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7 LinkedIn Profile Tips for Graduate Students

Why linkedin is important for graduate students like you.

LinkedIn is the best social media platform for graduate students. This guide tells you why.

I’m Jennifer van Alstyne. Welcome to The Social Academic blog, where I share how to manage your online presence. I write about websites and social media for academics.

In this article, learn 7 ways to improve your LinkedIn profile for graduate students

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7 ways to improve your LinkedIn profile while in grad school

Your headline should be descriptive

How do you write a LinkedIn headline as a student? Most grad students I see on LinkedIn have a Headline like “Graduate Teaching Assistant at University of Iowa” or “PhD Student at Temple University.” The information I see most is Job Title + Affiliation, but it’s not enough.

You need more information in your Headline to invite people to explore your profile. Communicating who we are in just 120 characters is hard.

In my article on LinkedIn for Professors and Researchers, I talk about how your Headline is the one piece of information about you people are guaranteed to read if you

• write them a message
• appear in their search results
• send a connection request

Be specific when writing your LinkedIn Headline. Include as much detail as you can in 120 characters. A good formula to follow is “Keyword + Job Title or Student + affiliation | Area of specialization.”

A headline like, “Political Science PhD Candidate | Graduate Research Assistant at Duke University | Security, Peace, and Conflict” is descriptive. It uses keywords people may search on LinkedIn when looking for connections (i.e. political science, Duke University, security, peace, conflict).

When your friend asks what to put in their LinkedIn headline as a student, send them this post.

Join my LinkedIn profile course for academics.

Profile photos that focus on your face are easier to recognize

When you choose a profile photo for LinkedIn, choose one that focuses on your face.

Some people prefer an upper body headshot that includes your chest and face. On mobile screens it’s much harder to recognize upper body headshots than face headshots.

Choose a profile photo of your face. And don’t forget to smile!

Here’s how to take a professional headshot for free on your phone.

Write an About section with a friendly bio

Write a short bio for your LinkedIn profile that introduces you to profile visitors. I start mine with “Hi, I’m Jennifer…” because real people visit my profile and I want to be friendly.

Include in your bio the information you most want people to know.

This is not a traditional academic bio. You can talk about your

• work experience
• educational background
• volunteer/service experience
• hobbies and interests

Add the bio to your LinkedIn Experience section.

Let people know how to contact you

People may want to get in touch with you beyond sending a connection request on LinkedIn. In your About section, after your bio, include contact information.

How do you most want to be contacted? Some grad students like to use their institutional email address. Any email address is fine, as long as it’s one you check.

Maybe you spend more time on Twitter than checking your email. Including social media handles where you can be contacted is another great option for graduate students.

Share links in your Experience and Education sections

Your Experience and Education sections on LinkedIn can be dynamic! You can include links and other media to entries in these sections.

For example, in your Education section you could include a link (URL) to your

• School or department website
• Research lab
• Publication
• Blog post or interview
• News or media mention

You can also include other types of media like images and PDFs.

Choose 50 skills that make sense for you now

You can add up to 50 skills on your LinkedIn profile. Many of you may be headed on the non-academic job market.

Skills on LinkedIn are an important part of applying to jobs through LinkedIn. Basically, the LinkedIn algorithm matches your profile (including your Skills) to the requirements jobs you apply to through LinkedIn. Hiring managers get a score that says how closely your profile matches the job. So if you don’t include skills on your profile, your application may not even be viewed.

Check out my tips for social media and the job market.

Add 50 skills to your LinkedIn profile. The Skills section is a good one to update each year.

Your LinkedIn profile will change over time

As you grow and change, so will your LinkedIn profile. LinkedIn is the best alternative to a website because it

• Shows up high in Google search results and other search engines
• Can be updated and edited whenever you need
• Can include links and media making it more dynamic
• Can be extensive without being overwhelming
• Has advanced search capabilities making it easy to find the right connections
• Is helpful if you’re an academic for networking with your scholarly community
• Is highly recommended when applying for jobs (non-academic)
• Is becoming more social (more conversations are happening on LinkedIn)

But your LinkedIn profile won’t change if you don’t update it. Review each section of your profile at least once a year. Add an update to your calendar now. The best place to start your is by updating your student LinkedIn headline.

Your online presence helps your real life

Grad students, I have faith that you can do this. You can make a great LinkedIn profile that helps people understand who you are and what you care about. People that want to help you.

Want step-by-step training to update your LinkedIn profile? Here’s my online course to help you do-it-yourself.

If you want more help with LinkedIn, don’t hesitate to reach out! I’d love to work with you. Graduate students have used university funds (professional development funds, academic department, and graduate school) to pay for support when they work with me on 1:1 online presence services.

Ask your university to bring me in as a speaker. My workshops are fun and interactive. And you’ll build confidence when showing up online. I’m here to help you. Learn more about my workshops.

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Jennifer van Alstyne View All →

Jennifer van Alstyne is a Peruvian-American poet and communications consultant. She founded The Academic Designer LLC to help professors build a strong online presence for their research, teaching, and leadership. Jennifer’s goal is to help people feel confident sharing their work with the world.

Jennifer’s personal website https://jennifervanalstyne

The Academic Designer LLC https://theacademicdesigner.com

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10 Stunningly Good Graduate Student LinkedIn Summary Examples

How much thought did you put in while crafting your LinkedIn profile, more importantly, your LinkedIn student summary? You probably did a good job, but are you interested in seeing 10 stunningly good summary graduate Student LinkedIn Summary Examples? If so, read on!

Much like Facebook and Instagram serve as our social identities, LinkedIn cultivates our professional identity and serves as a professional database for our digital footprint.

We all have digital footprints, whether we create them intentionally or unintentionally. Businesses, entrepreneurs, HR recruiters, and industry leaders have increasingly started recruiting professionals and freelancers from LinkedIn.

Setting a good first impression is of the utmost importance, and a LinkedIn profile that you created hastily will cast a negative light on your professional identity. So, if you’re looking for lucrative opportunities to market your skills and explore career advancement opportunities, your LinkedIn student summary is a crucial element that needs to be perfected. 

Why is a LinkedIn student summary so important? 

Your LinkedIn student summary is the most significant element of your entire LinkedIn profile. It should be engaging, impressively written, well-structured, and, most importantly, it should be grounded in reality.

HR recruiters, mentors, and executives have a keen eye for professional aesthetics and content regarding  LinkedIn  profiles. 

Recent graduates and students seek to build up their resume, refine their digital footprint, and engagingly present their professional LinkedIn profile. LinkedIn graduation posts have become increasingly popular across student LinkedIn accounts, and they serve a significant purpose. 

Recent graduates enter the industry with an innovative and upgraded skillset, enhancing their  marketability  for talent Scouters and firms that recruit fresh talent. Many students create LinkedIn profiles to keep up with the trend, and their LinkedIn student summary sections are either blank or consist of one-liners and odd phrases. 

Students who are just about to embark on their professional journeys need to focus on cultivating their digital profile and marketing their skillsets as early as possible. The global job market has become increasingly competitive, with freelancers and remote professionals claiming immense prominence-because of their ability to market their services and skills effectively. 

It’s crucial to set aside all distractions and focus on crafting a LinkedIn graduation post. Your post should be inspiring, detailing your experience and skills, and reflecting your ambitions and life goals. 

This article will walk you through ten impressive LinkedIn summary examples for graduates, alongside some pro tips to craft an engaging LinkedIn student summary for your profile. Take a look:

Compelling LinkedIn Student Summary Examples 

• Mikaila V. Smith 

In a highly impressive profile, Mikaila has detailed her academic and professional achievements in a truly engaging manner. This is one of the best LinkedIn summary examples for students who wish to attract professional opportunities and market their skillset strategically. 

• Samantha Manguiat

This is a cleverly crafted LinkedIn student summary. It allows Samantha to outline her academic experience, professional capabilities, and passions with a well-written introduction. It’s a great example to follow if you’re finding it difficult to craft your LinkedIn summary. 

• Maks Fraszka

Here’s an excellent example of taking inspiration from infusing your LinkedIn student summary with creativity. Maks Fraszka tells his life story in a brief yet engaging student summary. He details his academic and professional pursuits with a lighthearted banter that reveals his personality and interests. 

• Tiffini Simmons

This is another impressively detailed profile and a highly presentable LinkedIn summary for students to learn how to market their skills effectively. Tiffini outlines her academic exposure, skills, and work experience by just getting to the point. 

• Megan McDonnell 

Here’s an example that reveals that an impressive LinkedIn student summary doesn’t necessarily have to be lengthy to make an impact. You can impact engagement by focusing on engagement and highlighting the strengths that will make you an excellent asset for any firm and industry. 

• Anthony Fioretto

Anthony Fioretto has used his LinkedIn student summary to discuss his academic pursuits, professional experiences, and interests. He has used this crucial LinkedIn space to reflect his personality, share his passions, and underscore the factors that motivate his ambitions. This LinkedIn student summary example can help you craft a brief yet impactful summary to make your Student LinkedIn account appear highly promising!

If you still have a few years of academic learning left and want to build up your resume with prestigious internships and volunteer opportunities, here’s a compelling LinkedIn student summary to check out. Matt Pell has outlined his academic and professional experiences and his future goals, with a well-written summary that reflects his ability to market his skillset effectively. 

• Noah Delumpa

One of the most inspiring LinkedIn student summary examples shared in this article, Noah Delumpa’s summary, is highly engaging and moving. With great craft, Noah has outlined his academic and professional pursuits. Instead of boring the reader with heavy jargon and big brand names, he talks about his professional values, ethics, and drives.

• Kaitlyn O’Connor

Another excellent example for students who are still navigating through their academic journey. Kaitlyn’s LinkedIn student summary does not include any prestigious internships, but it is just as impressive because she candidly shares her motivations behind her academic pursuits. 

• Will Hubber

Are you looking for good internships while completing your academic journey? Will Hubber’s LinkedIn student summary offers a lighthearted introduction to his academic pursuits and professional values and strengths. An excellent strategy to get noticed and make a lasting impression without using too many words! 

Tips to Write an Impressive LinkedIn Student Summary 

We’ve explored some examples to walk you through the contents of an impressive Linkedin summary for students. Now, let’s turn our attention towards some tips that can help you craft one for yourself. 

• Define your academic journey

Your LinkedIn student summary must reveal your academic pursuits and the motivations that inspired you to embark on your chosen degree. Recruiters, mentors, and observers are not just interested in the institutions you are affiliated with or the degrees you have completed. 

They want to know more about why you choose a particular major and how you plan to use it. Luckily, your LinkedIn graduation post is the right space to explain why your chosen academic path inspires you. Modern-day employers seek fresh graduates who are inspired and motivated, and you can cast a powerful impression by presenting your drives and academic interests in detail. 

