Your LinkedIn profile is probably out of date. Not massively, but enough that it doesn’t reflect where you are now or where you’re trying to go next.
Trust me, I know, because if you have ever come to a Peer Suite event I have scoured your LinkedIn to make our curated matches with other guests!
It might be that your headline is vague and just lists your job title, or your about section is generic or missing entirely. You know it needs updating, but every time you open LinkedIn to fix it, you get overwhelmed by where to start and worry that you will need to spend hours doing a complete overhaul.
The good news is that you don’t need a full day to update your profile. You need one focused hour and a clear plan for what to update. This post gives you both, plus AI prompts you can use to make the process faster without losing your voice.
If you haven’t yet defined what you want your personal brand to be, start there. This refresh works best when you’re clear on what you want to be known for. But if you already have that clarity, let’s get your profile sorted.
Contents
- Why your LinkedIn profile matters
- The 1-hour refresh framework
- Section-by-section updates with AI prompts
- What to do after the refresh
- Monthly maintenance
Why your LinkedIn profile matters
Your LinkedIn profile is often the first impression people get of you professionally. This is where recruiters search for candidates, and hiring managers review profiles before interviews. Your colleagues and connections will also check your profile when considering you for opportunities or introductions.
If your profile is outdated, unclear, or doesn’t really reflect your expertise, you’re limiting what comes your way. And because people make quick judgments based on what they see, if your profile doesn’t communicate your value clearly, they’ll move on to someone who does.
A strong LinkedIn profile does three things well.
- It clearly states what you do and what you’re good at.
- It demonstrates credibility through specific examples and achievements.
- It positions you for the opportunities you want next, not just the ones you’ve already had.
The goal isn’t to make your profile perfect. The goal is to make it accurate, clear, and aligned with where you want your career to go and how you want people to perceive you.
The 1-hour refresh framework
Set aside one uninterrupted hour and work through these sections in order. Don’t get stuck perfecting any single part. The aim is progress, not perfection.
- 0-10 minutes: Profile photo and banner
- 10-25 minutes: Headline and About section
- 25-40 minutes: Experience section
- 40-50 minutes: Skills, certifications, and featured content
- 50-60 minutes: Final review and publish
Let’s break down what to do in each block.
Section-by-section updates with AI prompts
Profile photo and banner (10 minutes)
Your profile photo should be professional, recent, and approachable. If your current photo is more than two years old or doesn’t reflect how you present yourself no you should update it. Use a photo where you’re facing the camera, well-lit, and wearing something you’d wear to an important meeting. According to LinkedIn’s own research, profiles with photos receive 21 times more profile views and 9 times more connection requests.
Your banner image is prime real estate that most people waste. Instead of leaving it as the default blue pattern, use this space to reinforce your brand. You can create a simple custom banner using Canva (free templates available) that includes your expertise area, a tagline, or key credentials. LinkedIn recommends these dimensions.
Quick action: If you don’t have a professional photo, book a session this week. In the meantime, use the best current photo you have. For the banner, spend 10 minutes in Canva creating something simple that reflects your professional identity.
Customise your LinkedIn URL (2 minutes)
While you’re updating your visual presence, take two minutes to customise your LinkedIn profile URL. By default, LinkedIn assigns you a URL with your name followed by random numbers (like linkedin.com/in/sarah-jones-730199907), which looks unprofessional and is impossible to remember.
A custom URL is one of the easiest changes and it makes your profile easier to find in search results, helps you stand out if you have a common name, and looks cleaner when you include it on your CV or email signature. If your name is already taken, add your middle initial or a credential (like CFA or MBA).
How to update it: Go to your profile, click “Edit public profile & URL” on the right side, then click the edit icon next to your current URL. Enter your preferred URL (3-100 characters, letters and numbers only) and save. LinkedIn will tell you immediately if it’s available.
This small change makes your profile more memorable and easier to share. If you’re job hunting or actively networking, it’s worth doing now.
Headline (5 minutes)
Your headline is the 220-character text that appears under your name everywhere on LinkedIn. Most people waste this space by just listing their job title. Your headline should communicate what you do, who you help, and what makes you valuable.
Bad headline example: “Marketing Manager at TechCorp” Better headline example: “Marketing Manager | B2B Growth Strategy | Helping SaaS Companies Scale Through Data-Driven Campaigns”
The better version tells you what they do (B2B growth strategy), who they help (SaaS companies), and what value they create (scaling through data-driven campaigns).
AI Prompt for your headline:
I need help writing a compelling LinkedIn headline. Here's my information:
Current role: [your job title and company]
Key expertise: [2-3 main areas you're known for]
Target audience/who you help: [who benefits from your work]
What you want to be known for: [the reputation you're building]
You are an expert in LinkedIn and personal branding. Create 3 options for a LinkedIn headline (220 characters max) that clearly communicate what I do, who I help, and what value I provide. Make it specific and credible, not generic or overly promotional.
