Building Your LinkedIn Profile

From the Top

  • Professional “Headline”: After your name, this is the first line viewers see. Go beyond simply putting “student.” (Examples: Marketing Intern, Yale College Junior or Yale Graduate Student Seeking Digital Advertising Positions or Junior Environmental Studies Major at Yale College).
  • Photo: This is the first image a viewer will have of you. Be mindful of how you want to project yourself and be sure that it is appropriate for the audience.
  • LinkedIn URL: Claim your personalized URL and consider including the public URL at the top of your resume, just under your name with your email and phone number.
  • Summary: Highlight your key work experiences and accomplishments. Include specialties and skills. Keep it concise, specific and keyword rich.

Sample Summary:

As a student, I have devoted my studies to ______, and am seeking employment in the following areas: _______ and _____ . My work as a _____ and ______ complemented my academic coursework at Yale University and allowed me to develop an understanding of ________. I am excited to apply my strengths in _______ and ________ to the field of ________.

  • Experience: Include experiences relevant to your career goals. Give a brief description of each position, the dates you worked and the name of the organization, similar to what you have on your resume.
  • Education: Include, in reverse chronological order, Yale and any other schools or programs.
  • Additional Sections & Information: Add additional sections to your profile, or incorporate this information in your education, experience or summary sections, such as languages, volunteer experiences, courses, certifications, publications, honors & awards, groups and associations, interests, skills and expertise.
  • Applications: LinkedIn Applications enable you to enrich your profile, such as Creative Portfolio Display, Blog Link, WordPress, Company Buzz.
  • LinkedIn Groups: Join groups that are of interest to you and you will receive periodic emails and be able to engage with others in the group.
  • Populate your profile with connections: First search for people you know and send them an invitation to connect. Be sure to customize your invitation as most people won’t accept a generic invitation. Keep in mind online networking does not replace in-person relationship building.

Additional LinkedIn resources and tip sheets:

By Yale Office of Career Strategy
Yale Office of Career Strategy
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