Put in your job, who you do it for and, if you like, one real thing that sets you apart. Hemmingway writes five headlines to choose from, each short enough to take in at a glance and each leading with something different. You pick one, change a word if you want, and put it on your profile yourself.
The five are built from your answers and nothing else. No invented specialism, no "award-winning" you did not claim, no job title grander than the one you gave.
What makes it work
The headline is the line under your name, and it is often all a stranger reads about you.
- Use the words people search for. A recruiter types "bookkeeper", not "numbers person". Put the ordinary name of your job in the headline.
- Say who you work for. "For cafes and restaurants in Bristol" tells the right reader you are for them, and the wrong one that you are not.
- One proof is plenty. A qualification, a specialism or a result. A headline with five claims reads like a list of keywords.
- Do not leave the default. LinkedIn fills the headline with your current job title and employer, which says where you work and not what you can do for the reader.
An example
Asked for headlines for a freelance bookkeeper who works with cafes and restaurants in Bristol, clears VAT backlogs and is AAT qualified, headlines along these lines are what to expect:
Freelance bookkeeper for cafes and restaurants in Bristol
Bookkeeping for Bristol cafes and restaurants. VAT backlogs cleared.
AAT qualified bookkeeper. I clear VAT backlogs for restaurants.
Cafes and restaurants in Bristol: bookkeeping and VAT
Bookkeeper, Bristol. Cafes, restaurants, VAT backlogs.
None of them says "passionate about numbers". If all five are too plain, say in the chat what you want more of.
Choosing one
Say each one out loud as the answer to "what do you do?". The one you would really say is the one to use.
Once the headline is set, the LinkedIn summary generator writes the About section to match, and the LinkedIn message generator helps with a first note to someone you want to reach.
Common questions
Is the LinkedIn headline generator free?
Yes. Hemmingway has a free trial with no card needed, and this tool opens it with your answers filled in. You sign up once, and the headlines are written in the chat.
How long should a LinkedIn headline be?
About ten words. LinkedIn allows more, but a headline that runs on gets cut off beside your name in search results and comments.
What is a good LinkedIn headline if I am looking for a job?
Name the job you want and what you bring to it, for example "Trainee accountant. Payroll, month-end, two years at a builders' merchant." Put those facts in the form and say in the last field that you are job hunting. The cover letter generator uses the same facts for an application.
Will it sound like AI?
It is built not to. Hemmingway-1, the model behind it, came first on sounding like a person in our own blind test, Human-Likeness. A headline is only a few words, so the test is simple: would you say it to someone at a bus stop?