The LinkedIn Featured Section for Executives: What to Put There
Most senior profiles I review have a Featured section that is empty, out of date, or filled with something that doesn't help. A company brochure from three roles ago. A post about a team lunch. A link to a webinar the person attended rather than spoke at.
It is an easy section to ignore. But it sits near the top of your profile, just under your About section, and it is one of the few places on LinkedIn where you can show evidence rather than describe yourself. For an executive or aspiring director, that matters.
From my years in executive recruitment, I know that a search consultant or board member who looks at your profile is asking one quiet question: is there proof behind the words? The Featured section is where you can answer it.
What the Featured section is
The Featured section lets you pin selected items to your profile. These can be posts or articles you have written on LinkedIn, links to outside pages, or documents and media you upload.
Each item appears as a card with an image and a title. Visitors can scroll through them and click to read more. Because it sits high on the profile, it is often seen by people who never scroll down to your experience.
Think of it as a small display case. You choose what goes in it and the order.
Why recruiters and boards look at it
Your headline and About section tell people who you are and what you do. Our guide to writing a senior LinkedIn headline and About section covers how to get those right. But they are your own words about yourself.
The Featured section offers something different: outside evidence.
For a search consultant, it can confirm your expertise and profile in the market. An article in an industry publication or a conference talk suggests you are known and respected.
For a board or nominations committee, it can show how you think. A thoughtful article on risk, capital or governance gives a sense of your judgement before anyone has met you.
For a hiring CEO, it can reveal how you communicate. Clear, sensible writing suggests you will be clear and sensible in a board paper.
None of these readers will make a decision based on your Featured section alone. But it can tip the balance when they are deciding who to call first.
What works well for executives
The best items are specific, credible and relevant to where you want to go next. Good choices include:
Articles you have written. A LinkedIn article or a piece in an industry publication, especially on a topic linked to your next role.
Media mentions. An interview, a quote in a news story or a profile piece.
Speaking. A recording, program or summary of a conference talk or panel you spoke on.
A board or executive bio. A short, well-written summary of your experience and governance roles, uploaded as a document.
Publications. Research, submissions or reports you authored or contributed to, where they are public.
Public reports you led. An annual report, sustainability report or public strategy document, if your role in it was significant and the document is already public.
Awards or recognition. An industry award, with a short note on what it was for.
For finance leaders, even a short, well-argued post on a topic like cash flow in a downturn or the CFO’s role in a transformation can work well. It shows how you think, which is exactly what readers want to see.
A board bio as a Featured item
For aspiring directors, a one-page board bio is one of the most useful items you can feature. It gives a nominations committee or search consultant a quick summary in the format they are used to.
Keep it to a single page, focused on governance experience, skills and sectors. Save it as a PDF with a clear title, such as “Board Profile, Jane Smith”. Our guide to the one-page board biography covers what to include and how to structure it.
A bio in the Featured section also saves time. A consultant who likes your profile can download it and share it with a client straight away.
What to avoid
Some items do more harm than good.
Confidential material. Never feature internal documents, board papers, strategy decks or anything that is not already public. Even if you think it is harmless, a reader will wonder what else you might share.
Old posts. A post from four years ago about a role you have since left suggests the section has been forgotten. It also dates you.
Sales links. If you run a consultancy or portfolio career, it can be tempting to feature your services page. In an executive profile, this can make you look like you are selling rather than leading. Keep it to evidence of your expertise.
Reshared content with no comment. Featuring someone else’s article, without your own view, adds little. If you want to feature it, add a clear comment that shows your thinking.
Personal milestones. Congratulatory posts, team photos and event selfies have a place on LinkedIn, but not usually in your Featured section.
Company marketing. A glossy corporate video from your employer tells people about the company, not about you. If it features you speaking, it can work. If not, leave it out.
How many items to include
Quality matters far more than quantity. Most executives do best with around three to five items.
The first two or three are the ones most visitors will see without scrolling. Put your strongest, most relevant items there. If you are aiming for board roles, consider a board bio and an article on governance. If you are aiming for a CFO role, it might be a media interview and a published piece on finance leadership.
If you have only one strong item, feature it. A single credible piece is better than five weak ones.
Before and after: an illustrative Featured section
Here is an illustrative example for a CFO who wants to move into a larger role and build a board career.
Before:
A company brochure from a previous employer
A post congratulating the team on a quarterly result, from three years ago
A link to a webinar they attended
After:
A one-page board and executive profile, saved as a PDF
A LinkedIn article on how finance teams can support faster decisions in a growing business
A recording of a panel they spoke on at an industry conference in Sydney
A news piece quoting them on a major capital raise, which is already public
The “after” version provides the reader with evidence of expertise, communication, and profile. It also points clearly towards the next role.
Keeping it current
A Featured section is not a one-off job. Review it every few months, or whenever you publish something new, speak at an event or change roles.
A simple routine:
Remove anything older than a couple of years unless it is still highly relevant
Replace general items with more specific ones as you build a stronger body of work
Reorder items so the most relevant appear first for your current goal
Check links still work, and images still display correctly
If you post regularly, you will have more to choose from. Our LinkedIn post for senior leaders covers how to build that habit without it taking over your week.
Building material if you have none
Many executives tell me they have nothing to feature. Often that is not true. They have simply never looked.
Start by checking for:
Any interviews, quotes or articles you have forgotten
Conference programs or recordings where you spoke
Public reports you led or contributed to in a meaningful way
Industry awards or committee roles
If you still have nothing, create one item. A short, well-written article on a topic you know deeply is enough to start. You do not need a large body of work. You need one piece that shows how you think.
Common mistakes
Leaving it empty. An empty section is a missed chance to show evidence.
Treating it as a scrapbook. It is not a record of everything you have done. It is a short selection for a specific reader.
Mismatched messages. If your headline says "board director" and every Featured item is about operational finance, the story is confusing.
Poor titles and images. Make sure each item has a clear title and a clean image. Blurry covers and vague titles reduce clicks.
Questions to ask yourself
If a search consultant only looked at my first three Featured items, what would they conclude?
Does each item support the role I want next, not the role I had before?
Is anything confidential, outdated or off-message?
Would I be comfortable if a chair or CEO clicked on every item?
When did I last review this section?
Let the evidence speak
Your Featured section is one of the few places on LinkedIn where you can show proof rather than make claims. Choose a few strong, relevant items. Put the best first. Keep it current. Done well, it helps a recruiter, board, or CEO see what you would bring before they have met you.
If you want a LinkedIn profile that gives recruiters and boards clear evidence of what you bring, see how I approach executive LinkedIn profile writing.
If you are an executive or aspiring director who is not sure what your profile says about you, book a complimentary Clarity Session, and we will look at your profile through a recruiter’s eyes.
