US recruiters don't browse LinkedIn. They search it. They type a title, a few technologies and a location filter, then read the first screen of results. If your profile doesn't contain those words, you're invisible to them, however good you are.
I spend a lot of time on the recruiter side of that search box. Most LATAM profiles I skip are written in Spanish or Portuguese, use a job title nobody in the US types, or hide the stack inside a paragraph.
Key Takeaways
- Write the profile in English. US recruiters search in English.
- Put the title and stack a recruiter would type into your headline.
- If you're employed, set Open to Work to recruiters only, and understand its limits.
- Keep your real location, and say which US hours you work.
The headline does most of the work
Your headline sits under your name in search results, and recruiters scan it in about a second. A pattern that works:
`Senior Backend Engineer | Python, Django, PostgreSQL, AWS | Remote, US time zones`
Weak versions I see every day:
- "Software Developer at [company]". No stack, no level.
- "Passionate about technology and innovation". Says nothing.
- "Ingeniero de Sistemas". A US recruiter will never type it.
Use the titles US job posts use. "Systems engineer" means something else in the US. If you build web apps you're a backend, frontend or fullstack engineer. If you run infrastructure, check how roles like DevOps engineer or platform and SRE engineer are titled and match them.
The keywords recruiters actually type
| If you want roles like | Put these words in your headline, About and experience |
|---|---|
| React frontend | React, TypeScript, Next.js, frontend engineer |
| Python backend | Python, Django or FastAPI, PostgreSQL, REST APIs, backend engineer |
| Mobile | React Native or Flutter, iOS, Android, mobile engineer |
| AI | LLM, RAG, Python, AI engineer |
| DevOps | AWS, Kubernetes, Terraform, CI/CD, DevOps engineer |
Repeat your core technologies inside each relevant job entry. A stack that shows up once, in a skills list, is weak. One that shows up in three jobs with a result attached is strong.
Keep the Skills section to things you'd defend in an interview. Thirty skills including "Microsoft Word" makes the whole list meaningless.
Open to Work, location and language
LinkedIn gives two visibility choices for Open to Work. Per LinkedIn's help page, "All LinkedIn members" is visible to everyone, including people at your current company, and adds the green #OpenToWork photo frame. "Recruiters only" limits it to people using LinkedIn Recruiter. LinkedIn says it tries to hide your status from Recruiter users at your own company, and also says plainly that it "can't guarantee complete privacy." If you're employed, pick recruiters only and assume your boss could still find out.
In your job preferences, add "Remote" and the US-style titles you want, alongside any local ones.
Location. Keep your real city. Remote LATAM roles are often filtered by country, and a fake US location falls apart on the first call or at the payment step. In the About section, say it directly: "Based in Bogota. I work US Eastern hours." Whatever is true.
Language. Make English your main profile. LinkedIn lets you add a secondary profile in another language, so you can keep a Spanish or Portuguese version for local recruiters. Viewers see the version matching the language they use LinkedIn in.
About section. First person, short paragraphs, specific. Three results with numbers beat a row of adjectives. If your English is strong, back it with evidence: "Five years on distributed teams with US product managers." The first call will test it anyway, and our guide to improving your English for remote developer jobs covers how to get there.
A Concrete Version
A composite example. Rafael is a Java developer in Sao Paulo with eight years in banking systems. His headline: "Analista de Sistemas Senior" plus his bank's name. About section in Portuguese. Job entries say "desenvolvimento e manutencao de sistemas." He gets maybe one recruiter message a month, all local.
One evening of edits:
- Headline: "Senior Java Backend Engineer | Spring Boot, Kafka, PostgreSQL, AWS | Remote"
- About (English, about 90 words): what he builds, two results ("cut nightly settlement from 4 hours to 35 minutes"), and the US hours he covers.
- Each job: three bullets with stack words and one number.
- Open to Work: recruiters only, titles "Backend Engineer", "Java Engineer", "Senior Software Engineer", remote.
- Featured: a link to a public Spring Boot project.
- Secondary profile: Portuguese, for local recruiters.
Over the next six weeks he sees more recruiter views from outside Brazil and gets a handful of messages about US remote roles. Some are poor fits. Two become interviews. That's the realistic result: more of the right conversations, with the offer still decided in interviews. A role like our Java backend engineer is the kind he'd now match.
The Honest Counterpoint
LinkedIn is one channel, and a crowded one. A great profile doesn't rescue a weak CV, and recruiter inboxes are full of noise and outright scams. Read how to spot a fake remote developer job offer before you send documents to anyone.
Waiting to be found is also slow. The engineers who land US roles fastest pair a clean profile with applying directly to roles that fit. Then, when a hiring manager clicks your name after you apply, the profile confirms your CV. Keep titles and dates identical across both. A mismatch looks like a lie even when it's a typo.
Frequently Asked Questions
Should my LinkedIn be in English or Spanish?
English as the main profile if you want US roles. Add a Spanish or Portuguese secondary profile if you also want local offers.
Does the green Open to Work frame hurt?
Recruiters disagree, and I haven't seen solid data either way. For a LATAM engineer targeting remote roles it's usually fine. If you're employed, use recruiters only.
Should I connect with US recruiters I don't know?
Yes, with a one-line note on what you do and what you're looking for. Keep it short, and don't paste your CV into the note.
The Bottom Line
English profile, a searchable headline, stack words in every job entry, an honest location, and Open to Work set with care. Then don't sit and wait. Browse our open roles and apply to the ones that match your stack.
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Roberto Espinoza is CEO of Ruzora, which places senior LATAM engineers with US startups. Browse open roles.