Choose the option that feels most authentic to you, then adjust the wording until it sounds like something you’d actually say.
About section (10 minutes)
Your About section (formerly called Summary) is where you tell your professional story. This should be written in first person, be specific about what you do and what you’ve achieved, and position you for the opportunities you want next.
Most people either leave this blank or fill it with generic statements about being “passionate” and “results-driven.” Neither approach helps anyone understand what makes you valuable.
A strong About section includes:
- What you do and who you work with
- Your key areas of expertise
- Specific examples of impact or results you’ve created
- What you’re focused on now or what opportunities you’re open to
Keep it between 3-5 short paragraphs. Write it in a conversational tone, as if you’re explaining your work to someone you just met at an industry event.
AI Prompt for your About section:
I need help writing my LinkedIn About section. Here's my background:
Current role and company: [role, company, brief description]
Career background: [key roles, industries, years of experience]
Core expertise: [3-4 main skills or areas you're known for]
Key achievements: [2-3 specific results or impacts you've created]
What makes my approach distinctive: [unique perspective, background, or combination of skills]
What I'm working toward: [career direction, opportunities you're positioning for]
Write a 3-4 paragraph About section in first person that tells my professional story clearly and positions me as credible in my field. Make it conversational and specific, avoiding generic phrases like "passionate professional" or "results-driven." Focus on concrete expertise, results and real impact.
Read through the AI output and edit it to sound like you and remove anything that feels forced or overly polished.
Experience section (15 minutes)
Your experience section should demonstrate what you’ve actually accomplished in each role, not just list responsibilities. For your current role and your most recent 2-3 positions, rewrite the bullets to focus on impact rather than tasks.
Instead of: “Managed a team of five people” Write: “Built and led a team of five analysts, reducing report turnaround time by 40% through process improvements”
Instead of: “Responsible for client relationships” Write: “Grew client portfolio from £2M to £5M annual revenue through strategic account management and new business development”
Quantify your achievements wherever possible. Numbers make your impact concrete and memorable. According to research by Jobscan, profiles with quantified achievements are significantly more likely to appear in recruiter searches.
For older roles or less relevant positions, keep the bullets shorter and more focused on transferable skills or notable achievements.
AI Prompt for experience bullets:
I need help rewriting my LinkedIn experience bullets to focus on impact and achievements rather than responsibilities. Here's my role information:
Job title: [your title]
Company: [company name and brief context]
Key responsibilities: [main areas you owned]
Achievements: [specific results, improvements, or impact you created - include metrics if available]
Skills demonstrated: [key competencies shown in this role]
Rewrite this into 3-4 bullet points that emphasise impact and achievement. Use strong action verbs, include specific metrics where possible, and make the value I created clear. Keep bullets concise (1-2 lines each).
Do this for your current role and 2-3 previous positions. For older roles, you can keep the existing bullets if they’re already results-focused, or simplify them to one line if they’re less relevant now.
Skills section (5 minutes)
LinkedIn allows you to list up to 50 skills, but the top 3-5 are what matter most. These appear prominently on your profile and influence how you show up in searches.
Review your skills section and make sure your top skills align with what you want to be known for and what opportunities you’re targeting. You need to remove any outdated or irrelevant skills and add any key skills that are missing, particularly ones that are commonly searched in your industry.
Pin your top 3 skills so they appear first. These should be your core areas of expertise that you want to be found for. According to LinkedIn’s data, members with 5+ skills are contacted up to 33x more by recruiters and other members.
Quick action: Search for profiles of people in roles you aspire to or admire in your field. What skills do they list? Add any relevant ones you’re missing.
Featured section (5 minutes)
The Featured section sits prominently at the top of your profile and lets you showcase specific content, articles, posts, or external links. Most people ignore this section, which is a missed opportunity.
Use Featured to highlight:
- Articles or posts you’ve written that demonstrate your expertise
- Media coverage or interviews
- Presentations or speaking engagements
- Key projects or case studies
- Awards or recognition
Choose 2-4 items that best represent your work and expertise. These should reinforce the brand you’ve defined and give visitors a quick sense of your capabilities.
If you don’t have content to feature yet, this is your sign to start creating it. Even one well-written post about a topic in your field can be featured here.
Final review (10 minutes)
Before you publish your changes, read through your entire profile as if you’re seeing it for the first time. Ask yourself:
- Is it immediately clear what I do and what I’m good at?
- Does this position me for the opportunities I want?
- Are there any typos or formatting issues?
- Does it sound like me, or does it sound like a robot wrote it?
