When you don't have a current job, LinkedIn's default headline is empty or says something that isn't useful. What most people do then is announce the situation — “Open to work,” “Seeking new opportunities,” “Recently laid off.” All three are true, and none of them is a search term. Your headline's job is to describe what you do, in the words the next role is searched by. Your availability has its own feature.
The mental shift: your headline describes the role you work in, not the employer you work for. You were a Senior Accountant last month and you still are one — the fact that you're between roles belongs in the About section and in your job-search settings, not in the line that decides whether a recruiter's filter finds you.
The formula
- The role you work in. The title of the job you're looking for and just held — your last title is a truthful one. Don't downgrade yourself.
- Your specialism. The two or three things you're known for: “enterprise SaaS,” “regulated environments,” “lean operations,” “complex reconciliations.”
- Proof, if you have it. One number or scope. If you don't want to pick one, a domain works: “payments,” “infrastructure,” “clinical.”
A LinkedIn headline is limited to 220 characters, and only the opening stretch of it is visible in search results and on the mobile profile card. The headline and About limits — and how much of each field actually displays before it truncates — are set out on LinkedIn headline and About character limits.
Before and after
Where the situation goes instead
- Open to Work — the dedicated setting. Recruiters filter on it directly, which is more effective than spending headline characters on the words.
- Your About section — one plain, unbothered sentence about your availability and what you want next, placed after your value, not before it.
- Your most recent role's dates — leave the end date as it is. An ended role with an end date is normal and it is not a red flag.
- If you're employed and looking quietly — the question is a different one, and it has its own page — whether the setting should do the talking, and what to say in the headline while you look. LinkedIn headline when you're open to work.
- If the question is what to do with a long career — a count of years is a separate problem from being between roles — where it belongs in the line, and what to lead with instead — and it has its own page. LinkedIn headline for job seekers over 50.
Mistakes
- “Open to work” as the whole headline. It's a status, and the feature exists so your headline doesn't have to carry it.
- “Recently laid off.” True, human, and it costs you appearances in every search that would have found you. Where the reason genuinely helps you — a whole team was cut, and a recruiter will hear that in a call — let it come out in the conversation.
- Deleting your last role from your profile. That's how you turn a gap into a mystery. Keep the role, with its dates.
- Downgrading your title to seem humble. “Marketing Associate” when you were a Marketing Manager costs you the searches for the level you actually work at.
- Filling the space with adjectives. “Hardworking self-starter” describes nobody searchable.
How the free score works on this page
On this page the score reads your pasted text for the three things a between-roles headline has to get right: whether the role you work in is named, whether your specialism is named, and whether the line carries one piece of proof. A headline that describes your availability instead of your work scores low — that's the point.
Paste the headline you run today — plus a couple of sentences from your About if you have them — into the box at the top of this page. The free score is computed from your own words: whether your target role appears early, whether the terms recruiters filter on for your role are present, how concrete the line is versus filler, and whether it carries any evidence of scope or impact. The 0–100 number and a rewritten headline come back immediately, in full and unblurred. The rewritten About and your top 3 experience bullets are the $1 one-time part.
- Paste your current headline — or a few lines of your About — into the box at the top of this page. Text is the input: nothing is fetched, so there is nothing that can fail to load, and a profile URL is accepted in the same box if you have one handy.
- Read your 0–100 visibility score and your rewritten headline — free, in full, no signup and no card. A score in the 80s means the terms and evidence recruiters filter on are mostly there. A score in the 40s means most of them are missing.
- Want the rest? $1, one-time, unlocks the rewritten About section and your top 3 experience bullets, written from the same text — no subscription, no account access, nothing posted anywhere.
Frequently asked questions
What should my LinkedIn headline say if I'm unemployed?
The role you work in, your specialism, and a proof point — the same as when you're employed. “Senior Accountant | Month-End Close & SOX Compliance | 8 years in regulated financial services” works whether or not there's a current employer. Your availability goes in the Open to Work setting and, in one plain sentence, in your About section.
Should I say I was laid off in my headline?
Not in the headline. It spends the visible part of the line on your circumstance rather than on the terms that would find you, and it changes nothing about whether you can do the job. Put your availability in the Open to Work setting and explain the layoff, if it needs explaining, in conversation.
Is “open to work” in the headline better than the green banner?
They do different jobs. The Open to Work setting is a signal recruiters can filter on directly. The words in your headline only help if someone happens to search them — and they cost you the keyword space you'd use for your role. Use the setting; keep the headline for the role.
Is the score really free, and what does the $1 unlock?
The 0–100 visibility score and your rewritten headline are free — no signup, no credit card, and no email address needed. The $1 one-time charge unlocks the rewritten About section and your top 3 experience bullets. It never recurs: $1 per review, no subscription, and you only pay when you want fresh rewrites.
Do you need access to my LinkedIn account?
No. Standout never asks for your LinkedIn password, never connects to your account, and never posts or edits anything on your profile. You paste text you can already see on your own public profile, and the review is written from that text.
Why paste my headline instead of just my profile URL?
LinkedIn blocks automated reads of public profiles, so a review built from a URL alone would fall back on a public preview and whatever search-indexed copies exist — a thinner picture of you than the ten seconds it takes to paste your real headline or About. The same box accepts a profile URL if you have one handy, and you can paste both.
Do you store my data?
We keep the review we wrote for you — the score, headline, About, and bullets — and the email address you give us. If you pay for a review, we also keep the headline or About text you pasted, so we can deliver it and re-deliver it if anything goes wrong. We never connect to your LinkedIn account, never post or edit anything, and never sell your data.
What if I'm not happy with my rewrites?
If you're not satisfied, email us at [email protected] and we'll make it right — including a refund if needed.
What if my role or situation isn't covered on this page?
Paste your current headline into the box anyway — the score is computed from your own text, and the rewritten headline is written from the same text, so any role works. The role pages exist to tell you which words are worth having, not to limit who can use the tool.
See where your headline stands between roles. Paste it and get your free 0–100 score and a rewritten headline — no login, no card, no email. Jump to the score box →
Related guides
- How to write LinkedIn experience bullets
- How LinkedIn recruiter search works
- Free LinkedIn profile review: what recruiters see
- A full sample review (score, headline, About, bullets)
Other situations
Same tool, same free score — copy tuned to the situation you’re in:
- LinkedIn headline for a career change
- LinkedIn headline with no experience
- LinkedIn headline after a career break
- LinkedIn headline for veterans
- LinkedIn headline when you're relocating
- LinkedIn headline for freelancers and the self-employed
- LinkedIn headline when you're open to work
- LinkedIn headline for job seekers over 50
- LinkedIn headline for international candidates