How to Do Personal Rebranding on LinkedIn

When people know you, they associate certain traits with you. So when your career or professional identity changes, you need to reshape how they see you. That’s where personal rebranding comes in. Done wrong, it can stall your progress and prevent you from achieving the professional growth you’re looking for. Done right, you’ll see real growth rapidly, maybe even within a couple of months. In this post, you’ll learn everything you need to rebrand yourself effectively on LinkedIn. Follow these steps, and you won’t need any other resource to build strong authority on the platform.

Six Tactics to Rebrand Yourself on LinkedIn

It’s easy for your brand to get muddled after a career change. But with these strategies, you can reintroduce yourself with a clear message, build credibility, and turn LinkedIn into a magnet for new opportunities.

1. The Transition: Sharing Your Career Switch and Growth

People connect with people, not polished profiles that only show wins. Sharing failures in your previous career or why you needed the switch will invite more connections and support than you think. But make sure your appearance there isn’t abrupt.

For example, if you’re still learning or figuring things out, you don’t have to say, “Hey, I’m now a [job title]!” Instead, share the journey. Talk about what pulled you in, what you’re discovering, and what steps you’re taking.

This makes your presence feel human. Here are a few ideas on how to frame it:

Share small wins: I’ve been exploring [new field] on the side for a few months, and the results are already coming in.

Tell a story: Two months ago, I was staring at the clock in frustration while my friends were chilling. That’s when I decided to pivot to [new field], and today, I landed my first gig.

When you haven’t switched fully: I’m diving into [new field]. Any beginner-friendly courses you’d recommend?

When you tell your story, focus on:

• Why you switched: What pulled you toward the new field? What wasn’t working before?
• What you’ve done so far: Courses, side projects, collaborations, or even tough lessons.
• How you felt during the switch: Don’t be afraid to be nervous, excited, or unsure on LinkedIn. People love that stuff.
• Your tone: Keep it real. Write like you’re talking to a friend. Avoid jargon unless it helps.

2. Showcasing Your Achievements: Certificates, Internships, Gigs, and Results

Once your network knows about your switch, it’s time to show what you’re learning and achieving. Whether it’s a certificate, internship, or volunteer project, don’t downplay it. Impostor syndrome might tell you it’s too small to share, but your growth is worth celebrating.

These small wins build credibility. And over time, they turn into bigger ones like freelance gigs, job offers, and client results. Keep sharing them to stay top-of-mind and attract new opportunities.

Here’s how to highlight your wins without sounding dull:

• Make it interesting: The dream is finally real. I joined [company] last week as a [job title], and it’s been exciting.
• Build authority: I applied to [company] months ago and forgot. Just found out I was picked from 2,000 applicants. Here’s what I did as a beginner to outperform the competition.
• Be proud: The hard work of switching careers is paying off. I'm starting a new role as a [position] at [company].

3. Refreshing Your LinkedIn Profile: Bio, Summary, Cover, and Experience Section

Your audience knows you from your previous career. Personal rebranding is like company rebranding, so start by redesigning the basics.

This means refreshing your LinkedIn profile. Begin by rewriting your headline. If you are in the middle of both your old and new careers, you can update your headline to reflect both.

For example, if you were a salesperson and are still exploring programming on the side, your headline could be: Head of Sales at [Company Name] | Freelance Front-End Developer.

Rewrite your summary to match your new focus and include your key skills. Update your skills section based on your new abilities. You can also use Huntr’s resume summary generator to align your LinkedIn profile with your resume.

If you’re still switching, you can keep skills from both fields, but be sure to refine this section when you’re ready. Change your LinkedIn profile banner to reflect your new expertise and add a relevant call to action.

Here’s how to optimize your summary section:

• Keep it direct and fluff-free.
• If your summary is long, add a TL;DR at the top with key results you’ve achieved.
• Include your key skills and relevant keywords.
• Focus on what you’ve helped businesses accomplish rather than who you’re targeting.
• Show how your past roles taught you skills that apply to your new field. For example, if you were a teacher moving to instructional design, highlight your ability to simplify concepts and engage learners.
• Add your contact information if you’re open to business inquiries.

4. Don’t Act Like a Newbie: Be Bold and Confident in Sharing Your Opinions

Adding words like aspiring, junior, or passionate to your headline is a quick way to turn hiring managers away. If you’re a junior project manager, you’re still a project manager. So there’s no benefit in adding "Junior" to your headline or summary.

Instead, create and share posts that showcase your growing expertise. One effective method is to keep an idea bank:

• Note every hack or insight you learn about your work.
• Jot down post ideas whenever they come to you.
• Set aside two hours each week to turn 2–4 ideas into polished LinkedIn posts.
• Schedule these posts consistently.

An idea bank ensures you never run out of authoritative content. You can also use this ChatGPT prompt to generate valuable post ideas:

“You’re a project manager building authority on LinkedIn. Give me 10 specific post ideas that go beyond generic tips like ‘share a project success.’ Focus on real challenges in [your niche], such as delays, misalignment, or missed goals. Each post should offer an insight or lesson that sparks an ‘aha’ moment and show that I truly understand [your niche] struggles.”

