Tips and tricks for building your LinkedIn profile for postdocs

Many postdocs maintain an online presence through a personal website or their research group’s website.

Often, sites such as LinkedIn are perceived as useful only for those fresh out of undergraduate studies or looking for business roles.

However, as the largest job social media site, LinkedIn is becoming more and more critical for those seeking roles outside of academia.

A LinkedIn profile is more than an online CV, it is a major networking tool and online job board. In fact, it is becoming more common for postdoctoral and academic-related roles to be posted through LinkedIn.

LinkedIn can be a powerful tool for exploring and reaching the next step in your career, but first you must take the time to build a good profile.  Luckily it won’t take too long – below are some keys tips for making your profile really stand out.

Top tips:

  • Headshot – A good headshot will not only make you seem warm and approachable, but LinkedIn statistics show your profile is ~27 times more likely to be viewed if you include a photo. It doesn’t have to be formal, but don’t dress distractingly or have a busy background. Don’t forget to smile!
  • Compelling headline– The headline is 120 characters to summarise yourself. Contrary to popular belief, it doesn’t have to be your job title. I can be comprehensive and doesn’t need to include full sentences. Remember LinkedIn uses search engine algorithms to match your profile so think about what keywords you want to include in your headline to make your profile searchable.
  • Succinct summary – This is a slightly longer summary (up to 2000 characters) where you can also include what you are looking for in a role or your career overall. Remember to use relevant keywords here as well!
  • Personalise your URL – it just takes a moment, and makes your profile link more memorable for you and for others.
  • Experience – You probably already have most of this section written as it will most closely resemble parts of your existing CV.
  • Connections – The more people you connect with, the broader your network. LinkedIn works on a degrees of separation (1st, 2nd, 3rd).
  • Groups – Join any alumni groups of universities you have attended, as well as any professional groups that match your interests. Bonus tip: You can directly message someone who is a member of the same group as you – regardless of what level connection they are to you.
  • Media – You can upload presentations, press releases, etc. directly to your profile. There is no need to upload all your publications or your PhD thesis, but if there are key articles or works that you would like to share, these can lend credibility to your skills.
  • Activity – as with all social media, more activity means more input from other users Again, don’t feel compelled to write blog articles and comment on every notification that comes your way, but as with all social media, the more you use it, the more your profile will get promoted.

Find out more in our video

By Sonali Shukla, Postdoc Careers Adviser

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