• Professional experience and pursuits 

Since LinkedIn is a professional database, your LinkedIn summary must outline your experiences, internships, and other accolades on your resume. Only listing down your experiences won’t make a desirable impact. You have to use each experience to outline what you’ve learned, and how that particular opportunity helped you grow professionally. 

Writing about professional experiences allows you to present your strength and even discuss crucial projects you’ve worked on. It is an opportunity to show your skills in a highly engaging manner and discuss your strengths by revealing how you have cultivated them. 

• Your values and ethics 

Do you consider yourself to be a natural-born leader? Or perhaps, you firmly believe in your abilities to cool off tensions and arbitrate disputes? Do you believe in teamwork and thrive in nurturing environments, or do you prefer to work alone? 

All of the LinkedIn summary examples for graduates introduced above discuss professionals’ values and ethics because employers are keen to extract knowledge that reflects your values. Instead of allowing them to make their own assumptions, you can directly demonstrate who you are. 

Use your student LinkedIn bio to present the qualities and values that make you an excellent fit for any organization. What do you have to offer as an employee, a colleague, a subordinate, and a community member? Your summary must touch upon your values and ethics, however briefly or expressively you prefer. 

• Humanize your profile 

Employers and recruiters are not looking for bots that can be programmed to perform specific tasks. They are looking for bright and talented graduates with vibrant personalities and the potential to make meaningful contributions to their organizations. It is instrumental in humanizing your account with a creative flair and a narrative grounded in your real experiences. 

Instead of mimicking the student LinkedIn summaries, you’ve seen in our list or elsewhere, concentrate on presenting your own experiences and struggles. What are the elements, passions, and values that define you as a person? What were the defining moments of your academic journey or professional experiences that clarified your professional goals? 

Where did you travel to study or work, and what are your interests other than exploring lucrative professional opportunities? It is crucial to present a human side to your professional profile to balance the narrative and cast a good impression. 

• Maintain clarity 

It is crucial to define the goals of your LinkedIn graduation post or student summary throughout the narrative. What are your professional goals? What is the nature of your skillset and talents? What kind of work environment are you looking for? Are you currently pursuing your education or looking to get hired by a reputable firm? 

Maintaining clarity is of the utmost importance, so avoid dragging out ideas too much. The best LinkedIn student summaries strike a balance between too short and too long and present just enough information to hook the reader without causing them to work too hard. 

• Focus on keywords 

Keywords are the most significant element to be mindful of as they will make your LinkedIn student summary optimized for search results. LinkedIn has a considerably higher ranking in Google’s search results, and focus keywords will help you enhance your digital footprint and, consequently, your marketability. 

Be sure to incorporate the most relevant keywords to your professional skills, industry, institution, and interests. It is ideal to do your research on your keywords before you start writing the draft. There’s a dashboard located right below the summary, where you can find “search appearances” to identify the keywords used by your searchers. 

Scoop up all the keywords relevant to your professional goals and career pursuits, but be sure to avoid jamming them into the summary tactlessly. 

• Originality and uniqueness

It may seem overwhelming, but once you start writing, it will get more comfortable and you can work on refining your draft. It is crucial to go through all the LinkedIn summary examples for students given above and take notes of the keywords, narration, and themes. 

This will help you create a mental structure of the summary you want to introduce your academic and professional pursuits and offer an impactful glimpse into your personality. There’s no point in imitating these LinkedIn summary examples since uniqueness and originality are of the utmost significance to make you stand out. 

Cultivate your own unique blend of creativity and focus more on humanizing your experiences. Often, when we admire the experiences and portfolios of others, we unconsciously end up judging ourselves against them, which can be quite destructive if practiced routinely. It is crucial to take pride in everything you have accomplished so far and present it with confidence. 

Be sure to outline your personal goals, professional values, and use this summary to display your unique blend of intellect, wisdom, and creativity. Be sure to add an action point at the end of your LinkedIn summary, encouraging people to contact you for a collaborative and rewarding professional relationship. 

Focus on creating a narrative that reflects your personality and outlines your academic and professional goals, not like a resume. Still, like a fun introduction, one would give at an orientation meeting. 

We hope that this guide was helpful and inspiring in crafting a creative and impactful LinkedIn student summary. If you need further guidance about perfecting your LinkedIn profile as a recent graduate or student, please check our online training section and profile optimization service. We’re always happy to help young adults at the cusp of professional greatness! 

Main Photo by inlytics | LinkedIn Analytics Tool on Unsplash

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7 Tips to write a Perfect Graduate Student LinkedIn Summary (With examples)

• November 20, 2020
• CAREER SKILLS

LinkedIn is one of the best and commonly known online, professional networking services. Many graduate students can take advantage of this platform to grow professionally, especially since LinkedIn is one of the places where different companies find their employees through recommendations .

However, since every student has a profile on LinkedIn, you should strive to make yours stand out in ways that will capture the attention of the reader. Since everyone is focused on their LinkedIn profiles, the LinkedIn summary is often overlooked. As a graduate student, you can focus on your LinkedIn summary to stand out from the rest of the students from all areas of study.

Another important reason why you should consider writing a good graduate student LinkedIn summary or the “about” section is because this is the third part that your readers will see after seeing your profile picture and name. The profile picture and the name may be appealing, but if the summary is not well written, the reader will lose interest even before reading the summary further.

Unlike other platforms which may limit you to the number of words that you need to use in your summary, LinkedIn allows you to write a summary about yourself in about 2000 words. Some of the best tips for writing the best graduate student LinkedIn summary include the following.

1.Start your first sentence with a hook

The first sentence of your graduate student LinkedIn summary should capture the attention of the reader and make him or her want to read more. Managers have so many things to do, and if they are looking for the best graduate student LinkedIn summary, yours should stand out in unique ways. To make your LinkedIn summary stand out, you need to make the reader want to know more about you and to effectively do this, use a hook in the first sentence of your LinkedIn summary.

2.Use specific- keywords

Using keywords help in putting you closer to the top. This is because most employers use keywords when looking for the best candidates for a specific position. This is why a graduate student LinkedIn summary should incorporate keywords, to help find a student fit for a specific position easily.

For instance, you can write that “I am currently in my last year as a Law Student at Harvard University” . When an employer is looking for law students, you are most likely to appear at the top because you have used the keyword “law student”. In addition to that, all the other students with the same keyword will also appear at the top of the search.

3.Always write from a first-person perspective

Most of the professional biographies usually take the third-person narrative. However, when writing a graduate student LinkedIn summary, you should always use the first-person narrative. This makes the reader know more about you at a personal level  from just reading your voice.

The tone that you use in your LinkedIn summary will also tell the reader more about yourself, and if you are very passionate about your professional achievements. Confidence is one of the key things that most employers look for in their candidates, making it very important to portray a high level of confidence in your graduate student LinkedIn summary.

For instance, you can say that “I know how much teamwork can cause a positive change in the company and for individuals. I believe that teamwork makes dream work, and I consider myself a good team layer.” The fact that you have written the summary from a first-person perspective shows the reader that you are talking about “you”, and that you have recognized some of your best qualities that you think are important when put to use.

4.Use short to medium-length paragraphs

A well-written paragraph should have at most seven to eight lines. This makes it easier for the reader to get the point of the whole graduate student LinkedIn summary. Consequently, writing long paragraphs will only make your work look boring and unpleasing to the reader. However, if the paragraphs are short or medium length, the reader will be interested in going on reading your LinkedIn summary.

In addition to that, also ensure that your paragraphs do not have long sentences. Have short sentences that are punctuated correctly, and can give the reader time to relax and get the whole point behind the graduate student LinkedIn summary.

5.Include information about your personal life

Remember that the reader also wants to know more about your personal life, and the things that you find interest in. since LinkedIn is an online platform that is used mainly for professional purposes, it is better to show the reader that you are a human being, and that you also have a life outside work.

Some students think that listing only their professional life will get managers attracted to their profiles. However, when you cannot find something fun to do after work, getting productive at work will be difficult because you will be burnt out and exhausted from working all the time.

The reader also wants to see the personal side of your life too. In your graduate student LinkedIn summary, you can include a few of your hobbies, the things you find interesting, and even your pets. Listing this on the summary is important especially since the rest of the LinkedIn profile says everything there is about your professional life.

For instance, you can say that “I am a football fan, and I spend most of my free time watching my favorite teams. If I am not glued to the screen watching a football match, you will find me walking my dog, mostly in the evenings.” You want to portray that you are human and you also have a life outside of work.

6.Avoid saying you are Unemployed

Telling the reader that you are unemployed only shows that you are not optimistic and that you are not ready for whatever may happen in the future. For instance, if you are a graduate teacher, engineering student, or law student, then you should focus on what the future holds for you. You are not unemployed, rather you are the future professor, engineer, and lawyer that the country needs. Therefore, whenever you are writing your graduate student LinkedIn summary, avoid using the term “unemployed” to refer to your current situation. It would be better to show some level of optimism.

7.Explain what you are doing currently

The experiences that you have gained so far need to be recognized in the graduate student LinkedIn summary. The employers need to know why you are doing what you are currently doing. Writing about your current experiences also shows the reader whether you are fit for the task at hand in a given company. However, when explaining what you are currently doing, focus on making it as simple as possible, so that it is easy for the reader to understand.

Writing a clear, straightforward, and concise summary is very important as compared to writing long LinkedIn summaries. A LinkedIn summary does not need a conclusion because the summary itself gives the information that the reader wants to know. Concluding a summary only makes you repeat everything you have said.

8.Common graduate student LinkedIn summary mistakes

The above tips help students write the perfect graduate student LinkedIn summary. However, there are some common mistakes that students tend to make in their LinkedIn summary. Some commonly made mistakes include the following.

Not having a profile picture

A profile picture helps the reader to know who he or she is dealing with. Failing to have a LinkedIn profile picture looks unprofessional and possibly could give a negative expression to a person who is interested in your graduate student LinkedIn summary. Not having a picture can deliver the wrong message that you may be a fraud.

Unprofessional profile picture

LinkedIn is an online professional platform where most people can be recommended for work. This means that most of the information you have on your profile should be professional, including your profile picture  . Having an unprofessional profile picture will not get you any readers.

Spelling, grammar & punctuation mistakes

Human beings are prone to make mistakes. However, since you want to appear professional, you should go through your graduate student LinkedIn summary to ensure that there are no typing errors in your summary.

Not mentioning your core strengths

You have to mention the things that you are good at, both personal and professional in your LinkedIn summary. However, some students fail to include their skills in their summaries, and this makes their whole summary irrelevant. Readers go through LinkedIn summaries to get the best candidate, with the desired skills to hire.

9.Examples of Graduate Student LinkedIn Summaries

How a student writes a LinkedIn summary depends on his or her major. This is what will help you sell yourself and will make you appear at the top of the search list. In this case, we are going to focus on two examples of graduate student LinkedIn summary, which will be mainly focused on a Finance student and an Education student.