Engage confidently with others’ content. Leave comments that add value or offer solutions. Identify 5–6 key LinkedIn creators in your niche and interact with them regularly to build genuine connections.

After several meaningful comment exchanges, reach out via DMs to deepen relationships. This can lead to collaborations and new opportunities.

If impostor syndrome lingers, remember that no one has it all figured out. Invest in networking and take necessary breaks to avoid burnout.

5. Connect with People in Your New Niche: Building Relationships

Visibility is key to building your brand. You need to share your expertise openly. Fortunately, people are usually more welcoming than you expect. Reaching out and making online connections always helps.

Start by exploring your LinkedIn recommendations and connecting with those contacts. Begin engaging by commenting on their posts, then send personalized connection requests such as: "Hi John, I see you work for X in Y. What does your role involve?" "I really enjoyed your article on X. What are your thoughts on Y?"

Also, join niche communities on Discord, Reddit, and Slack. These spaces are great for showing your expertise and getting support whenever you hit a roadblock. You can use Disboard to find Discord communities and Slofile to discover Slack groups. This list is also a great resource to find Slack communities relevant to your niche.

6. Ask for Testimonials and Recommendations: Building Social Proof

The biggest challenge in a career change is often the lack of recommendations and testimonials. These are powerful proofs of your expertise when you’re new to a field.

Always ask mentors, employers, clients, and colleagues for testimonials. While asking is simple, keep these tips in mind before you reach out:

• Be specific about what you want them to highlight, like adaptability or problem-solving. This helps avoid vague testimonials and saves you from asking twice.
• Make it easy for them by providing a short draft or bullet points based on your experience together. Most people appreciate the help.
• Don’t wait until a project ends. If someone praises you during a project, that’s a great moment to ask for a testimonial while the experience is fresh.
• Use testimonials beyond your profile. Pull powerful quotes to create social proof posts by adding context or results. This builds credibility in a compelling way.
• Feature testimonials alongside portfolio links, case studies, or achievements in your featured section. This shows your results while sharing what others say about working with you.

How to Craft Engaging LinkedIn Posts without Spending Hours

Creating content doesn’t have to take your whole day. With a simple workflow, you can show up consistently without burning out and still provide value.

1. Pick a post idea from your idea bank

Choose a topic from the list you’ve already saved. If you don’t have one yet, no worries. Just take a few minutes to brainstorm ideas around your niche. Think about what people in your field struggle with the most.

But keeping an idea bank is a must if you want to be consistent with your LinkedIn posts. This saves you hours of writer’s block and burnout when you’re planning weekly content.

2. Dump your thoughts about the topic

Open a notepad and brain-dump everything you know about the topic. Don’t aim for academic style. Focus on shortcuts, unique insights, and practical tips that solve the problem faster.

For example, if you’re a new coach writing about productivity, don’t just repeat common tips. Share less obvious advice, like quitting caffeine to boost focus.

3. Refine your first draft

Read through what you wrote and clean it up. Fix sentence structure, remove fluff, and make sure it is easy to read. If you get stuck or feel your writing needs a boost, use AI to help turn your rough draft into a LinkedIn-ready post.

If using AI, you can use this prompt:

"Turn this information into a refined LinkedIn post. Don’t miss any details, but make the post clear and engaging."

4. Final cleanup

Step away from your draft for a while. Come back with fresh eyes to catch anything you missed. If you used AI earlier, run your post through an AI humanizer. This will make your post sound more natural.

LinkedIn’s audience is mixed. Some are supportive, but others can be judgmental, especially if they suspect AI was used. This step helps you avoid criticism of your post.

Additional Tips to Enhance Your LinkedIn Rebranding

LinkedIn rebranding is not just about posting. It’s about being intentional, tracking what works, and showing up in a way that builds trust over time.

1. Stay Consistent

You don’t have to post daily. Start with 1–2 posts a week. But whatever frequency you choose, stick with it. Your audience won’t trust your expertise if you pop up once a month and disappear again.

2. Don’t Copy

It might be tempting to take someone’s post, tweak a few words, and call it your own. But that’s just lazy, and people can tell. Copying not only hurts your credibility, it also stops you from finding your own voice.

Instead, share things from your own journey, even if they feel small. A tool you found useful. A mistake you made. A process that helped you save time. These are the things that make your content real and relatable.

3. Track Analytics

Use LinkedIn analytics to see what types of posts get the most engagement or profile views. Then double down on those. You don’t need to chase virality. Instead, focus on what’s helping the right people find you.

4. Stay Patient and Persistent

You might post for weeks and feel like nobody’s watching. But people are watching even if they don’t engage. If you stick to building your brand, you’ll soon start seeing job offers and gigs in your DMs.

Conclusion

Sticking to LinkedIn can feel time-consuming and a bit overwhelming at first. But with AI tools and plenty of free resources out there, it’s more doable than ever. A refreshed LinkedIn profile, paired with tailored resumes, sets you up for real results in your new career path. If landing a better job is your goal with personal rebranding, sign up for Huntr today and start building a resume that actually gets noticed.