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LinkedIn Profile Checklist
LinkedIn Profile Checklist
LinkedIn is a powerful resource for networking and finding new opportunities. In many career industries, professionals are expected to have a LinkedIn profile. Treat your profile like a resume that needs to be found by using keywords that match the jobs you want. To make sure your profile is completed, go through OppNet's recommended LinkedIn profile components checklist below:
Profile Photo
Profile Photo
Posting a profile photo is optional, but it helps your connections and others to recognize you and gives your profile legitimacy. In fact, members with a profile photo receive up to 2X more profile views and 3X more connection requests. This means you’re more likely to be discovered by recruiters and others that can help you land a job!
Headline
Headline
The default headline is your current position. This is the first description people will see when they click on your profile. Adding skills and keywords can make it easier for recruiters to find you. Your headline can be up to 220 characters long.
We recommend keeping your headline updated with your class year and major so recruiters can easily confirm your eligibility for opportunities.
Learn More: Read headline examples from JobScan for inspiration!
About
About
The About section is similar to a Summary or Objective statement on your resume. It's a space for you to describe your career path in your own words, highlight your accomplishments, and share about your other interests and passions. It's optional to write an About section, but if you are actively job searching we recommend using it as a place to differentiate yourself from other candidates!
Education
Education
This is where you list your high school and college experience, along with graduation dates. You can also choose to highlight your major, relevant coursework, GPA, clubs, and awards in this section. Be selective about what you want to highlight.
Experience
Experience
Your work and leadership experiences can be formatted similarly to your resume (as bullet points) but you can also simplify it into 1-2 sentence description more suitable for a general audience. You can highlight skills. We do encourage you to highlight your accomplishments in the role and link to projects when possible.
Learn More: How to write your LinkedIn Experience section (with examples)
Skills
Skills
Skills are incredibly important to highlight, especially as more employers move towards skills-based hiring. You can list up to 50 skills on our LinkedIn profile. Be specific when possible and consider the keywords employers in your industry are looking for.
Learn More: Why It's Important to List Skills (with examples)
Custom URL
Custom URL
You can customize your LinkedIn URL for FREE to make it easier to share and look professional on your resume header. Don't forget to add your URL to your OppPortal profile as well so it can be displayed on the Student Directory for you to connect with your fellow Fellows on LinkedIn as well!
Pronouns
Pronouns
Adding your pronouns is an optional feature on your LinkedIn profile. If you choose to display your gender pronouns, you’ll be able to control who sees them. Pronouns are displayed next to your name on your profile.
Name Pronunciation
Name Pronunciation
LinkedIn allows users to record a voice clip up to 10 seconds long with their name pronunciation. This will be displayed as a speaker icon next to your name, which users can click to hear. This audio recording can only be added on the LinkedIn mobile app.
Relevant Coursework
Relevant Coursework
We recommend highlighting Relevant Coursework in your Education section to help add keywords that can connect you with employers. There is also a 'Courses' section in a LinkedIn profile which workds well for standalone courses you have taken outside of your school/university.
Porfolios & Projects
Porfolios & Projects
If you have projects you are proud of from your coursework or summer programs, consider adding them to your LinkedIn profile. This allows employers to view past work samples. Consider where you want to add these attachments or links. You can create a 'Featured' section at the top if you have a portfolio that you want to highlight, or you can add links and attachments tied to specific experiences.
Banner Graphic
Banner Graphic
A background banner is optional, but it can further personalize your profile by showcasing personal or professional interests on LinkedIn. Use a simple image that reflects your field or interests to make your profile stand out visually. Canva even has templates to make your own banner graphic.
Expand Your Reach
Expand Your Reach
It benefits your profile to like, comment, and share posts from companies and industry leaders. Being active shows your knowledge and keeps your name visible to your entire network.
✨ Try out OppNet's new AI tool to generate ideas on how to expand your reach! ✨
Connect with LinkedIn Users
Connect with LinkedIn Users
Add people you know from OppNet (other Fellows and staff), school (professors and classmates), internships, summer programs, clubs, mentors, etc.
Check out our Networking page to view some message templates and examples for making connections!
Post & Share Content
Post & Share Content
Posting on LinkedIn is a great way to stay connected to your network. Write a post about a recent accomplishment, upcoming internship, or new skill. You can also share an article of interest with your comments to share your knowledge and insight with others.
Only a small fraction of LinkedIn's 1 billion members actively create content. Posting can help you stand out in a competitive job market!
Join Relevant Groups and Follow Industry Leaders
Join Relevant Groups and Follow Industry Leaders
Join an alumni group for your school and search for other groups related to your industry of interest. Some examples are Public Relations and Communications Professionals and Consultants Network.
Following industry leaders is a great way to stay up to date on trends, developments, and information shared within your field.
💬 Messaging on LinkedIn:
🤝 You can send a personalized connection request to anyone, regardless of their level of connection (1st, 2nd, or 3rd), and with your request, you can send a message of up to 300 characters.
👥 Join LinkedIn groups related to your career industry. If you and your target person are in the same LinkedIn Group, you can message them directly -- even if you’re not connected and don’t have Premium.
📧 Many professionals include contact info under “Contact Info” on their LinkedIn profile (sometimes visible even without connecting).
Note: LinkedIn has unfortunately not provided additional free Premium codes for OppNet Fellows since fall 2024. We suggest these workarounds for sending messages to professionals outside your network.
LinkedIn for Students.pdfMaximizing LinkedIn Workshop
Maximizing LinkedIn Workshop
Below is a Zoom recording of the Career Success on LinkedIn Virtual Workshop from the 2025 Graduation event series. This portion covers a walkthrough of the LinkedIn platform and some recommendations as well as an alumni panel composed of LinkedIn superstars.
Passcode: U3BYE=EW
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