Your LinkedIn profile
Build a LinkedIn profile that gets you noticed. Your LinkedIn profile can help opportunities find you. Many employers use LinkedIn and Handshake to identify and recruit potential candidates, and 95% of recruiters on LinkedIn are there to find people to hire. A strong profile helps you showcase your experiences, skills, and interests while making it easier for recruiters, employers, alumni, and other professionals to learn more about you.
Whether you’re creating your first LinkedIn profile or updating an existing one, this page will help you strengthen every section of your profile, from your photo and headline to your experience and education. You’ll find examples, best practices, and resources to help you build a profile that stands out, then use Quinncia or connect with a career coach for feedback.
Improve your LinkedIn profile with Quinncia
Are you a graduate student?
This content is tailored for undergraduates.
Graduate students, see Academic Job Market Preparation
Before you start: profile-wide tips
Before you update your profile, keep these best practices in mind. They’ll help you build a stronger profile and avoid some of the most common LinkedIn mistakes.
- Start building your connections now. Connect with professors, supervisors, staff members, classmates, and others you know professionally.
- If you don’t personally know someone, engage with their content first and send a personalized connection request.
- Remember that LinkedIn is a professional social media platform. Be professional in every interaction.
- Keep your profile updated as you gain new experiences, skills, and accomplishments.
- LinkedIn is not a copy-and-paste version of your resume. Many sections work differently and allow you to tell a more complete story.
- Before you begin applying for jobs or internships, make sure your profile is fully completed. Complete profiles are more likely to appear in recruiter searches.
Profile photo
Your profile photo is often the first thing people notice when they visit your LinkedIn profile. Choose a photo that is professional, current, and reflects how you’d like to present yourself to recruiters, employers, alumni, and other professional connections. The goal is to make a positive first impression and help others recognize you.
Common profile photo etiquette:
- Make sure you are the only person in the photo.
- Wear attire that fits your target industry.
- Think of the picture like a yearbook photo: upper torso and above.
Need a professional photo? UT students can get one free at the Professional Photo Booth.
Cover image
Your cover image is the large image that appears behind your profile photo at the top of your LinkedIn profile. Think of it as an opportunity to reinforce your personal brand and make your profile more visually engaging. Some students choose an image that reflects their academic or professional interests, while others use a favorite photo of campus or Knoxville. You can also create a custom cover image using a free design platform like Canva. Include elements that help tell your story, such as your major, career interests, or areas of expertise.
Helpful tip: If you’re creating a custom cover image, use dimensions of 1584 x 396 pixels to ensure it displays correctly on LinkedIn.
Profile URL
Customizing your LinkedIn profile URL makes it easier to share on your resume, email signature, business card, and other professional materials. It also makes your profile easier for recruiters, employers, and professional connections to find.
Steps to change it:
- Go to your LinkedIn profile.
- Click “Edit public profile & URL.”
- Under “Edit your custom URL,” click the pencil icon and make your changes.
Best practice: Use a simple URL such as FirstName-LastName.
Headline
Your LinkedIn headline is one of the first things people see when they visit your profile. Many users leave the default headline in place, but LinkedIn gives you up to 220 characters on desktop and 240 characters on mobile to highlight your interests, skills, goals, and experiences. A strong headline can help recruiters, employers, and professional contacts better understand who you are and what you’re looking for.
Example headlines:
- Aspiring Digital Marketing Professional | Passionate about using analytics and data to improve organic reach | UT Knoxville Marketing Student
- Aspiring [Your Field of Study] Professional | Passionate about [Your Area of Interest] | [School], [Major]
- Emerging Software Developer | Skilled in Java and C++ | Seeking Software Development Internships to Strengthen Technical Skills | UT Knoxville Computer Science Student
Before and after comparison:
Which profile would you click on first?
“Computer Science Student at UT Knoxville”
OR
“Emerging Software Developer | Skilled in Java and C++ | Seeking Software Development Internships to Strengthen Technical Skills | UT Knoxville Computer Science Student”
A detailed headline helps tell your story at a glance. Recruiters often search LinkedIn using keywords related to skills, industries, and job titles. Including relevant terms in your headline can improve your visibility in search results and encourage employers to learn more about you.
Location
Add the location where you hope to work after graduation. If you’re interested in opportunities in a specific city or region, updating your location can help employers and professional connections find you more easily. You can update your location as your career interests and plans change.
Filling out the rest of your profile
Your LinkedIn profile is more than just a headline and photo. Sections like Experience, Education, Skills, Projects, Certifications, and Recommendations help tell a more complete story about your interests, accomplishments, and involvement. Take time to fill out the sections that are most relevant to your experiences and goals.
Featured section
Use the Featured section to showcase your best work and accomplishments. You can add projects, portfolios, presentations, articles, videos, or LinkedIn posts that highlight your experiences and interests. Think of this section as a way to provide examples of what you’ve done beyond what’s listed on your profile.
About section
The About section is your opportunity to introduce yourself and tell your story. Consider answering four simple questions: Who are you? What motivates you? What are you skilled at? What’s next? Highlight experiences, interests, strengths, accomplishments, and goals that have shaped your journey so far. Writing in first person can help your profile feel authentic and give readers a better sense of who you are beyond your resume.
Experience section
Use this section to highlight jobs, internships, campus employment, leadership roles, research, and other meaningful experiences. Focus on your accomplishments, contributions, and the skills you developed along the way. You can also add skills to each experience, helping others better understand your strengths and areas of expertise.
Education section
Include your education information, including your degree program and expected graduation date. Use the official name of your degree when possible. The Education section is also a great place to highlight academic achievements, campus involvement, study abroad experiences, and other experiences that have shaped your college journey and helped you develop new skills and interests.
Licenses and certifications
Add any certifications, licenses, microcredentials, or professional development experiences you have completed. This can include industry certifications, course-based credentials, and LinkedIn Learning certificates. As a UT student, you have free access to LinkedIn Learning through the university.
Recommendations
Recommendations provide an opportunity for others to share their experiences working with you. Consider requesting recommendations from supervisors, professors, advisors, mentors, coworkers, or organization leaders who can speak to your strengths, contributions, and growth.
Other sections
LinkedIn offers additional sections such as Projects, Volunteer Experience, Organizations, Honors & Awards, Publications, and more. As you gain new experiences, continue updating your profile to reflect your involvement, accomplishments, and interests.
Use your profile to build connections
A strong LinkedIn profile helps people find and learn about you. The next step is using LinkedIn to build meaningful professional relationships. Learn how to grow your network, connect with alumni and employers, request informational interviews, and maintain professional connections over time.
Do this next
A strong LinkedIn profile can help opportunities find you. Take the next step by adding a professional photo, getting feedback, and learning how to build meaningful professional connections.
Ready for a coach to review your profile?
Meet with a Peer Career Advisor during drop-in hours to review your headline, About section, and overall profile before you start sending connection requests.
Career Coaching & Education
Center for Career Development & Academic Exploration
865-974-5435