How to Build Your LinkedIn Presence

The site is called LinkedIn.com, and it provides the opportunity to stay in touch with your professional connections.  But, it does much more than that and those other aspects of the site can provide an amazing amount of value to your career exploration or job search activities.  Here is how we recommend you use LinkedIn.

• Complete your profile.
  • Name: Use your preferred name
  • Picture: Use an image that is both professional and of just you
  • Headline: This can be a brief description about you and your experience. TIP: make it different than your job title!
  • Background Image: Use this as an additional space to showcase your brand
  • Summary: Your LinkedIn "elevator pitch." You can include details such as your top five strengths
• Showcase your work experience and show off your education!
  • Clear and concise: very similar to your resume
  • Include your major, minor, and university. Show that Carolina pride!
  • Highlight your activities and extracurriculars
  • Don't forget study abroad programs, summer institutes, and volunteer work.
• List your accomplishments
  • List out any awards, scholarships, or certificates you have earned worth noting
    • Include awards where you were nominated (even if you did not win): Someone took the time to nominate you
    • Include those LinkedIn Learning Certificates!
• Claim your unique LinkedIn URL:
  • Set your LinkedIn Profile to "public" and claim a unique URL for your profile (you can include this URL on your resume!)
  • To claim a unique URL go to Settings > Edit Public Profile > Customize Public URL