Finance graduate student LinkedIn summary

This market requires you to sell yourself through marketing your main background skills on LinkedIn. An example of the LinkedIn summary is as follows.

“I am a 2016 Finance graduate student from Cambridge University. I have a passion for Entrepreneurial Finance and have used my communication skills for the best interest of both my team members and the company as a whole. I have worked in the real world, with real challenges, and getting solutions to these challenges is always very satisfying. Over the past year and a half, I am honored to say that my company has made me grow in ways I thought impossible. I consider myself aggressive, passionate, and a problem-solver. I love getting things done and I take pride in seeing everyone happy with my work. I am also a pet lover, who loves taking long walks with my dog when not on work duty,”

Education graduate student LinkedIn summary

Education is a major that is taken by various students. It is therefore advisable that anyone who wishes to pursue a career in education, to focus on any experience they may be having in the classroom. If you are passionate about teaching, then that is an added advantage. An example of a eduacation graduate student LinkedIn summary is as follows.

“I knew I wanted to be a teacher from the moment I kept tutoring my nieces. I realized that my passion for teaching grew immensely and I made sure that it did not stop at tutoring my relatives. I pursued a career in Education and graduated in 2017 from the University of Massachusetts. Teaching has been my long-term passion, and I am confident to say that I love teaching Literature at Yale University. I find teaching refreshing and my communication skills have positively impacted the lives of my students. Problem-solving has been made much easier through communication and understanding.”

Engineering graduate student LinkedIn summary

A well-written description will immensely help students in engineering and other technical programs—the engineering sector values participants who can communicate effectively and market themselves well. Using bullet points would be efficient to describe yourself to people. An example of an engineering graduate student LinkedIn summary is as follows.

I thrive on building connections between materials science and computational engineering and have spent several years in the domains of surface engineering and nanotechnology. I’m a graduate of the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Moratuwa, Sri Lanka. Freelance Academic Writer and Tech Blogger: Helping scholars and young professionals to advance in their carriers. Data Analyst : Modelling / Visualization / Data management /Mining / Wrangling. Proficient in : MATLAB / COMSOL Multiphysics / Solidworks / Creo Parametric / R Studio. Learning never stops.

10.Conclusions

All the above graduate school summaries have one thing in common: they were all written from the first-person perspective. This shows the reader that you are talking about yourself and your experiences and depicts a level of confidence that may just help you secure a chance in a given company. The paragraphs are short, with precise and clear sentences that are easy to read and understand, making work easier for the reader. Therefore, a graduate student LinkedIn summary should be straight to the point and should show some skills that you possess and think that will help you secure a chance in another institution.

Images Courtesy : Photo by inlytics | LinkedIn Analytics Tool & Photo on Unsplash , Vector icon from freepik , Background photo created by rawpixel.com – www.freepik.com

Aruna Kumarasiri

Founder at Proactive Grad, Materials Engineer, Researcher, and turned author. In 2019, he started his professional carrier as a materials engineer with the continuation of his research studies. His exposure to both academic and industrial worlds has provided many opportunities for him to give back to young professionals.

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OurResearch blog

News from the ourresearch team, 7 tips to supercharge your academic linkedin profile.

Like 1.9 million other academics, you’ve got a LinkedIn profile. Along with the rest of us, you set it up to improve your visibility and to network with other researchers.

Well, we’ve got some bad news for you: your LinkedIn profile probably isn’t doing either of those things right now. Or at least, not very well.

The problem is that LinkedIn is built for businesspeople, not scientists; it’s tough to translate the traditional scholarly CV into the business-friendly format imposed by LinkedIn. So most scientists’ profiles are dull and lack focus on their most important accomplishments, and their networking attempts are limited to “friending” co-workers.

We’re going to fix that by giving you seven easy hacks to turn LinkedIn into a powerful tool for scholarly visibility and networking.  Today, we’ll help you supercharge your profile; then in our next post, we’ll show you how to leverage that profile to built a powerful professional network.

1: Bust down barriers to finding your profile

What good is a killer LinkedIn profile if no one can find it, or if your profile is so locked down they can only see your name?

 Your first job is to check your “public profile” settings (go to Privacy & Settings > Edit your public profile) to make sure people can see what you want them to.

What might others want to see? Your past experience, summary, and education, for starters; also include your best awards, patents, and publications. But don’t worry if you haven’t got the right content in place yet; we’ll fix that soon.

Next, double-check your settings by signing out of LinkedIn completely and searching for yourself on both LinkedIn and Google.

Are you findable now? Great, let’s move on.

2: Make your Headline into an ‘elevator pitch’

LinkedIn includes a short text blurb next to each person’s name in search results. They call this your “Headline,” and just like a newspaper headline, it’s meant to stimulate enough interest to make the reader want more.

Here are some keys to writing a great LinkedIn headline:

Describe yourself with the right words: Brainstorm a few keywords that are relevant to the field you’re targeting. Spend a few minutes searching for others in your field, and borrowing from keywords found in their profiles and Headlines. For instance, check out Arianna C’s Headline: “Conceptual Modelling, Facilitation, Research Management, Research Networking and Matching”. Right away, the viewer knows what Arianna is an expert at. Your headline should do the same.

Be succinct: Never use two words when one will do. (Hard for academics, I know. 🙂 ) Barbara K. , who works in biotech, has a great Headline that follows this rule: “Microbiologist with R & D experience.”

Show your expert status: What makes you the chemical engineer/genomics researcher/neuroscientist? Do you put in the most hours, score the biggest grants, or get the best instructor evaluations from students? This is your value proposition–what makes you great. Those with less experience like recent graduates can supplement this section by showing their passion for a topic. (I.e., “Computer scientist with a passion for undergraduate education.”)

Use a tried and true formula to writing your headline: 3 keywords + 1 value proposition = Headline success, according to career coach Diana YK Chan . So what does that look like? Taking the keywords from (1) and value proposition from (3) above, we can create a Headline that reads, “Computer scientist with a passion for undergraduate education and experience in conceptual modelling and research management.” Cool, huh?

Well-written headlines are also key to making you more findable online–important for those of us who need to disambiguation from similarly-named researchers beyond  ORCID .

3: Make yourself approachable with a photo

The next step to making yourself memorable to get a good photo on your profile. Here are three tips to remember:

Don’t tilt your head . Lots of folks, especially women, do this in photos to look more friendly, but it ends up making you look unassertive instead. Be confident.

Turn your shoulders; the straight-on post yells “mugshot. ”

Try posting an action shot, emphasizing for the viewer what you’re good at–for instance:

public speaking ,

field work ,

4: Hook ‘em with your Summary section

Now it’s time to encourage viewers of your profile to learn about you in more detail. That’s where the Summary section comes in.

Your Summary is an opportunity to provide a 50,000 foot view into your career and studies to date. Don’t just use this section to repeat information found elsewhere on your profile. Instead, write a short narrative of your professional life and career aspirations, using some of the keywords left over from writing your Headline. Here are three tips to help:

Be specific

Don’t use technical jargon, but do provide concrete details about your research and why it matters. Make yourself a person, not just another name in a discipline. Anthropologist Jason Baird Jackson does a great job of this:

“I have collaborated with Native American communities in Oklahoma since 1993, when I began a lifelong personal and research relationship with the Euchee/Yuchi people.”

Be up-front about what you want

Don’t beat around the bush when it comes to your professional goals. If you’ve done your job right, future employers, reviewers, students, and collaborators are probably reading your profile. Great. Now, what do you want to do with them? Let them know what you’re after, like scientist CW Hooker does in his Summary:

“I am always interested in discussing collaborations and future opportunities.”

Prove your value

Finally, use your Summary section to describe what you’ve done and why it matters. Elizabeth Iorns , breast cancer researcher and entrepreneur, explains to profile viewers that,

“Based on her own experiences as a young investigator seeking expert collaborations, Dr. Iorns co-founded Science Exchange. In 2012, after recognizing the need to create a positive incentive system that rewards independent validation of results, Dr. Iorns created the Reproducibility Initiative.”

 Right there is proof that she gets stuff done: she’s created solutions in response to service gaps for scientists. Impressive!

5: Give the scoop on your best work

If you’re a recent graduate or junior academic, it can be tempting to put all of your work experience on your LinkedIn profile.

Don’t do it!

Putting all of your positions on your profile can trivialize the more important work that you’ve done and make you look scattered.

Remember, your LinkedIn profile fills different role than your CV–it’s more of a trailer than a feature film. So include only the jobs that are relevant to your career goals. Mention a few specifics about your most important responsibilities and what you learned at those jobs, and save the gory details about your day-to-day work for your full CV.

A good rule for more senior researchers to talk mostly about your last 10-15 years of experience. Listing all of your past institutions will make for a monster profile that will turn readers off with too much detail.

After all, why would someone care if you were a lab assistant for Dr. Obscure at Wichita State University in 1985, when the more compelling story is that you’ve had your own lab since 2006?

6: Brag about your best awards and publications

Keeping it short and sweet also extends to discussing awards and publications on your LinkedIn profile. Highlight your best publications (especially those where you’re a lead author) and most prestigious awards (i.e., skip the $500 undergraduate scholarship from your local Elks club).

If you’re seeking an industry job, keep in mind that publications and awards don’t mean nearly as much outside of academia. In fact, you might want to leave those sections off of your LinkedIn profile altogether, replacing them with patents you’ve filed or projects you’ve led.

7. Add some eye-catching content

If LinkedIn were designed for scientists, it’d be much easier to import information from our CVs. Too bad it’s not. Nonetheless, with a little ingenuity you can make the site great for showcasing what scientists have a lot of: posters, slide decks, and figures for manuscripts.

If you’ve ever given a talk at a conference, or submitted a figure with a manuscript for publication, you can upload it here, giving viewers a better taste of your work. Add links, photos, slideshows, and videos directly to your profile using the Upload icon on your profile’s Summary and Experience sections. Consider also adding a link to your  Impactstory profile , so you can show readers your larger body of work and its popular and scholarly impact.

Want some inspiration? Neuroscientist Bradley Voytek has added a Wow Factor to his profile with a link to a TEDx talk he gave on his research. Pharmacology professor Ramy Aziz showcases his best conference talks using links to Slideshare slide decks. And Github repositories make an appearance alongside slide decks on PhD student Cristhian Parra ’s profile (pictured above).

You too can upload links to your best–and most visually stimulating–work for a slick-looking profile that sets you apart from others.

If you’ve followed our steps to hacking LinkedIn’s limitations for scientists, that drab old profile is spiffed up and ready to share. Now you’re poised to make lasting connections with your colleagues via LinkedIn, and hook potential collaborators.

