Over the last several months, I’ve had a lot of conversations about AI. Most of the questions are what you’d expect: Will people stop using Google? Will AI change business development? How will professionals get found online if people are searching in new ways?

Those are all important questions, but there’s another one I think more professionals should be asking: What happens when someone asks AI about me?

That question matters because more people are using tools like ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini and Copilot to research professionals, companies and industries. They’re looking for recommendations, trying to identify people with experience in a particular area and gathering information before deciding who to contact, hire, interview or learn more about.

When AI answers those questions, it pulls from information that’s already available online. That’s one of the reasons LinkedIn deserves attention right now.

I’ve always viewed LinkedIn as much more than an online résumé. It’s one of the few places where professionals can actively shape how they’re perceived by sharing their experience, expertise and perspective. A profile tells people where you’ve worked and what you’ve done. Your content helps people understand how you think, what topics you care about and where you have knowledge that may be valuable to others.

One of the biggest mistakes I see is that people spend a tremendous amount of time updating their profile and then disappear. They revise their headline, rewrite their About section, add a new position and consider the job done. Months go by without sharing any insights, observations or expertise that would help people understand what they’re actually known for.

That’s a missed opportunity because people don’t build professional reputations from profiles alone. They build them through the ideas they share, the conversations they participate in and the topics they consistently discuss over time. When someone regularly writes about private equity, executive recruiting, healthcare, cybersecurity or another area of expertise, people begin to associate that person with those subjects. The same thing happens when professionals comment thoughtfully on industry developments, answer common questions or share lessons from their experience.

Over time, your profile, posts, articles and comments create a body of work that helps people understand what you know, what you do and what you want to be known for. That information can influence how people perceive you whether they discover you through LinkedIn, a Google search, a referral or an AI platform.

If someone asked AI about you today, what would it say? More importantly, would the answer reflect the work you’re doing now and the expertise you want to be known for?

Here are five things you can do to strengthen your LinkedIn presence and help ensure that when someone asks AI about you, the answer reflects the expertise, experience and reputation you’ve built.

Why LinkedIn Matters in the AI Era

LinkedIn’s role in professional visibility is becoming even more important as AI platforms become part of how people research professionals, companies and service providers.

Recent research from LinkedIn reported that the platform is now one of the most frequently cited sources in AI-generated answers, second only to YouTube. As more professionals turn to tools like ChatGPT, Perplexity and Google AI Overviews to gather information, compare providers and identify subject matter experts, LinkedIn is increasingly helping shape the answers they receive.

What’s particularly interesting is the type of LinkedIn content AI tends to reference.

LinkedIn says that original content performs best. Posts that share unique insights, experiences and perspectives are cited far more often than reshared articles or commentary. Individual profiles also have a greater impact than company pages, reinforcing the value of professionals building their own visibility and sharing their expertise directly. Freshness matters as well. Content published recently is more likely to be referenced than content that hasn’t been updated or added to in years.

For professionals, this is another reason to be active on LinkedIn. Your profile, posts, articles and comments help create a larger body of information about your experience, expertise and professional interests. Over time, that information contributes to how you’re understood online and what topics become associated with your name.

1. Look at your LinkedIn headline with fresh eyes

Your LinkedIn headline is one of the most visible parts of your profile. It appears in search results, comments, connection requests and increasingly in AI-generated responses.

Many professionals still use headlines that only include their title and employer. While that may accurately describe where they work, it provides very little information about their expertise, the audience they serve or the work they want to be associated with.

Think about the words someone might use if they were looking for a professional with your experience. A client, referral source, recruiter, journalist or conference organizer is unlikely to search for your exact job title. They are more likely to search for an industry, specialty, practice area or problem they need help solving.

Review your headline and ask yourself:

  • Does it clearly communicate what I do?
  • Does it reflect the work I want more of?
  • Would someone unfamiliar with me understand my expertise?
  • Does it align with what I want to be known for?

Your headline shapes how people understand your experience, expertise and professional focus. A few carefully chosen words can influence whether someone clicks on your profile, reaches out to connect or thinks of you when an opportunity arises.

2. Make your About section more useful

Your About section is an opportunity to provide context that a headline alone can’t. Many professionals treat it like a formal biography, listing credentials, responsibilities and career history. While those details may be important, they don’t always help someone understand who you are, what you do and how you help.

Think about the questions someone might have after viewing your profile. What kinds of work do you handle? Who do you work with? What experience do you bring? What topics are you passionate about? What should people contact you about?

The beginning of your About section deserves particular attention because only the first few lines are visible before someone clicks “see more.” If those opening lines don’t capture attention or communicate value, many people won’t continue reading.

Review your About section and ask yourself:

  • Does it clearly explain what I do?
  • Does it highlight the work I want more of?
  • Does it reflect what I want to be known for?
  • Would someone understand why they should connect with me?

Your About section helps people understand the person behind the profile. It can reinforce your expertise, provide additional context about your experience and help people determine whether you’re someone they would like to know, hire, refer or collaborate with.

3. Create more original content

One of the best ways to strengthen your visibility on LinkedIn is to share your knowledge and perspective.

