You are using LinkedIn wrong.
I recorded this on my way to the golf course because I am tired of watching talented executives destroy their self-worth hitting "Easy Apply."
Let me be direct. If you are 45+ and clicking job postings, you are playing a game rigged against you.
That resume? A computer rejected it in three minutes. You never reached a human.
The Trap Nobody Warns You About
LinkedIn feels productive when you are applying.
You are busy. You are "in market." You are doing something.
But busy is not the same as building.
Every Easy Apply click reinforces a story that is not true: that your next chapter depends on a recruiter noticing you in a stack of 400 identical profiles.
It does not.
The executives I work with who earn $25K+ a month on retainers are not hunting jobs. They are building practices. They are posting expertise, starting conversations, and letting decision-makers come to them.
I keep seeing this on calls. That is not motivational fluff. It is the difference between begging for permission and owning a pipeline.
"LinkedIn isn't Monster.com. It's where people who stopped looking for jobs build businesses that pay them $25K+ a month working 20 hours a week."
What Changed After I Left Corporate Twice
I left Dell at 27. I left Shell at 45.
Both times, the job market looked like the obvious path back in.
Both times, the obvious path was wrong.
What worked was not more applications. It was positioning: making it obvious what I owned, who I served, and why a company should pay me monthly instead of hourly.
The shift looks simple on paper:
- Stop hunting → Start building
- Stop applying → Start positioning
- Stop waiting → Start creating
Two to four retainer clients. $300K+. Control your schedule. Choose who you work with.
I keep seeing this on calls. Your 20+ years of experience is not a liability. That is the entire reason someone hires you.
If you want the full model, read What Is a Fractional Executive?. If you are still calling yourself a consultant when you should be selling executive ownership, read Fractional Executive vs. Consultant.
Even I Had My Profile Wrong
J.T. O'Donnell called out my own LinkedIn profile. She was right.
My headline was optimized for "brand" when it should've been optimized for search.
So I rebuilt it:
- Keyword-rich headline
- 42 searchable terms
- Credentials first
Practice what you preach.
But here is the thing: even with a perfect profile, the fractional executive path beats competing for age-biased corporate roles.
The data:
- Fractional market doubled in two years
- chief financial officer (CFO) demand up 310%
- AI-resistant work (judgment, relationships, leadership)
- Retainer-based stability instead of project churn
So yes, optimize your profile.
But also stop playing a rigged game.
What "Using LinkedIn Right" Actually Looks Like
Using LinkedIn wrong means treating it like a job board with a nicer font.
Using LinkedIn right means three things:
Here is how I think about it.
1. Your headline sells a seat, not a skill list.
Not "Experienced marketing leader passionate about growth." That is wallpaper.
Try: "Fractional CMO | B2B SaaS $10M–$100M ARR | Retainer engagements."
Here is how I think about it.
2. Your content proves you still operate at executive level.
One post a week that names a problem your ideal client feels in their chest beats 50 connection requests to strangers.
3. Your activity builds a pipeline, not a dopamine loop.
Comment where your buyers already are. Follow up on conversations. Track who owes you a reply. Your pipeline is probably lying to you if you cannot see that number in one glance.
Network alone will not save you. I wrote about that in The Network Lie. Process beats hope every time.
The Question Under the Question
Are you actually ready to stop pretending the job market will save you?
Or are you using LinkedIn activity to avoid the harder decision: that you might need to build, not apply?
I keep seeing this on calls. There is no shame in either answer. But you deserve to know which one you are making.
Take the Find Your BEACH™ assessment. Ten minutes. Brutally honest. It shows whether you are ready to make your return, or still living the LinkedIn lie.
Kirk Coburn is the founder of The ReTern and category creator of the fractional executive movement. He introduced the term "Fractional CMO" to the market over fifteen years ago.