But! You haven’t even scratched the surface of LinkedIn’s value until you use it to network. We’ll show you how to do that in the second part of our series. Stay tuned!

Do you have tips for crafting great LinkedIn profiles, or what you–as an employer–look for in a LinkedIn profile? Leave them in the comments below!

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How to optimise your LinkedIn profile as an academic

Research Retold

Many of our research clients use LinkedIn and have expressed interest in improving their profiles. So we decided to gather some tips and insights from our team and other academics who encountered the same challenge.

In this blog, we share concrete suggestions on how to optimise your LinkedIn profile as an academic to help you get the most out of this networking tool.

The list is not by any means exhaustive, but it provides an initial guide.

If you have more recommendations please share them in the comments!

Why use LinkedIn as an academic?

In contrast with other social media platforms, LinkedIn is focused on business and employment. As such, it has the potential to communicate your research to corporate audiences and bring a wider readership to your work (Morcom, 2020). 

As of February 2021, LinkedIn had over 675 million users according to the site. This can be very useful to create contacts, especially with companies and researchers you would like to collaborate with. 

LinkedIn is an excellent tool for looking at job opportunities, which usually arise through contacts rather than being advertised. Actually, one of our Research Retold team members first contacted us through this channel. This platform also enables you to share and highlight your research as well as to comment on other people’s work (van Alstyne, 2020).

Think of your LinkedIn profile as a dynamic CV in which you can showcase your skills, expertise and experience.

Since the platform is less personal than Facebook and more formal than Twitter (Morcom, 2020), the way you share information in your profile requires a different approach.

Here are some main recommendations when setting up your profile to optimise your LinkedIn profile as an academic in terms of the look and the content:

1) The look of your profile

• Use a professional picture . Have a solid colour background, good lighting and preferably a smile. This will make it easier for others to associate you with the information you share on your profile.
• Display your expertise at a glance . Use the banner to add more related images. For example, pictures of you doing your usual activities. These can be tutoring, giving lectures, doing lab work or on field trips. Remember, a picture is worth a thousand words.
• Write a headline that summarises what you do, or even what you want to do . This is the second most important part of your profile. It is the punchline that will make a recruiter or peers get interested. Be as brief and specific as you can. You can use keywords that make your profile easy to find. A recommended structure is:  name | keyword + job title + affiliation | field or specialisation. For example “John Kerry | Energy Systems Professor at the University of Sheffield”

2) The content in your profile

• Write a brief career story . When writing the ‘About’ section, avoid jargon and be relatable. Make it easier for others to understand your background and point of view. You can even share your core values (Barlow, 2020). 
• Share your experience in the designated section . An advantage of this platform is that it has space for you to give brief explanations of projects rather than just titles and bullet points. You can use 1 – 2 sentences. Keep all the details relevant to your skills and strengths. For example:

[box] Assistant Lecturer/Tutorial demonstrator

Part-time 2018 – 2020 2 yrs

• Lecturing, tutoring, invigilating and exam marking for COM1002 Foundations of Computer Science.
• The module covered: logic, set theory, Boolean algebra, linear algebra, proofs, probability theory.

Project Coordinator 

Part-time 2019 – 2020 1 yr

• Project coordinator of the collaboration between the University “X” and University “Y”.
• Funding from UKRI, grant xxxxx for studying the impacts of meditation in self-perception.[/box]
• Add volunteering activities . This will highlight your interests and allow others to see what you care about. You could share your experience as a tutor/mentor or your involvement in the activities of NGOs and university societies. If you are still a PhD student, these experiences can vouch for your teamwork and time management skills. Especially if you do not have working experience yet.
• Use the Featured section to showcase your work . In this section, you can share slides, papers, links or other kind of content. It is a great way to organise and expose your portfolio to others. For example, during conferences, you can show this section in case you want to share your previous work and you don’t have your computer with you.

Have a look at your profile. Does it display your values? Have you conveyed your purpose? Did these suggestions help you to optimise your LinkedIn profile as an academic?

Make the most of LinkedIn

Once you have created a nice and easy to navigate profile it is time to put it to good use.

You put a lot of hard work into it. Now it’s time to share it with the world, just as with any other research project findings.

Here are some actions you can take to reach out to others and make them notice you:

Build your network

Follow companies and people that interest you.

When looking for contacts, use keywords on your search. For example,  type “process engineering”, “physical therapy research” or “behaviour analysis”. This can help you find pages and companies related to your area of expertise. You can leave comments on their posts and share their publications. If you want to take it to the next level, why not send a personal message? Write about why you would like to collaborate with them and what you have to offer.

Post new content

Join professional groups, things to remember.

• Your LinkedIn profile is a living thing, and it needs to be kept up to date.
• Connect regularly to add new experiences or accomplishments. This will also help you track your career progress.
• Be your biggest supporter!

Barlow, Sonya. “ Succeed with LinkedIn ”. AllBright Academy: Supercharge your career. 2020. Accessed 09 February 2021. 

Frisch, Lucy. “ 5 Tips to use LinkedIn in promoting your research ” Springer Nature. August 2017. Accessed 09 February 2020. 

Morcom, Tom. “ How researchers use LinkedIn effectively ” Research to Action . 29 July 2020. Accessed 09 February 2021. 

van Alstyne, Jennifer. “ Is LinkedIn important for academics? ” The Academic Designer . 24 January 2020. Accessed on the 09 February 2021. 

Many thanks to our Research Communicator, Phebe Bonilla, for writing this blog post.

The Savvy Scientist

Experiences of a London PhD student and beyond

How to Master LinkedIn for Academics & PhD Students

Whichever stage you’re at in your academic journey it’s never too soon to start building up your presence on LinkedIn. While LinkedIn is commonly known as a platform for job seekers and professionals, it also provides a great way for academics and PhD students to showcase our research and engage with others in our fields.

In this post we’ll walk through my top tips for networking with LinkedIn. We’ll begin with covering why having a LinkedIn profile can be a good idea, move on to polishing your profile and how to engage with the community, then discuss how to expand your network.

I’ve also included a few bonus tips at the end for anyone who’s approaching the end of their PhD and looking to make the move into industry.

Tight on time? Be sure to download my LinkedIn Top Tips guide from the free resource library so you can start putting these suggestions into practice.

Why You Should Use LinkedIn as an Academic Researcher

I’ll admit that I used to think that LinkedIn wasn’t useful for anyone outside of the corporate world. However, despite not using any other social media, I’ve been actively using LinkedIn as a researcher for a number of years and think it is well worth setting up an account.

Here’s why:

1. Stay up to date with developments in your field

Yes, us researchers do use LinkedIn! I see loads of new and interesting work getting shared on LinkedIn: not just people announcing their own papers getting published but also highlighting interesting studies they’ve seen.

You can follow updates for academics on places like Google Scholar but the perk of LinkedIn is that: 1) people will also share their own take on the work 2) since LinkedIn is a network you’ll also be exposed to new work from your connections connections etc. I know that a lot of people like Twitter/X for this stuff too.

For this reason I suggest adding people that you meet at conferences, currently work with, or would like to work with (more on that in a second!).

2. Learn from others

Alright so I’ll admit that the idea of using any social media platform to learn things can quickly descend into doom scrolling.

However, given that people generally treat LinkedIn as a lot more of a professional platform than most others, it does seem to be a lot more curated (i.e. useful) if you’re following the right people. I often see people sharing useful tutorials, workflows, interesting findings, etc, alongside general cool science.

3. Expand your reach

You can of course use LinkedIn as a platform to share your own research, thoughts etc. This makes it more likely that relevant researchers could see your work and will help you to build your own personal brand if you’re into that.

4. Career moves and job opportunities

The obvious reason! I see loads of job adverts on LinkedIn and it’s easy to set up alerts for specific companies or job roles. If you’re considering moving into industry at some stage this can be a fantastic place to look for open positions.

Sometimes I’ve known PhD students or academics to urgently set up a LinkedIn profile out of desperation when they’re looking for a job. It is much better to gradually set one up, as we’ll come onto shortly.

5. Collaborations

Maybe you’re not looking for a job, but networking via LinkedIn can still be a useful way of building connections with people you may want to work with: by collaborating!

For this reason I suggest adding interesting people you meet, or reaching out to people who you know do cool work. We’ll discuss more about the best ways to connect with them shortly.

6. I nteresting academic opportunities

LinkedIn can act as a notice board for different opportunities which may become available.

For instance:

Now that we’ve covered off some of the benefits of using LinkedIn as a researcher, we’ll next go into some practical ways to network on LinkedIn.

Polish your Profile

Your LinkedIn profile is the first impression you make on potential connections, fellow academics, collaborators, and employers. So the best place to start is by enhancing your profile to ensure it accurately represents who you are and what you do.

Some of my key recommendations are:

• Start early and enhance it over time – filling out a lot of blank spaces can seem intimidating, so make things easier for yourself by just doing a high level summary now and gradually fleshing it out.
• Make it visually appealing – use a professional headshot and interesting background picture.
• Regularly add new projects and publications – it can be tricky to remember your achievements after a lot of time has passed, so make it a regular habit to add new information to your LinkedIn. While you’re at it I’d also encourage this for your CV as well.

Once you’ve got your Linkedin profile set up, you’ll be ready to move onto the next step: interacting with others on the platform.

Engage with the Community

LinkedIn isn’t just a place to display your credentials, it’s a dynamic community where you can build relationships and share your insights.

Here are a few ways you can start engaging on LinkedIn:

1. Add People You Already Know

Search for people you already have connections with, this could include both your current colleagues and previous course-mates. Building this initial network creates a strong foundation for what will come next.

2. Interact with Other Posts

I feel like a YouTuber saying this but like, comment, and share posts related to your field. Offer meaningful comments that showcase your expertise.

This not only helps you build relationships but also increases your visibility.

3. Get Active!

Interacting with other posts is all well and good, but it’s also important to actively share your knowledge and research with your network.

Write posts about interesting papers, developments, or challenges in your field. This invites discussion and shows that you’re actively engaged in your area of study. Sharing your work could also lead to collaboration opportunities!

Expand Your Network

Building a meaningful network on LinkedIn involves more than just connecting with your immediate contacts. It’s about expanding your reach and connecting with professionals and researchers who share your interests.

Here are some ways you can expand your LinkedIn network as a researcher:

1. Join Relevant Groups and Follow Hashtags

LinkedIn groups are like virtual conferences and seminars, where people in your field gather to discuss the latest research and trends. Find groups related to your research interests and join them. Participate in discussions, share your insights, and connect with group members.

It’s also possible to follow hashtags to stay updated on topics of interest. Check out the video below for further information on how to do this.

2. Find Your LinkedIn QR Code for Faster Networking at Conferences

LinkedIn offers a QR code feature that makes connecting with new people easy. When you meet someone at a conference, simply give them your QR code to scan and you’ll be connected!