Many professionals underestimate how much they know. They assume their insights are too basic, too obvious or not interesting enough to share. Meanwhile, the questions they answer every day, the challenges they help clients solve and the trends they are paying attention to are often exactly what their audience wants to learn about.

You don’t have to publish groundbreaking thought leadership to build credibility. Some of the most effective content comes from explaining a common misconception, answering a frequently asked question, sharing lessons learned from experience or offering practical observations about your industry. Review your recent LinkedIn activity and ask yourself:

  • Am I sharing my own perspective?
  • Would someone understand my expertise from the content I post?
  • Are my posts aligned with what I want to be known for?
  • Am I discussing the topics I want people to associate with my name?

Sharing your expertise helps people understand what you know, how you think and where you add value. Over time, that visibility can lead to conversations, relationships and opportunities that might not have happened otherwise.

4. Be Intentional About the Topics You Discuss

One of the easiest ways to strengthen your visibility on LinkedIn is to be more intentional about the topics you talk about.

When people think about building a professional reputation, they often focus on posting more frequently. In many cases, the bigger opportunity is focusing more consistently on the subjects that align with their expertise and professional goals.

Think about the opportunities you would like more of. Maybe you want to attract clients, generate referrals, land speaking engagements, build a stronger network or become known within a particular industry. Now ask yourself whether your LinkedIn activity supports those goals.

If someone spent five minutes looking at your profile, reading your recent posts and reviewing your comments, what would they assume you are known for?

Many professionals share a little bit of everything. Industry news. Company updates. Conference photos. Articles they found interesting. Personal observations. While each post may be valuable on its own, the overall picture can become unclear.

That doesn’t mean you need to talk about the same thing every day. It does mean that a few core themes should appear consistently throughout your profile and content.

For example, if you are an employment lawyer, you might regularly discuss workplace trends, compliance issues, hiring challenges and employment law developments. If you are a recruiter, you might focus on hiring trends, career advice, talent strategy and market insights. Over time, those topics help people understand your expertise and connect your name with specific areas of knowledge.

A good place to start is by identifying three to five topics that align with:

  • Your expertise
  • The work you enjoy most
  • The opportunities you would like more of
  • The audience you want to reach

Then look at your recent LinkedIn activity and see whether those topics are showing up consistently.

Take a few minutes to review your profile and recent posts. What would someone assume you want to be known for? More importantly, does that answer align with what you actually want to be known for?

The clearer that connection becomes, the easier it is for people to understand your expertise, remember your name and think of you when opportunities arise.

5. Audit what AI says about you

Have you ever asked ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini or Copilot about yourself?

If not, give it a try. Search for your name, your company, your industry, your area of expertise and the topics you want to be known for. Then take a look at the results and ask yourself whether they accurately reflect the work you do today.

I’ve had people do this and realize that important parts of their background are nowhere to be found. Others discover they’re still being associated with work they haven’t done in years. Some find that their online presence does a much better job of describing where they work than explaining what they’re actually known for.

People are increasingly using AI tools to research professionals, companies and service providers. Before they reach out, schedule a meeting, make a referral or hire someone, they’re gathering information from a variety of sources, and AI is becoming one of them. That’s why it can be helpful to understand what these tools are saying about you and, just as importantly, what they’re not saying.

As you review the results, pay attention to what’s missing. If you want to be known for private equity, cybersecurity, executive recruiting, healthcare, tax planning or another area of expertise, do those topics appear? Would someone who knows nothing about you come away with an accurate understanding of your experience, expertise and professional focus?

If the answer is no, there may be opportunities to strengthen your profile, create content around those subjects or do a better job connecting your name to the work you want to be known for. A clear headline, a strong About section and content that reflects your expertise all help create a more complete picture of who you are and what you do.

After running a few searches, make note of anything that surprises you. The exercise can provide valuable insight into how you’re showing up online today and highlight areas where your expertise may deserve more visibility.

What to Do Next

When someone asks AI about you, the answer is based on the information that’s available online. That information may come from your LinkedIn profile, your company website, articles you’ve written, interviews you’ve given, presentations you’ve delivered and other content connected to your name.

That’s one of the reasons I think professionals should spend more time paying attention to their LinkedIn presence. Your profile helps people understand what you do. Your About section provides context. Your content gives people insight into your expertise, experience and perspective. Together, those things help shape how you’re perceived online.

If you haven’t done it already, try searching for yourself in ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini or Copilot. See what comes up. See what’s missing. See whether the results reflect the work you’re doing today and the topics you want to be known for.

You may find that your online presence already tells a strong story. You may also discover gaps between how you see yourself and how you’re showing up online. Either way, it’s useful information.

The more clearly you communicate your expertise, the easier it becomes for people to understand who you are, what you do and why they should think of you when opportunities arise.

Key Takeaways

  • Review your LinkedIn headline and make sure it clearly reflects your expertise.
  • Update your About section so people can quickly understand who you help and what you do.
  • Share more of your own insights, experiences and perspectives.
  • Focus on a few core topics that align with what you want to be known for.
  • Periodically ask AI tools what they know about you and pay attention to what is missing.

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