three profile elements.

Get these wrong, and you're invisible. Period.

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Element 1: Job Titles That Actually Get Searched

Stop using creative titles. Start using searchable ones.

When I search for a Vice President of Sales, I literally type "Vice President of Sales" or "Vice President Sales" into the search bar.

I don't type "Revenue Ninja," "Growth Catalyst," or "Chief Customer Champion."

Your company's internal creativity is killing your visibility.

The brutal reality:

"Chief Revenue Officer" gets searched 10x less than "Vice President of Sales" in most industries. "People Champion" gets zero searches compared to "Chief Human Resources Officer."

Common mistakes I see:

• Director of People Operations → Use "Human Resources Director"

• Chief Growth Architect → Use "Vice President of Marketing"

• Revenue Catalyst → Use "Vice President of Sales"

• Innovation Leader → Use "Chief Technology Officer"

The fix is simple:

Use the job title recruiters actually search for in your headline and experience sections.

If your company calls you "Chief People Champion," change your LinkedIn title to "Chief Human Resources Officer (Chief People Champion)."

You get searchability AND accuracy.

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Element 2: Keywords That Match Our Search Strings

LinkedIn is a database, not a personal branding platform.

I run Boolean searches combining job titles with specific expertise. If your profile doesn't contain the exact keywords I'm searching for, you won't appear in my results.

What doesn't work:

• "Passionate leader driving transformation"

• "Results-oriented professional"

• "Strategic visionary with proven track record"

What actually gets searched:

• "M&A integration"

• "P&L management"

• "Digital transformation"

• "Supply chain optimization"

• "Post-merger integration"

Industry-specific examples:

Medical Devices: FDA compliance, clinical trials, regulatory affairs, product commercialization, cardiovascular devices

SaaS: Customer acquisition cost, churn reduction, subscription models, enterprise software, API integration

Manufacturing: Lean Six Sigma, operational excellence, plant management, cost reduction, quality systems

The 100 keywords rule:

Your profile should contain 100+ searchable terms spread across your headline, about section, and experience descriptions.

Repeat your most important keywords multiple times. If you're targeting Vice President of Sales roles, that title should appear 10+ times throughout your profile.

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Element 3: Industry Keywords That Get You in the Right Search Pool

We filter by industry to avoid drowning in irrelevant candidates.

Here's what most executives don't understand: When I get a search for a Vice President of Sales in medical devices, I don't want to see 10,000 Vice President of Sales profiles from every industry.

I filter specifically for medical devices experience to get a manageable list of relevant candidates.

If "medical devices" isn't clearly stated throughout your profile, you won't make it past my initial filter.

The reality of how we search:

I start broad with a job title, then immediately narrow by industry to eliminate noise.

A search for "Vice President of Sales" might return 50,000 profiles. Add "medical devices" and it drops to 2500 relevant candidates.

Where industry keywords must appear:

Your headline: "Vice President of Sales - Northern Europe - Medical Devices"

Your about section: Mention your industry 5-7 times throughout the text

Each job title: "Vice President of Sales - Northern Europe - Medical Devices" not just "Vice President of Sales"

Your skills section: Include industry variants like "Medical Devices," "MedTech," "Medical Device Manufacturing"

Industry-specific examples:

If you're in SaaS: Use "SaaS," "Software as a Service," "Enterprise Software," "Cloud Software"

If you're in pharmaceuticals: Use "Pharmaceuticals," "Pharma," "Drug Development," "Life Sciences"

If you're in manufacturing: Use "Manufacturing," "Industrial Manufacturing," "Process Manufacturing"

The repetition rule:

Your industry should appear 10+ times across your entire profile.

This isn't keyword stuffing—it's search optimization. We need multiple signals that you're genuinely experienced in our target industry.

Common mistake I see:

Executives list companies in their experience section but forget to specify the industry context in their job titles.

"Vice President of Sales at Johnson & Johnson" tells me nothing about which Johnson & Johnson division you worked in.

"Vice President of Sales - Medical Devices at Johnson & Johnson" immediately qualifies you for medical device searches.

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Your 15-Minute Action Plan

Stop hoping recruiters will find you by accident.

Your competition is already optimizing these three elements while you're writing thoughtful posts about leadership philosophy.

Here's what to do today:

✅ Audit your job titles – Change them to standard industry terms recruiters search for

✅ Count your keywords – You should have 100+ specific, searchable terms across your profile

✅ Check your industry placement – Make sure your industry appears 10+ times throughout your profile

This takes 15 minutes to fix and will put you in front of relevant recruiters within 48 hours.

The executives who land roles fastest aren't necessarily the most qualified—they're the most discoverable.

Don't let another perfect opportunity pass you by because of something this fixable.

Fix these 3 elements today. Your next call from a headhunter depends on it.

- Kristof

PS. Ready to Master LinkedIn Visibility?

Two ways I can help you get found by headhunters:

🎯 LinkedIn Optimization for Executives Course Get the complete system I use to optimize executive profiles. Step-by-step video training that shows you exactly how to implement these 3 elements (plus 12 others) to maximize your visibility in recruiter searches.

Get LinkedIn Unlocked Course →

📚 Premium Newsletter Archive Access my complete collection of 66 insider posts on executive job search, LinkedIn optimization, and headhunter strategies. Plus get my exclusive AI mega prompts that help you optimize your profile, write better outreach messages, and accelerate your job search.

Both options include my proven frameworks that have helped hundreds of executives land roles faster.

Your next opportunity is one optimization away.