You can find your QR code by logging into the LinkedIn app on your phone and clicking on the search bar. Upon doing so a QR code symbol should appear on the right-hand side. Once clicked it will provide your code, ready to be shared and scanned.

3. Add a Personalised Note When Cold-Contacting People

While connecting with people you know is straightforward, you’ll also want to reach out to professionals and researchers you haven’t met yet. When sending connection requests to people you haven’t interacted with before, always include a personalised note.

This is really important! Personally I don’t ever tend to accept invites from people I don’t know if they’ve not added a note, or aren’t clearly working on interesting topics. I can only assume other people take this approach too.

Also, even if someone does accept your invite, if you’ve not sent them a message they don’t have any reason to know why you’re interesting in connecting.

• If you’ve met someone at an event, just send them a quick note reminding them of who you are.
• If you’ve never met them before, explain why you want to connect, how your interests align, or what you hope to gain from the connection.

This extra step will significantly increase both the chances of them accepting the invite and how meaningful your connection with them is.

Example notes you can use

• “Hey {X}, I really enjoyed your talk at {a conference} and would love to connect. Thanks”
• ”Hi {X}, after my PhD I’m hoping to move into {new career field} and would really appreciate a quick call to hear about how you were able to make the leap.”

It’s worth saying that yes, you can ask for something immediately, but it’s even better if you’re able to offer your new connection something as well. Do expect that they will look at your profile before accepting.

Bonus: LinkedIn Job Search Tips

Finishing up your PhD and/or considering a move into industry?

If you’re in that position now, here are a few things you can do to maximise your chances of securing a role.

1. Target Specific Companies

Already have a specific industry or company in mind? Below are three ways to boost your chances of success.

• Stay Informed: Follow companies you are interested in working for to stay up to date about job openings, company news, and developments in your chosen field.
• Engage: Interact with the content companies post on LinkedIn. Commenting and sharing their updates might get you noticed by their recruiters.
• Leverage the Alumni Tool: Use LinkedIn’s Alumni Tool to see where graduates from your university work. This can help you identify companies that have hired people with your academic background.

2. Optimise Your Profile for Job Searches

Use relevant keywords in your profile to make it easier to discover in job searches. Include skills, qualifications, and job titles you’re interested in.

3. Use LinkedIn Job Search Tools

LinkedIn has an abundance of tools specifically designed for job seekers.

Here are two ways to use these to your advantage:

• Activate Job Preferences: Let recruiters know you’re open to job opportunities by discreetly activating the “Open to Work” feature in your profile.
• Set Job Alerts: Create job alerts based on your preferred criteria.

4. Utilise Networking

Your LinkedIn network can be an incredibly valuable resource when searching for job opportunities. Start by reaching out to connections who work in your desired industry and seek advice or referrals. I personally know of people who have been successful in securing roles this way after struggling to otherwise get a foot in the door after graduating.

It can also be a good idea to follow thought leaders in your chosen field and engage with their posts. This will help to ensure you stay up to date on the latest insights and there’s always the chance it could end up leading to a job opportunity.

Finally, be sure to look out for and attend online webinars and events within your industry to further expand your network.

Summary: How to Master LinkedIn for Academics and PhD Students

LinkedIn can be a powerful tool for academics and PhD students, it allows you to showcase your research and can help to open up opportunities for collaboration.

By following these tips you can build your online presence, stay informed about the latest trends in your field and put yourself in the best position for your next career move.

You can find all of the key points available in my free LinkedIn Top Tips guide, available to download from the resource library .

I’d highly encourage everyone to set up a LinkedIn profile, even if you’re at an early stage in your PhD and dead-set on staying within academia. It’s so much easier to build it up gradually than to try and tackle it all in one go and you never know what opportunities it may lead to! If you want to add me here is my profile .

Happy networking!

Do you have any other suggestions for how academics and PhD students can use LinkedIn? Let me know in the comments!

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• 11 . 24 . 19
• Build Your Network , LinkedIn

I Reviewed 53 PhD Linkedin Profiles. Here’s What I Saw

• Posted by: Chris

One morning in December, I put the call out on Twitter that anyone with an advanced degree looking to build a career should join the new Roostervane group on LinkedIn.

Plus, I promised to do a LinkedIn review of anyone who joined that day.

The requests started rolling in quickly. And by the end of the day, I’d reviewed 53 profiles. It was amazing to see the caliber of people in the group. So many with fantastic skill sets and interesting backgrounds. And while so many of the profiles had so many great things, I noticed a few common places where they could be improved.

This post may contain links to affiliate products, which–if you choose to purchase–pay us a commission at no extra cost to you. This helps to support our work. We only promote products we’ve used and love.

You can read my story about leaving academia in Doctoring: Building a Life With a PhD–Available on Amazon.

1. Work from top to bottom

Go look at a few LinkedIn profiles and see what you notice. If you’re like most people, you see:

• The Picture
• The Headline
• The “About” Section
• The “Experience” Section
• Anything else

Exactly in that order.

When you fill out your Master’s or PhD LinkedIn profile, the temptation is to put the most work into the “Experience” section—like a resume—to show what you’ve done.

But the thing about LinkedIn is that people open a page, start at the top, and stop reading if they get bored. Unlike a resume, they can’t glance down at your history; they have to scroll.

When people have all their career details buried in the “Experience” section, which some readers will never get to, it hurts the profile.

Since the “About” section comes first by default on LinkedIn—some people never get there.

Make sure your profile starts with a strong headline, at least a few sentences of “About” that are interesting and show some personality.

2. The Picture

So arrange your priorities based on the list we just wrote.

What’s the first thing people notice? Before they even click on the link that takes them to your site?

The picture!

This is so important. The picture should be clear and close up. It needs to be close enough that people can look into your eyes and trust you. And if you’re smiling it goes a long way!

Professional headshots are great. But if you don’t have that, wash your face, do your hair, put on something clean and professional, and stand against a wall outside and smile directly into your phone’s camera-selfie lens. You’ll get something that looks good. (I know it’s awkward. I’ve done it too. Push through it.)

Allow me to demonstrate.

This picture is me.

This picture is also me.

Crooked tie, I know. But still, it’s obvious which one is best.

The thing that’s vital… and I mean vital… to understand, is that a connection request from the first picture will get ignored. The second might get some traction.

3. Make your headline shine

If employers or recruiters search for a role they need to fill on LinkedIn, your name will only come up if you have some of the keywords they’ve searched for. Then, they see your name on a tiny little list of people that pop up.

Try it yourself.

Search for a job title in the LinkedIn search bar and notice what you see. Which profiles stand out to you?

If you’re trying to get a non-academic job in a specific field, it’s important to add a field-specific word to your headline. “Researcher” doesn’t mean much, so it’s way better to have “AI Researcher” or “Historical Researcher.” I’d identify a field here with ONE ADJECTIVE ONLY. Keep it tight.

Also, if you’re looking a PhD for a non-academic job, I’d recommend having “PhD Candidate” or “PhD Student” as part of your headline—BUT ADD MORE THAN THIS! This is a bad PhD LinkedIn.

Fill it out a bit with a few extra descriptives.

If you are changing fields or are in a field that’s less relevant to non-academic work, try adding an aspirational title to your headline that identifies a specific value you bring to the job market.

For example, you might be a “Project Manager,” “Data Analyst,” or an “Editor.”

So all together, this could look like: “AI Researcher | Data Analyst | PhD Candidate” or “Historical Researcher | Research Project Manager | PhD Student.”

I format mine like this—with the tiny little bars—but you don’t have to. Have a look around LinkedIn at different ways to do it.

4. Be careful with academic jargon

This advice depends. If you’re looking for altac work splicing genoisotopic hormones of CHN—and there’s an industry for that—totally leave it in. (I just made that up, so don’t google it.)

But if you’re looking to make yourself hireable to a wider variety of employers, I’d keep it simple. “I do gene splicing,” or “I’m a conservation archeologist.”

And for humanities students in obscure fields (like my ancient history degree was), I wouldn’t talk too much about your research. Focus more on general value propositions you bring. So “my research is on ancient Egyptian sacrificial urns” might become “I’m a historian studying how people build meaning into their lives…” or something like that.

5. Let’s talk “About”

The “About” section is important. As I said above, it’s the thing people often see first, and sometimes the only thing they see.

I love an “About” section that’s engaging and shows some personality.

Remember, a lot of employers see academics as being out of touch and having their heads in the clouds.

There’s no better way to contradict this than with an engaging career story that shows that you’re more than just a pretty brain. ( I also wrote this post about assumptions employers make about PhDs and how to counteract them .)

Use first person.

Tell your career story with limited jargon.

Don’t just talk about your research field. Talk about the skills you bring to the workplace that employers want.

And don’t be afraid to say where you want your career to go.

6. Lead with your thoughts

If you’re on the non-academic job market or you will be soon, it can be great to engage in some thought leadership on LinkedIn. Start sharing links of posts in your field. Comment (kindly and intelligently) on things others have written or shared. And write your own material on LinkedIn or a blog and share it!

It’s a great way to get eyes on you and your profile and to establish yourself as an emerging voice. ( I wrote this post about the value of thought leadership ).

A few final thoughts about your PhD LinkedIn…

There are different seasons of a PhD LinkedIn. I’m not job-searching anymore. I’m an entrepreneur. And so, I don’t need potential employers to be impressed by my LinkedIn.

However, I do use LinkedIn for thought leadership! So I use my LinkedIn differently. And opportunities now come to me from my network.

LinkedIn was a great tool in building this network in the first place. And a LinkedIn reach-out literally got me my first job. So the possibilities are endless!

Finally, there’s no one way to do LinkedIn. If you search for advice on how to do it, you’ll find different things. People have different opinions on what works, and it changes regularly.

But if you focus on 1. Who you are, 2. What your skills are, and 3. How they can solve a problem for an employer —You’ll be fine.

Hey! If you’re in the process of building a career with a PhD, check out my book about leaving academia– Doctoring: Building a Life After a PhD — now available on Amazo n.

  Psst… Did you know Roostervane has a YouTube channel? Here’s a video I made with some quick networking tips. Don’t forget to subscribe!

Read More About Making Your LinkedIn Shine

10 powerful linkedin tips to take your networking game to the next level., linkedin for phds: how to use it to build an amazing non-academic career.

Why You NEED to Trust Yourself

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The Biggest Mistake on PhD’s LinkedIn Profiles

Many PhD students and postdocs wonder if they really need a LinkedIn profile. Very often they are told by their advisors that using LinkedIn is a waste of their time. Perhaps it might not be the best go to website for academic job searches; however, if you are exploring any non-academic options, then you need to start using LinkedIn.

To ignore this huge platform would be a mistake and especially disadvantageous for an industry job search. Recruiters are actively sourcing job candidates via LinkedIn. With 590 million users worldwide, one of the keys to standing out is maintaining an active presence on the site. Another key to effectively marketing yourself on this site is to use keywords effectively.