Make any final adjustments, then publish your changes. You can choose if you want LinkedIn to notify your network of your profile update. If you say yes this can be a good thing as it puts you back on people’s radar and shows you’re actively managing your professional presence. But sharing your updates does depend on what updates you have made and if you think this is relevant to share with your whole audience.
What to do after the refresh
Your profile is updated. Now you need to make it work for you by being a little more strategic about how you use LinkedIn. Here are a couple of other things to start doing to be more active on LinkedIn.
Update your privacy settings
Before you start being more active, review your privacy settings. Go to Settings & Privacy > Visibility and make sure you’re comfortable with who can see your activity and profile. Consider turning on “Profile viewing options” to anonymous mode if you’re researching companies or people and don’t want them to know.
Connect strategically
Now that your profile is current, start connecting with people who matter for your career. This includes former colleagues, people you meet at events, industry peers, and people whose work you admire. Personalise your connection requests with a brief note about why you’re connecting.
For guidance on building strategic relationships, read The Relationship Management Hack That Changed How I Network and Building Your Board of Directors: Creating a Personal Advisory Network.
Start engaging
You don’t need to post constantly, but you should be visible. This might mean:
- Commenting thoughtfully on posts from people in your network
- Sharing relevant articles with your perspective
- Writing occasional posts about topics you know well
- Congratulating connections on career moves or achievements
Even small, consistent engagement keeps you on people’s radar and positions you as active in your field.
AI Prompt for post ideas:
I want to be more active on LinkedIn but I'm not sure what to post about. Here's my context:
Industry/field: [your industry]
Expertise areas: [what you're known for]
Target audience: [who you want to reach - peers, potential employers, clients, etc.]
Topics I'm knowledgeable about: [3-4 subjects you could write about]
Generate 10 LinkedIn post ideas that I can use as a starting point to create my posts. These should demonstrate my expertise and provide value to my audience. Make them specific and practical, not generic motivational content. Include a mix of formats: insights, lessons learned, practical tips, and observations from my field.
Monthly maintenance (10 minutes)
Set a monthly reminder to spend 10 minutes on LinkedIn maintenance. This keeps your profile current without requiring a major time investment.
Monthly checklist:
- Add any new certifications, courses, or skills you’ve developed
- Update your current role bullet points with recent achievements
- Review and endorse connections for skills (they’ll often reciprocate)
- Check your profile views and search appearances to see how you’re being found
- Engage with 5-10 posts from your network
This regular maintenance means you won’t need another major refresh for at least 6-12 months.
Make your profile work for you
Your LinkedIn profile is one of the most important professional assets you have. It shapes how people perceive you and what opportunities come your way.
You’ve just invested an hour in updating your profile. Now make sure you’re using LinkedIn strategically to build the relationships and visibility that support your career goals. For more on this, read The January Advantage: Why You Should Plan Your Career Moves in Q1 and How to Perfect Your Elevator Pitch Without Sounding Scripted to complement your digital presence with in-person confidence.
Continue Reading
- The 4×6 Method: Your Strategic Roadmap to Career Acceleration – Create a quarterly planning system that aligns with choosing one clear direction at a time.
- The Year-End Career Audit: 10 Questions to Ask Yourself – Reflect on where you’ve been so you can decide where to focus next.
- The #1 Simple Thing You Should Be Doing to Get a Promotion – Track your wins consistently so you’re ready when career conversations happen.
- The January Advantage: Why You Should Plan Your Career Moves in Q1 – Understand why Q1 is the best time to act on your career direction.
- 29 Ways to Get Organised Before the New Year (And Stay That Way) – Set up systems that support focused progress instead of scattered effort.
Dive Deeper in the Members’ Library
Want more practical resources to support your career and life? Peer Suite members get exclusive access to our resource library, including:
- Career Tracking Sheet – Track your accomplishments throughout the year
- Workplace Communication Templates – Professional email templates for every situation
- Building Sustainable Routines for Rest and Recovery – Avoid burnout with practical strategies
Plus workshops, guides, and tools to help you navigate every stage of your career.
Explore the Members Library →
Join the Peer Suite Private Network
Peer Suite is a professional networking community for women in finance, legal, tech and beyond.
As a Founding Member, you’ll get:
- Exclusive Members Library with career resources, templates, and workshops
- Virtual and in-person events across London
- A supportive network of professional women
- Monthly 1:1 curated introductions to other members
- Office hours with founder Rebecca van Dijk and other senior professional women
BECOME A FOUNDING MEMBER →
Stay Connected
📧 Subscribe to The Agenda – Weekly career insights, resources, and what everyone’s talking about, delivered to your inbox every Tuesday
📅 View Upcoming Events – Join us for workshops, panels, and networking across London
📱 Follow us on Instagram – Daily inspiration, career tips, and behind-the-scenes from our community
💼 Connect on LinkedIn – Join the conversation and stay updated on events and opportunities
17
Jan