With that in mind, the biggest mistake PhDs make on their LinkedIn profile is often one of the first things a viewer will see – your job title. If you are seeking non-academic positions, you should remove “PhD Candidate”, “Graduate Student”, or “Postdoctoral Fellow” from your LinkedIn headline.

When recruiters search, your headline and professional summary are the first things to appear and recruiters aren’t usually headhunting for a lab’s new postdoc. In fact, if you keep your actual title as your headline, you probably won’t even appear in the recruiter’s search because LinkedIn uses algorithms to help sort profiles based on relevant keywords and skill sets.

Instead of having your actual title listed, consider the jargon of the industry you are targeting. Don’t feel beholden to past academic titles. Add in keywords for the industry positions you are targeting. This could mean a running list of key skills and areas of interest. This will quickly signal to recruiters the types of positions you would be interested in and can help ensure that you will start showing up in their searches.

Examples include: Research Scientist – Project Manager – Science Communications and Outreach – Event Planning

Microbiologist – Health Policy – Global Health

In conclusion, LinkedIn weighs your headline and professional summary very heavily, so when creating your profile, be sure to pay extra attention to those sections.

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How to Add PhD to Name in LinkedIn?

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Have you finished your studies and earned your Ph.D. ? So do you want to know how to add a Ph.D. to your name on LinkedIn ? Should you add a Ph.D. to your name at all? Read the rest of this text to get the answer.

Higher education has been our modern world’s normal for some decades. There are not as many people who never went to college or universities as there were about 50 years ago. Many people have bachelor’s, master’s , or other degrees around you, and many earn their degrees every semester in different fields.

Maybe that’s why it’s been harder to find a decent job with a high school diploma . Of course, there is nothing wrong with choosing not to go to college or anything; all we are saying is that there are a lot of more educated people on the market right now.

At the same time, there are people with Ph.D. degrees. I mean PhDs are not as many people with other degrees but still a lot more than they were before.

But why do people choose to include Ph.D. in their LinkedIn name? We don’t see other people do such a thing, do we? I have a master’s degree and never even considered including it in my name.

Well, because being a Ph.D. is an honor. High education is challenging, but a Ph.D. degree is quite an achievement.

People not only share that they have a Ph.D. in their posts, but they also add it to their education and to their names.

How to add a Ph.D. to your name on LinkedIn? There are some ways to do it.

You can add it to the education section, and thankfully LinkedIn allows you to add any suffixes to your name.

• Log into your account
• Choose “View Profile” from the “Me” dropdown menu in your account’s top right corner.
• Click the pencil icon under your cover photo .
• Add Ph.D. to your last name box
• Click Save.

Adding Ph.D. to your LinkedIn name pros and cons

That is the way you have to add a Ph.D. suffix to your name, but the experts still can’t agree upon whether you should add it to your LinkedIn name or not, and each group has its own reasons to do so or not to do it.

Future leaders

A lot of PhDs have experienced it. They had to do crap, low-paid jobs just to pay the bills and their student loans. But after a while, they get employed for a decent leadership position. Industries know that PhDs can make perfect leaders.

The respect

Now, there is no argument on this one; it is like an ancient gene in humans. Most of us respect people with PhDs unintentionally, just like the way people used to respect Aristotle, Confucius, Democritus, and many others. Not like they had a Ph.D. or something; it’s about the knowledge and thoughts.

Over-qualification

Well, it is a wholly known saying, and you might have already heard it in some interviews you had: “You are overqualified for the available post for you’re a Ph.D.”

So you have two ways. You can either choose to remove the suffix from your name to attract more recruiters (in every field with every job they are looking for candidates for) or just leave it there and wait for the one who is looking for someone with a Ph.D. to lead their company .

It is perfect that you’ve earned a Ph.D. and you can find some very decent jobs now, whether in industries or the education system. You just needed to know how to add a Ph.D. to your name on LinkedIn, and now you do. So, go on and enjoy your knowledge.

Related Questions & Answers

How do i write a linkedin headline for a phd student.

When crafting a LinkedIn headline as a PhD student, it’s essential to highlight your expertise, academic pursuits, and future aspirations. Here’s a straightforward guide on how to write a LinkedIn headline for a PhD student:

• Emphasize your specialization: Begin by mentioning your specific field of study or research specialization in your headline. For example, you can include keywords like “PhD Candidate in [Field of Study]” or “Researcher in [Specialization].” This immediately communicates your academic focus and expertise to potential connections and employers.
• Showcase your accomplishments and goals: Highlight any notable achievements, such as published research papers, conference presentations, or awards. Additionally, include a phrase that conveys your future aspirations or career goals. For instance, you could mention “Seeking opportunities in [Industry/Field] to apply research expertise” or “Passionate about driving innovation and solving complex problems in [Area of Interest].”

By combining your academic focus with your professional aspirations, you create a compelling LinkedIn headline that showcases your expertise as a PhD student while signaling your ambition for future career opportunities.

Should I Put an MBA After My Name on LinkedIn?

When creating your LinkedIn profile, it’s common to question whether including credentials such as an MBA after your last name is appropriate. Adding “MBA” to your profile name can highlight your qualifications and make your profile stand out to people browsing LinkedIn. It serves as a succinct signal of your professional and academic achievements. 

To include it, edit the name field in your profile to append “MBA” after your last name, ensuring it aligns with LinkedIn’s guidelines for profile names. This addition can enhance your resume on LinkedIn, making your advanced degree visible at a glance, which can be particularly beneficial in fields where such a credential is highly valued.

How Do I Add PMP After My Name on LinkedIn?

To add “PMP” after your name on LinkedIn, indicating you have earned the Project Management Professional credential, you should navigate to the profile editing section and locate the name field. 

Here, you can append “PMP” after your last name, effectively using your profile name to showcase this significant professional achievement. Including such credentials in your LinkedIn name makes it easier for people to recognize your expertise and qualifications directly from your profile overview. It’s a strategic way to communicate your specialized knowledge and professional standing within the project management community.

How to Add Credentials to LinkedIn Name?

Adding credentials to your LinkedIn name involves a simple but strategic update to your profile. To do so, access the editing mode of your LinkedIn profile and locate the name field. In this field, you can append relevant credentials, such as PhD, CPA, or any other professional or academic distinction directly after your last name. 

This practice ensures that your highest qualifications are immediately visible to anyone viewing your LinkedIn profile, succinctly highlighting your professional and academic credentials. Remember to include only the most relevant credentials to maintain clarity and professionalism in your profile presentation.

How to Add PMP to Your Name on LinkedIn?

To add “PMP” to your name on LinkedIn, indicating your certification in Project Management, you should click on the profile editing option and modify the name field to include a “PMP” suffix after your last name. 

This adjustment showcases your professional qualification prominently, allowing peers, recruiters, and potential connections to identify your expertise in project management quickly. It’s a powerful way to leverage LinkedIn for professional branding, making your specialized certificate visible and accessible at the top of your profile.

How to Add Degree to LinkedIn Name?

Incorporating your degree into your LinkedIn name is straightforward. You can edit your profile and append the degree, such as “PhD,” “MBA,” or any other academic credential, next to your last name in the PhD name field. 

This action places your academic achievements front and center on your LinkedIn profile, offering a quick overview of your educational background to visitors. It’s an effective method to highlight your academic credentials, making it easier for connections and recruiters to assess your qualifications at a glance.

How to Add MBA to LinkedIn Name?

Adding an MBA to your LinkedIn name is a strategic move to showcase your business qualifications prominently. To include it, edit your LinkedIn profile, appending “MBA” after your surname in the name field. 

This addition immediately informs viewers of your advanced business studies, potentially increasing your appeal to prospective employers or clients browsing PhD LinkedIn. It’s a concise way to signal your professional status and academic achievement within the business community.

Additional Name in LinkedIn Example

For an additional name example on LinkedIn, professionals might include credentials like “John Doe, CPA” or “Jane Smith, PhD” in their profile names. This practice involves editing the profile’s name field to append a credential or qualification, such as a CPA license or a PhD degree, making these qualifications immediately visible. 

This strategy can enhance your LinkedIn presence by succinctly communicating your professional or academic status to viewers, potentially facilitating more relevant professional connections.

Should You Put Your Credentials After Your Name on LinkedIn?

Putting your credentials after your name on LinkedIn is a matter of personal and professional preference, but it is generally considered a good practice in many industries. This approach helps to quickly convey your qualifications and professional standing to viewers, making it particularly useful for individuals in fields where specific degrees, certifications, or professional designations are highly regarded. 

Including credentials like PhD, CPA, or PMP in your profile name provides a clear, immediate indication of your expertise and qualifications. This can enhance your visibility and appeal to LinkedIn recruiters, connections, and peers.

How to Add CPA to LinkedIn Name?

To add “CPA” to your LinkedIn name, showcasing your certification as a Certified Public Accountant, you should access your profile’s editing feature and append “CPA” to your name in the name field. This inclusion prominently displays your professional certification, signaling to viewers your expertise in accounting and finance. It’s an effective way to utilize your LinkedIn profile for professional branding, ensuring that your credentials are immediately noticeable by employers, clients, and colleagues navigating through the platform.

How do you put a PhD on LinkedIn?

To add a Ph.D. to your LinkedIn profile, follow these steps:

• Log In to LinkedIn: Visit the LinkedIn website and log in to your account.
• Access Your Profile: Click on your profile picture or your name to access your LinkedIn profile.
• Edit Your Profile: On your profile page, you’ll see an “Add profile section” button. Click on it.
• Choose “Education”: From the dropdown menu, select “Education.”
• Enter Your Ph.D. Details: In the “Education” section, enter the details of your Ph.D. Include the university or institution where you earned your Ph.D., the degree title (e.g., Doctor of Philosophy), the field of study or major, the dates of your enrollment and graduation, and any relevant honors or awards.
• Optional: Provide a Description: You can include a brief description highlighting your research focus, dissertation topic, or academic achievements during your Ph.D. program.
• Save Changes: After entering the details, click the “Save” button to add your Ph.D. to your LinkedIn profile.

By adding your Ph.D. to your LinkedIn profile, you emphasize your academic accomplishments and expertise, making your profile more appealing to potential employers and professional connections in your field.

How do you add a degree next to your name on LinkedIn?

On LinkedIn, you can’t add a degree next to your name as you would in formal email signatures or academic publications. LinkedIn’s profile format doesn’t accommodate degree titles directly next to your name like a prefix or suffix. Instead, LinkedIn offers dedicated sections where you can list your degrees and qualifications, such as the “Education” section. You can provide details about your degrees there, including the degree title, field of study, university, and dates of enrollment and graduation. While you can’t display the degree directly next to your name on LinkedIn, listing it in the appropriate section still effectively showcases your educational qualifications to your professional network.

How do I add a PhD to my name?

On LinkedIn, you can’t directly add a degree like “Ph.D.” to your name in the same way you might use a prefix or suffix in formal contexts. LinkedIn follows a structured format where your name and credentials are separate. Instead, you should include your Ph.D. in the “Education” section of your LinkedIn profile. In this section, you can provide all the details of your Ph.D., including the degree title (Ph.D.), field of study, university, and graduation dates. This way, your LinkedIn profile effectively showcases your academic achievement without altering your name format, maintaining a professional and consistent appearance on the platform.

How do you mention a PhD degree?

When mentioning a Ph.D. degree in your professional communication or documents, it’s typically included after your name and separated by a comma. For example, if your name is John Smith and you have a Ph.D. in Psychology, you would write it as “John Smith, Ph.D.” This format signals your academic achievement and expertise. You can use this format in email signatures, on your LinkedIn profile, in academic publications, or wherever appropriate in a professional context to convey your qualifications accurately.

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LinkedIn Tips for PhDs: 4 Hacks to Get You Hired

LinkedIn is a professional social network where users can post their resumes and accomplishments to find work. Networking to find career opportunities is vital for academic professionals, especially PhD graduates and postdoctoral researchers. LinkedIn also allows users to connect their social profiles and showcase their raw skills and personalities. With this combination, users can find a job that fits their various needs. It is easy to create an eye-catching and interesting profile by using the right strategies!

Making Connections

When starting out in the professional world, most PhD graduates do not have many professional contacts. This is quite normal, early in a graduate’s career. However, it can seem overwhelming if someone doesn’t know how to network. The best way for a new graduate to build a network on LinkedIn is to connect with people they know. Academic contacts from school are the obvious choice, but connecting with family can also be helpful. Millions of people use LinkedIn, and people may be connected in unexpected ways.

Finding a job on LinkedIn sometimes depends on small things. It may not be obvious who could help a PhD graduate the most. New graduates should reach out as much as they can when trying to make connections. LinkedIn has many groups where people with similar education and interests can find a common ground for a good connection. Some of these groups, like alumni groups, may contain even more contacts than a student already knows. These contacts may have new leads of their own, and those new people may take notice.

In today’s modern and interconnected world, CVs alone are not enough to get a job, no matter how impressive they are. Sending a resume to a job posting does not help many graduates, because there are so many people who do the same thing. Therefore, it is difficult for one resume to get noticed in a large group. Personal connections make a graduate seem more interesting, and encourage others to take another look.

Building a Profile

A LinkedIn profile has a different style than a CV. Many graduates upload their CVs to LinkedIn and assume that it will function the same way. However, this is a common mistake. Graduates should make sure their profile is 100% complete as a complete profile contains things not found on a CV. An effective LinkedIn profile contains a profile picture and a catchy summary. It often includes pictures as well, to emphasize a graduate’s experience.

Because LinkedIn is not like a CV, graduates can add many different things to their profiles. Links to accomplishments, portfolios, or social media are often useful. This can add to a reader’s positive perception of the graduate by proving that the person is hard-working, or has contributed to something significant. These unique pieces of a profile are usually free of buzzwords and jargon to help the reader get to know the graduate.

LinkedIn profiles can do more than highlight professional accomplishments. They can showcase personal successes, and these can be just as important. Sometimes, highlighting unique skills in a graduate’s personal life can grab a reader’s attention. Things that may not seem directly applicable to the professional world might be an asset in some careers. Showing one’s unique personality through personal accomplishments can help a graduate stand out.

Be Social and Proactive

When making connections on LinkedIn, it is important that a graduate be social and proactive . Writing personalized requests for connections on the platform can spark someone’s interest, and could lead to more connections. Recommendations are another important part of being on LinkedIn. It is helpful to gain recommendations for skills from connections, but giving recommendations to others can open the door for new connections as well.

To get connections from others, a graduate must be ready to reach out when necessary. LinkedIn is not like other casual forms of social media. It is a network of professionals, so accepting connections from people a graduate does not know involves very little risk. In fact, connecting with new people gives the graduate a much better chance of being noticed and finding a job. It is still important to ensure that new connections are trustworthy and this is easy to do by looking at their profiles and connections.

Because LinkedIn is a social network, users have the ability to share whatever they wish. However, graduates should remember that LinkedIn is a professional and not a casual environment. This means that anything the user shares could reflect on them professionally. Joke posts, politics, or other controversial topics are not appropriate for a LinkedIn profile. Being proactive means telling the world about oneself, but this should be done in a professional and neutral way.

Keep It Simple to Stand Out

Knowing all the capabilities of LinkedIn, graduates may be tempted to create a long profile, containing minute details of their work. However, most readers do not go through long profiles and it is best to keep them simple . No reader wants to sit through a long, specialized summary when carefully chosen words and a few pictures could do the same job. This can apply to any area of a graduate’s profile. Too much detail can bore readers, instead of enticing them.

The best way to avoid making a profile too complicated is to give information in small chunks. Small pieces of information are easy to read and understand. Carefully wording these small pieces can tie together a graduate’s profile while giving the reader essential information. A LinkedIn profile is not just a list of accomplishments, it is also a marketing tool.

A LinkedIn profile should not only give the reader enough information to generate curiosity about the graduate, but also leave them wanting to know more. If readers want to know more, they will contact the graduate. The new contact could be a passive connection, but they will still expand the graduate’s network. If the new contact decides to contact the graduate for a job, the LinkedIn profile is then at its peak effectiveness, doing exactly what it was meant to do.

For more details, the following links may be helpful:   Part 1 ,  Part 2 , and  Part 3 .

Have you created your own LinkedIn profile? What steps did you follow to create your profile? Share your thoughts with us in the comments section below!

Its easier said than done. My experience says 8/10 people don’t respond to a personal message. I have tried sending a message with a nice introduction about myself and then asking for a referral. Though I have read somewhere that it’s not a good idea to ask for a referral/job in the first message. But I think LinkedIn is a platform for professional and being direct into context is no harm, as long as someone is not repeatedly messaging. I feel bad to see that a person is very active in LinkedIn and not responding to the message written in a very modest and formal way. Jobseekers don’t always expect a positive reply from the people but any kind of reply would surely make them happy.

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Effective LinkedIn headlines for master’s students (+ examples)

LinkedIn headlines matter: what you include in the headline tends to be people’s first association with your name on the platform. Master’s students can benefit from effective LinkedIn headlines if they know what elements to include and what to avoid.

Why LinkedIn headlines are important for master’s students

Your student status, your current work, your focus area, your ambition, what to avoid in linkedin headlines as a master’s student, example linkedin headlines for master’s students.

A LinkedIn headline is a 220-character section right under your profile picture on LinkedIn.

LinkedIn headlines are extremely important for establishing a network and for personal branding, which are essential for master’s students in the preparation for entering the labour market.

A LinkedIn headline is the only text that appears next to one’s name and profile picture in numerous instances, including

• LinkedIn searches,
• LinkedIn job applications,
• private messages,
• connection requests,
• when featured in someone’s ‘people you may know’ suggestion,
• when featured in someone’s ‘people also viewed’ suggestions.

In short, a LinkedIn headline is a sort of digital business card.

Furthermore, when someone googles your name, your LinkedIn profile shows up in the results with – guess what? Your LinkedIn headline as a preview.

The three main reasons why master’s students should have an effective LinkedIn headline are the following:

• To build a professional network: No one is going to accept your connection request if they don’t know who you are and what you do. And if they cannot figure out why you would try to connect with them.
• To support your job hunt: Whether you are looking for internships, traineeships, or a full-time job: it should be immediately visible to potential employers who you are and what you are looking for.
• To be visible to recruiters: Nowadays, a lot of headhunting happens via LinkedIn. If you are (soon) looking for a position anyways, why not increase your chance to be contacted by a recruiter?

Elements of effective LinkedIn headlines for master’s students

As a master’s student, you are, well, a student. Thus, it makes sense to include it in your LinkedIn headline. However, just writing that you are a student – even if you add the university – is not very informative. Unfortunately, it is very common:

Thus, indicate what you are studying, and at what level. For instance, you can be a MA Art History student, MSc Applied Physics candidate or a Master’s Student in Psychology.

If you work next to your studies, it can be worth including in your LinkedIn headline as well. However, always critically reflect on whether you want to highlight a job or not.

For example, it won’t be beneficial to emphasise your part-time gig as a babysitter or bartender when your ultimate goal is to work in banking…

Next, think about your focus area, key skills and expertise. Even if you indicate that you are a Law student, it is much more informative if you emphasise your focus on criminal or family law.

This element can also be forward-looking, indicating for instance the type of law that you want to make the focus of your career.

And lastly, be clear about what you are looking for. If you are looking for a job that is. This can be an internship, entry-level position, senior CFO position, etcetera.

Spell it out: you want to appear in the search results if someone looks for people searching, for instance, an internship.

• As explained above, do not just write ‘student’ as your one-word LinkedIn headline.
• Similarly, do not write ‘unemployed’. Even if you don’t have a paid job as a student, you are not unemployed. Being a student is your occupation.
• Don’t list unrelated jobs, such as being a babysitter or bartender, if they are disconnected from your professional goals.
• Don’t make grammar or spelling mistakes. When in doubt, use a spell and grammar checker like Grammarly.
• Avoid long sentences. It is better to use keywords, separated by vertical bars.
• Do not only use capital letters (NO SCREAMING PLEASE!)
• Be careful with the use of emojis. When in doubt about whether emojis in your LinkedIn headline is professional enough, simply don’t risk it.
• Don’t lie. Don’t be too humble but also don’t inflate your skills or lie about your positions. It will most certainly backfire.

Now that we know why LinkedIn headlines are important, what to include and what to avoid, let’s look at some good examples.

The first fictional master’s student Valeria studies Clinical Psychology. She clearly emphasises her focus on autism and early childhood development, which is important as clinical psychology is a vast field of study and practice. Furthermore, she states what she is looking for and where:

The second fictional master’s student Boris follows a similar setup: describing his degree programme, indicating where he studies, mentioning his key interests, and specifying that he is looking for an entry-level position in a specific sector:

The third fictional master’s student decided to indicate her graduation date. She is looking for a PhD position and specifies her target area, which is related to nano electronic materials:

The last example showcases the LinkedIn headline of fictional master’s student Carlos. In contrast to the previous headlines, Carlos included his current position as an intern. Looking at the keywords in his headline, this makes sense as the position is related to finance and can increase his chance of finding a traineeship in FinTech, which he is looking for:

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Fall is Application Prep Season for Graduate Studies: How to write a PhD personal statement

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Not sure where to start when it comes to writing a PhD personal statement? We have put together a helpful article packed full of advice for writing your PhD personal statement (or cover letter), so you can approach the task with confidence. PhD personal statements are incredibly important bits of work, showing how suitable you are for studying within the department that you are applying to, so it’s wise to make sure you’ve done your absolute best – you only get to make your first impression once! Have a read of our useful PhD personal statement tips, make a cup of coffee, and start showing off your writing skills.

What is a PhD personal statement?

How do i write a phd personal statement, how should i structure a phd personal statement, what should i write in a phd personal statement, what style should i use for a phd personal statement, how should i check my phd personal statement, phd cover letter and personal statement tips.

When applying for a PhD course, you may have to submit a research proposal as well as a personal statement or cover letter.

The proposal details your research project (such as proposed methods, results and planned analysis) and why there is value in exploring it.

Your personal statement outlines why you are suitable for doctoral study. In addition, it should say why you’re interested in the specific PhD with that particular department and how your experiences can add to it.

Sometimes you only have to submit a proposal or a personal statement. If you have to submit both, be sure that they clearly cover these separate areas.

Your PhD application is very different from an application you may have made before through UCAS. It goes directly to the university and needs to be fully tailored to what the department is looking for. It’s similar to a job application.

If you haven’t already, get in touch with the PhD supervisors or other contacts within the department you want to work in. They regularly need PhD students to support their work, so they will probably be happy to help you with your application.

When planning what to write, read all relevant information about the course and any guidance from the university – for example, lists of desirable criteria, or a person specifications. You can use each criterion as a heading and make bullet points on what to write under each one.

• An introduction that outlines why you want to do the PhD
• Middle paragraphs that say how your interests and experiences make you right for doctoral study, and why the university department is a suitable fit for you
• A concluding paragraph that summarises why you’re the best person for the course

Aim to explain how your skills and experience make you a suitable candidate for this particular PhD at this specific university.

• Why should you be completing research in this area?
• What are your strengths and achievements?
• What are your influences?
• Why is this university the right one for your project?
• Why do you want to work with this team?
• Make sure that you give evidence and not just state points, especially if the criteria are specific. What have you done to match the requirements?

You can discuss your wider achievements or extracurricular activities, but try to keep it suited to the PhD. If you want, add information about gaps in your CV or any other issues that are relevant.

If you’re applying for a fellowship (a funded PhD), you should tailor your application to the funder. Spend enough time researching the fellowship so you talk about why it will be beneficial to you.

Aim to be concise in your writing. The university may set a limit on the word count, but if not, your personal statement should ideally be no longer than one side of A4. Be concise and make every word count.

Your statement should reflect the academic nature of the writing you’ll be doing in the PhD. For example, if your work is scientific, the people who will read your statement want to see that you can provide evidence and an explanation with each point you make.

For more information on how to write a personal statement, see our general postgraduate advice article.

Go to:  How to write a postgraduate personal statement

When writing your application, spend plenty of time rewriting sections to perfect it. A good idea is to spend 20 minutes editing for every hour you spend writing. If you can, sit in a different environment to edit than where you write from, as this will help keep your mind clear and fresh.

Develop a strong academic CV – this is what admissions tutors will usually look at before reading your personal statement. Use the CV to list your experiences, and don’t repeat the same information in your statement.

Start putting your application together early, even as early as a year before the PhD will begin. This will give you time to contact supervisors. Your applications may be due in December or January before you start, so you’ll need to set aside plenty of time if you’re applying for funding.

How I Use LinkedIn as an Undergraduate Student

By a Peer Tutor

Ever since I came to college, I have been told left and right that I need to create a LinkedIn. Only now that I am staring down my junior year summer have I finally caved in and made one. I hope to use LinkedIn in order to leverage an internship this summer, and eventually, a full time job offer after college.

As a busy college student, my day is packed with work, class, and assignments (oh my!). I simply don’t have the luxury of spending hours scrolling for an internship that meets my specific requirements, nor the time to check for new updates. So what do I do? Well, LinkedIn allows me to set up a filter for the jobs I’m interested in and activate a notification that will alert me when a job meeting my criteria is posted.

Here is how I did that:

Step 1: First, I searched for the type of internship I was looking for (e.g., “Consulting Internship”) in the search bar in the top left corner of my account.

Step 2: I looked for the “All Filters” icon in the bar that appeared at the top of my screen.

Step 3: I checked all the filters that applied to what I was looking for and clicked “Show Results” once I was done.

Step 4: I turned on “Set Alerts”, which appeared at the top of my job listings.

After my profile was updated, my first question was, “Who do I connect with?” Well, I ended up connecting with professors I’ve taken classes with whom I had visited frequently in office hours. I also follow my friends on LinkedIn and they’ve been great for spamming my page with congratulations for my “new certification” and “new job” posts. I have found that starting to connect with people I know well in the beginning has made it easier for other people to locate my profile. The easier I am to find, the easier it is for recruiters to find me and notify me of internships I might be interested in.

Additionally, I reached out to the people I worked with at my previous internship. When it comes to locating people who work for the same company, I have found that it’s sometimes easier to search by the organization. For instance, as a peer tutor, I work for the Learning Center. I could find other people I work with easily by looking up “Learning Center at UNC” in the search engine on LinkedIn.

Tapping into Industry News

Like many students, I am on the hunt for my next summer internship. This means applying to dozens of job postings, and for me, preparing for the nerve-wrecking interview. Here’s a funny story: in my very first interview I was so visibly nervous and sweaty that they actually commented on it in my feedback! Now I extensively prepare for my interview questions and while I am still nervous, I am at least not visibly sweaty. I use LinkedIn to follow the companies I am most interested in. This way, I can easily pick up interesting little tidbits about the company that could potentially make a difference in my interview and demonstrate my seriousness.

Don’t Snooze on Industry News!

I also like using LinkedIn for professional related news and educational articles to gain further knowledge on the industry I am heading into (let’s be real, scrolling through social media is a more engaging way to gain info than reading articles). For instance, I had an upcoming internship interview for wealth and asset management. I followed the company on LinkedIn and I am able to read their articles on the economy’s outlook and investment advice to better prepare myself for technical questions in my interview.

Now that you know how I use LinkedIn as an undergraduate student, I wish you luck on your LinkedIn journey!

Students With 4-year Bachelor's Degrees, 75% Marks Can Directly Pursue PhD: UGC

To pursue a PhD with or without a Junior Research Fellowship (JRF), the candidates will require a minimum of 75 per cent marks or equivalent grades in their four-year undergraduate course.

The candidates with four-year undergraduate degrees can now directly pursue PhD and appear for NET..

Students with four-year undergraduate degrees can now directly appear for NET and pursue PhD, according to University Grants Commission (UGC) Chairman Jagadesh Kumar.

So far, a candidate for the National Eligibility Test (NET) needed a master's degree with a minimum of 55 per cent marks.

"The candidates with four-year undergraduate degrees can now directly pursue PhD and appear for NET. Such candidates are allowed to appear in a subject in which they want to pursue a PhD irrespective of the discipline in which they have obtained the four-year bachelor's degree," Kumar told PTI.

"The candidates having passed a four-year or eight-semester bachelor's degree programme should have a minimum of 75% marks in aggregate or its equivalent grade on a point scale wherever the grading system is followed," the UGC chairman said.

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A relaxation of five per cent marks or its equivalent grade may be allowed for those belonging to SC, ST, OBC (non-creamy layer), differently-abled, economically weaker sections and other categories of candidates as per the decision of the UGC from time to time, he added. 

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

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Biden's new student-loan forgiveness plan just began its 30-day public comment period — and anyone can tell the administration what they think of the relief

• The public now has 30 days to comment on Biden's new student-loan forgiveness plan.
• It's the next step in implementing a broader version of debt relief for borrowers.
• The proposals include relief for those with unpaid interest, along with those in repayment for 20 years.

The public has one month to tell President Joe Biden what they think of his new student-loan forgiveness plan .

After announcing details of Biden's second attempt at student-debt relief last week, the Education Department formally published the draft text of the new rules on the Federal Register on Wednesday. The publication of the rules officially kicked off the 30-day public comment, set to end on May 17. Comments can be submitted to the Federal Register here , which the Education Department will then review.

The draft text currently consists of nine rules "that permit separate and distinct types of waivers using the Secretary of Education's longstanding authority under the Higher Education Act," the Education Department said in a Tuesday press release.

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The rules address distinct types of borrowers that would qualify for relief under this new plan: those whose balances have grown due to unpaid interest, those who would be eligible for relief under certain repayment plans but have not yet enrolled, those who have been in repayment for at least 20 years, and those who have attended programs that left them with too much debt compared to post-graduation earnings.

The Education Department also said a separate rule to address relief for borrowers experiencing financial hardship will be released in the coming months.

"These historic steps reflect President Biden's determination that we cannot allow student debt to leave students worse off than before they went to college," Undersecretary of Education James Kvaal said in a Tuesday statement. "The President directed us to complete these programs as quickly as possible, and we are going to do just that."

The department aims to begin implementing relief as early as this fall. Still, as Business Insider previously reported , legal threats to the relief could imperil the department's timeline. While lawsuits have yet to be formally filed against Biden's administration, Missouri's Attorney General Andrew Bailey wrote on X in response to Biden's relief proposals: "See you in court."

And some experts said a conservative Supreme Court could likely rule like they did with Biden's first debt relief plan, striking it down .

"The administration is certainly still facing a very skeptical Supreme Court," Cary Coglianese, an administrative law professor at the University of Pennsylvania, told BI. "Even though it's a different statute, it's still a skeptical Supreme Court. It's still a pretty big program even though it's a smaller one."

Following the public comment period, the Education Department will review comments and could choose to adjust their proposals based on the feedback they receive. It will then finalize the rule and move toward implementation.

Watch: Why student loans aren't canceled, and what Biden's going to do about it

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2024 Amit and Meena Chakma Award for Exceptional Teaching by a Student Awarded to School of Planning PhD Candidate Ryan Lok

Ryan Lok is a PhD Candidate in the School of Planning. Ryan is described as an inspirational, kind, and supportive teacher. One student remarked that Ryan inspired them to explore a career in education: “Once, when conversing with Ryan, he told me I had good leadership qualities and encouraged me to pursue also being a TA in the future. I felt recognized and understood by this, and I appreciated his dedication to knowing his students well enough to know that this is something I wanted to do.”

Another student mentioned: “Being a teaching assistant requires passion, organizational skills, an approachable attitude, and determination to facilitate an engaging tutorial. Those qualities are evident in Ryan's classes." 

A faculty member shared this commendation: “One of Ryan’s greatest assets as a teacher is his ability to create a safe and supportive learning environment that also encourages students to step out of their comfort zone and build new skills and capacities for urban and regional planning.  

School of Planning PhD Candidate Ryan Lok

• Current students ,
• Current undergraduate students ,
• Current graduate students ,